"The other day, I went online... and bought this." The kind of sentence that sounds like a joke, until the camera opens on a Maserati Quattroporte. Not a Maserati "modern", not an SUV: a V8 Quattroporte from 2007, the one that marked an entire generation of Maseratists. The one we saw on Top Gear when we were kids. The one we had as a poster, sometimes even in a Hot Wheels version. And the craziest part of the story isn't just that he made his childhood dream come true, it's that it was the cheapest on the internet. A V8 Quattroporte at a bargain price. Inevitably, at this price, there's another phrase that accompanies the excitement: "what's behind it?"
The last hint of "real" Maserati under Ferrari influence
The Quattroporte in question is a 2007, a pivotal period. It belongs to that very special period when Maserati was still deeply linked to Ferrari, and when the very idea of a luxury sedan with the heart of a supercar was anything but a marketing slogan. Under the hood: the Ferrari-sourced, naturally-aspirated 4.2-liter V8, made to sing at high revs, up to 7,000 rpm. An engine associated with an era, a sound and a philosophy: it lives, it vibrates, it demands that you go for the music rather than the torque.
On paper, we're talking about 400 hp and around 460 Nm, with that feeling typical of naturally-aspirated engines: the higher you go, the more intense it gets. As the owner puts it: to get the best out of it, you have to "make it breathe", like a Ferrari. And that's precisely what makes this car so endearing: it's not a sedan that pretends to be sporty, it's a great Italian that fully embraces its DNA.
Another important detail: this Quattroporte has a 6-speed ZF automatic gearbox, which on certain vintages has replaced the famous DuoSelect (F1-type robotized). For the first Quattroporte models, fascinating as they were, carried a reputation for relative smoothness and more delicate transmission reliability. Here, the objective is clear: a smoother everyday driving experience, and superior mechanical serenity.
The dream prize: Executive GT!
When new, this sedan cost around £85,000, the equivalent of almost £150,000 today, according to him. In short, an object of luxury, power and status. And then, years later, someone buys it for a sum that seems almost absurd given the specification: £3,500!
Reality, of course, is in the details. The car is delivered on a tray, in the dark. In the dark, it starts, it "sounds" right, it looks mechanically sound. Then comes the morning. And with the sun comes the truth. The metallic blue, though superb, is marked: micro-scratches, traces, disturbed reflections, paint that has lived. In some places, it's immediately obvious. In others, you have to move around the bodywork to understand that something has been taken up, repainted, made up.
This example is an Executive GT, a finish that places the Quattroporte on the side of chauffeur-driven sedans... except that under the hood, it has no intention of behaving like a placid limousine. Inside, the ambience is more "grand touring": sunroof, leather upholstery, rear equipment with aviation-style shelves, dedicated air conditioning, and even some frankly unexpected details for a car of this era, such as a thigh support adjustment in the rear. The owner also loves the color combination: a two-tone interior, with a blue/gray hue and a darker dashboard top, accompanied by a black piano insert that doesn't look "plastic", but rather "woody". This is not the aggressive carbon ambience of a sports car; it's the Italian luxury of a sedan that wants to seduce as much through its staging as through its engine.
The hidden face of "the cheapest on the internet".
At this point, it's time to talk about what justifies the price. Because yes, there's a Ferrari V8, yes, the design is by Pininfarina, and yes, the car is superb. But there are also scars. First, the rear: both taillights are broken. The "repairer" of the moment has come up with the simplest solution: tape. It makes you smile, but these lights have become extremely hard to find, and fetch high prices on the second-hand market.
Then there are the signs of a shock: odd panel gaps, a dubious fit around certain elements, rear paint with an "orange peel" appearance, and hints of paintwork done without removal. Even the parking sensors appear to have been painted... which explains why they're faulty. And then there are the tires, tired, cracked, with even a suspected puncture on one of the rears. Again, it's not glamorous, but it's typically the sort of thing that happens quickly when you buy a car at this price level... especially an Italian with 115,000 miles (185,000 km).
On board: Italian charm
The interior is a delightful mix of "wow" and "oh no". The "wow" is the Maserati atmosphere: the bluish meters, the logos everywhere, the dashboard that seems to remind you every second that you're in a special car. The sunroof works, so does the electric blind, and the rear is even rather well preserved.
The "oh no" is the electronics and materials typical of the early 2000s: buttons that have become sticky "like chewing gum", chrome that is starting to prickle, plastics and coatings that are crying out for a thorough cleaning. The infotainment system doesn't work. The passenger window has its own character: it goes up and down by itself.
"What an incredible sound with the original exhaust!"
And then comes the moment that justifies everything: the start. Even when you're reasonable, even when you're not looking for performance, the car speaks. It has that husky, noble, almost "metallic" tone one associates with Italian naturally-aspirated V8s. He says it himself, surprised: the noise is incredible... with the original exhaust.
When driven gently, it crackles with character at low and mid-range speeds. With this car, you can enjoy the engine without immediately finding yourself outlawed at every acceleration. You can enjoy the mechanics, the smooth ZF gearbox, the feeling of a large sedan that purrs and then sings.
This Quattroporte is not just a "good deal". It's imperfect, it's fussy, it has visible defects and annoying bugs. For the new owner, the program is already written: find worthy taillights, put the electronics in order, give the body a real detailing session, check the suspension, have a serious overhaul... and arrive in the summer with a Quattroporte that finally looks like what it's always been: an Italian luxury sedan with a Ferrari heart. And if you're interested, take a look at our buying guide dedicated to the Maserati Quattroporte.
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