A traditional luxury sedan, the Quattroporte will switch from V8 to electric in 2024

it was in english then: the next generation Quattroporte will be purely electric. Scheduled for 2024, it will be Maserati’s only sedan, will take the name Folgore (electric, in Italian) and will sit between the Levante SUV and the Granturismo coupe.

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Electrifying its traditional style is not the only move of the Italian manufacturer, as this is the most intense trend in the luxury segment, demonstrated by models such as Rolls-Royce Specter and Cadillac Celestiq, among others.

Apart from being also the first radical turn of the brand founded in 1914, in Bologna, by the brothers Alfieri, Ettore, Ernesto and Bindo – whose first chapters in the history of cars were racing cars. The first of these was the Type 26, with 11 units manufactured between 1926 and 1932.

Already in 1937, the trident brand went through a trauma that would be repeated three more times in the future: it was passed from the hands of the Maserati brothers to those of Adolfo Orsi.

Street cars appeared only in 1947, with the A6 1500. Ten years later, during the Geneva Motor Show, he presented the 3500 GT, the first of what grand tourers should be: comfortable, spacious and powerful.

Under the Italian businessman’s command, the list of cars, races and victories was traced back to the 250F, the car driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the start of the 1954 Formula 1 season, when the Argentine won his second championship. After races for Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari, Fangio returned to sit in the Maserati 250F for the fifth and final title, in 1957 – the same year that the manufacturer decided to withdraw from racing and focus on the production of powerful and luxurious cars.

Among them, the Quattroporte.

An icon among luxury sedans, it was shown for the first time at the 1963 Turin Motor Show with a design by Pietro Frua, one of the most famous Italian designers of the time, based on the 5000 GT. It was the perfect combination of luxury, power and space for up to five passengers and their luggage.

Early models had a rear suspension system known as De Dion, with linkages at each wheel. Complex, it was recently replaced by a more complex axle. The 4.7-liter V8 engine took care of the extra weight of all the interior luxury, which offered leather upholstery, climate control and electric windows. Today the model is in its sixth generation.

Another curiosity about Maserati: in 1968, Citroën took the opportunity to acquire a V6 engine developed and produced by an Italian company to be installed in the SM, which would be launched in 1970. In return, it would increase Maserati’s production capacity and provide it with technology which were not accessible at that time, especially in terms of hydraulic and electrical resources.

The problem is that Citröen went bankrupt in 1974. Bought by compatriot Peugeot, it sold Maserati to De Tomaso the following year. From this phase, unusual models of the brand were born, such as the Kyalami – a De Tomaso Longchamp redesigned with a Maserati V8 instead of the original Ford V8 – and the third generation of the Quattroporte, a new interpretation of De Tomaso. Deauville.

In 1993, Fiat bought Maserati from Alejandro De Tomaso, and in 1997 sold 50% of the company to Ferrari, itself owned by Fiat. Today, Maserati is one of the brands of Stellantis, a consortium formed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Peugeot Citroën.