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Maserati magic
Paul Talbot follows in
the tyre burns of Jeremy
Clarkson for a taste of
Italian style and power.
For some time now, I’ve wanted to drive something exotic and special, and I recently got the opportunity to do just that. A chance email to Ferrari, who also own Maserati, resulted in the offer of a loan of a Maserati Quattroporte (four door) for two days in April. Suitably pleased with myself I began to look forward to it and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of customer support the company offers, making sure that the Lynx hand controls that I would be using would fit and
that I’d be able to drive the car without any problem.
Exterior
The car’s sleek lines are unmistakably Italian. It has a prominent nose with the Maserati emblem sat proudly in the middle with deep scooping air intakes beneath. A long bonnet hides a 4.2 litre engine and the sides of the car could almost be described as having been sculpted, with a flowing waistline and three side air vents clearly visible in each of the front wings. Towards the back of the car the design continues to flow, with the word “Maserati” perched in the middle of the boot lid, and a discreet hint of what’s under the bonnet is apparent with two pairs of twin exhaust pipes on display beneath the bumper.
The car was finished in a gorgeous metallic silver and its claim to fame is that it was recently used by none other than Jeremy Clarkson in one of his tyre-burning exploits. At 5.052m in length, the car is decidedly big and wide too, at 1.895m, sitting on some 18 inch multi-spoke alloy wheels with low profile tyres of a rating of 245/45 ZR18 on the front and 285/40 ZR18 on the rear.
Interior
Maserati don’t bother with any old leather in the interiors of their cars; rather they use stunning soft and exclusive leather by Poltrona Frau and the leather scent is immediately  apparent.
This large four-seater car has individually electrically operable seats adjustable for tilt and reach in the front and rear, together with an option to be heated if you so desire. The Bose sound
system in the car is just out of this world and whilst wafting along, riding in the back, I noted the individual heating controls and the option to move the front seat forward should I decide that legroom was in short supply.
When behind the wheel the car’s imposing long bonnet is a sight to behold, and the blue dials can be easily read, giving out information such as the current gear, ambient air temperature and date. Sinking into those extremely comfortable seats was a breeze and I liked the memory system on the car: unlock it and get in and the seat and steering wheel adjust to your preset position. Get out, and they move out of your way just because you’ve opened the door and removed the keys. Simple and effective.
Interestingly, the car features a rev counter where you might expect the speedometer to be and vice versa, and a range of buttons actually on the steering wheel itself just as you might
expect on a Ferrari race car. These operate the more mundane matters such as the in-car telephone and CD track. Sited at the rear of the steering wheel were beautifully engineered steering wheel paddles; a quick flick left for changing down and right for changing up.
With so much room available, I’d defy anyone to feel short-changed with their own personal
space. Rather disappointing, however, is the boot. Whilst the sill is low and easy to load, should you wish to take your £2,500 titanium wheelchair in this £80,000 car, you might struggle to get it
in as it is smaller than it looks. You’d just have to remember to take one of the other cars on the days when you needed your chair, perhaps, leaving the Ferrari F430 for weekends.
The leather-clad console features a deep-set analogue clock, which isn’t all that visible, and the satellite navigation unit beneath surrounded with yet more buttons to operate the central locking and traction control, sports mode automatic and manual/automatic shift facility. This allows drivers to shift sequential-manual mode at any time, even when the car is moving.
Beneath these were controls for the radio, CD multichanger, television and navigation. The climate control unit is set beneath and of course, each passenger has their own personal set-up facility.
A very short stubby gear lever is sited in the transmission tunnel between driver and passenger, with an awkward reverse mode; it’s necessary to pull it up and slot it backwards. Whilst using the car in fully automatic mode as my licence decrees, I found that it was occasionally awkward to select reverse, especially as this car has a small 215mm dry twin plate clutch which – together with my technique – could be to blame for the gear selection problems.
On the road
For such a big car, it was amazingly agile. The company had booked a slot at a local private proving ground at Chobham, Surrey, where the engineers were able to fit Lynx hand controls
supplied by the company’s director, Neil Gummery, to the car and check out whether I could cope with the vehicle.
Arriving at the proving ground, it would only be a few minutes before I was at the wheel making sure I was able to cope with the hand controls. Simple to fit and easy to use, the only modification that their engineer found necessary was the removal of the rubber brake pedal cover. With the clamps on over the pedals, they were securely fastened and accelerator and brake controls finally given that extra fine-tune in terms of their length to give optimum operation.
The kit comes complete with spanners, fixing kit, durable carrying box and a range of adjustable clamps to fit most cars; they are used on the Hertz hire range. With everything to my liking, I was soon whizzing around the track at speeds well in excess of 60mph and manually changing the gears using the paddles, something I wouldn’t be able to do on the public roads due to my restricted licence. The controls performed well, smoothly increasing the acceleration and with one or two emergency braking sessions attempted, I felt satisfied that I could cope with the car.
We headed back to Ferrari’s HQ in Slough and this turned out to be a real test of nerve as the route back took us through some of the narrowest roads I have ever been on. I‘ve already pointed out that the car is quite wide and it was a real challenge. Had I gone too fast, though, the Brembo braking system would have pulled me up sharp; figures supplied indicate that the car can come to a halt using its ABS and EBD systems from 62mph in 36.9 metres.
Using the car over the remainder of the two days, I covered a route over the M4 to our overnight
accommodation, a trip further south and then meandered our way back to Ferrari. Our route took us on motorways and some twisty A and B roads where the car’s potential was not fully tested but I went as far as confidence would allow.
The car’s double wishbone suspension keeps everything taut and in order when cornering fast, ably helped by the Maserati skyhook adaptive damping system. It’s capable of absorbing
most of the imperfections of the road and I’m pleased to say that the magic carpet ride is ever present. When pressing on, however, the car’s chameleon-like attitude changes the settings
and it takes on a sports car-like personality.
Parking, I’m pleased to say, was relatively easy, and once completed became a head-turning experience; people looked and pointed, drooled and generally fantasised about the ownership
prospect. Sensors were standard fit on the front and rear, making short work of what could have been a real task.
The car’s acceleration was fierce, the 4,244cc 90 degree V8 engine performing at the touch of a paddle, capable of churning out 400 bhp and propelling the car towards a mere 171mph.
Technical Information
Max power output: 400bhp at 7500 rpm
Max torque: 451 at 4500 rpm
Max speed: 171 mph
0-60 time: 5.2 seconds
Kerb weight: 1,970
Fuel consumption: Urban: A lot !
Extra Urban: No figures supplied
Combined 18.9 litres per 100 km
Verdict
Simply fabulous. In all, two great days and an experience that’s unlikely to be repeated. Except for that lottery ticket maybe…. and that’ll cover the fuel bill. As for the purchase price, that’s another story. At least, as a wheelchair user the VAT man wouldn’t get anything out of me.
My thanks to Al Clarke and his colleagues for the arrangements.
The Disabled Drivers' Motor Club wants you to spend your money wisely. There are a number of assessment centres around the UK for you to discuss your mobility requirements and we urge you to contact them before you commit your funds to a vehicle that may not be suitable.
See pages 14-15 of the DDMC Annual Handbook for details of your nearest centre.
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