Sunday, July 27, 2008

First Drive: Maserati Quattroporte S in Europe


Click above for high-res gallery of the Maserati Quattropore S

Let's be honest: cars can be a mode of transportation, but you're not reading Walkoblog or Cycleblog, now are you? At the heart of matters, what we're really pursuing here is that unbridled enthusiasm we had for cars as children. With every comparison of engine output and Nurburgring lap times, we're reaching back to the schoolyard, childishly debating the superiority of one sportscar over another. And all these galleries of high resolution images we bring you are just our updated version of hanging posters of Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the walls of our childhood bedrooms. How disappointed our younger selves would be, however, at what we end up driving when we finally have the means: ho-hum family sedans, bloated SUVs and wobly mini-vans. If only someone made an exotic sedan – not a compromise between the two, but a genuine exotic with four doors. That's exactly what Maserati did in 2003 with the revival of the Quattroporte, with a little help from sister-brand Ferrari.

With the Quattroporte, Maserati has proven itself capable of satisfying both our inner child and the one sitting in the back. A tough act to follow, then, because a sequel is seldom as exciting the original. But after 15,000 units delivered, the Quattroporte was treated to a mid-cycle refresh, sharpening up its already luscious styling, throwing in a host of new features and, most tantalizingly, dropping a bigger, more powerful engine into the mix. With such promise in store, we headed out to Austria to see what the boys from Modena had cooked up... and to seek out that boyhood grin once again.

First Drive: Maserati Quattroporte S in Europe



Click above for high-res gallery of the Maserati Quattropore S

Let's be honest: cars can be a mode of transportation, but you're not reading Walkoblog or Cycleblog, now are you? At the heart of matters, what we're really pursuing here is that unbridled enthusiasm we had for cars as children. With every comparison of engine output and Nurburgring lap times, we're reaching back to the schoolyard, childishly debating the superiority of one sportscar over another. And all these galleries of high resolution images we bring you are just our updated version of hanging posters of Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the walls of our childhood bedrooms. How disappointed our younger selves would be, however, at what we end up driving when we finally have the means: ho-hum family sedans, bloated SUVs and wobly mini-vans. If only someone made an exotic sedan – not a compromise between the two, but a genuine exotic with four doors. That's exactly what Maserati did in 2003 with the revival of the Quattroporte, with a little help from sister-brand Ferrari.

With the Quattroporte, Maserati has proven itself capable of satisfying both our inner child and the one sitting in the back. A tough act to follow, then, because a sequel is seldom as exciting the original. But after 15,000 units delivered, the Quattroporte was treated to a mid-cycle refresh, sharpening up its already luscious styling, throwing in a host of new features and, most tantalizingly, dropping a bigger, more powerful engine into the mix. With such promise in store, we headed out to Austria to see what the boys from Modena had cooked up... and to seek out that boyhood grin once again.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Edo Competition revisits the Maserati MC12



There is no shortage in the automotive world of tuners endeavoring
to squeeze extra performance out of already devastatingly fast cars.
But Edo Competition is a breed apart. For those still unfamiliar, check
out our previous posts on Edo's customized Lamborghini LP640, Ferrari 599 and Porsche Carrera GT,
which demonstrate that, in Edo's blue eyes, perfection is relative and
can always be improved upon. Their latest venture was to crank up the Ferrari Enzo, and have once again turned their attention to its sister supercar, the Maserati MC12.


This, of course, isn't the first time the German tuning house has
taken their hammers to the uber-Trident, having cranked out the MC12 XX and cranked up the MC12 Corsa.
A bit more subdued than its predecessors, the latest MC12 package aims
to improve the super-exotic's power-to-weight ratio, which came as
stock a bit lower than that of the Enzo due to more bodywork. Edo has
managed to trim 220 lbs of extra weight from the Maserati, while
increasing power by 70 cavalli to 700hp. Edo has also fitted
a host of modified components from the variable exhaust and adjustable
rear wing to the retuned suspension and new wheel package. Visual
changes were kept to a minimum, but customers can always specify their
own exterior and interior mods. Check out the stats after the jump and
the images in the gallery below.