Here’s the cover story of R&T’s 1980 January issue.
Here’s that cover again:
And the Article, enjoy:
Vintage Review: Maserati Quattroporte III
– Posted on November 11, 2015
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Curbside Classics Archives
Here’s the cover story of R&T’s 1980 January issue.
Here’s that cover again:
And the Article, enjoy:
I love the shots of the interior. The definition of the word plush. In Rocky III , Rocky Balboa chose a black one as his personal ride. An Italian Stallion indeed!
I agree on the interior. To me this is one aspect from their near-past that Maserati ought to resurrect, the overstuffed and pleated tan and cordovan leather seats.
I like these Quattroportes. I always thought they were one of those cars that said “80s” without becoming dated.
If I recall, these Masers were built when Alessandro De Tomaso was owner of the company, and these were part of his plan to move the company a bit more downmarket for more profits. I can easily understand his thinking, considering that the company went bust once and they couldn’t keep making the high price rich boy’s toys forever and still have a healthy profit margin. In some ways his influence still exists today in the company’s current lineups and pricing strategy, but back in the 80s, for a company like Maserati to move into the kind of cars that would be driven longer and with more mileage on the clock, the first steps were obviously painful. They were the kind of cars that proved just why the wealthy are the only people who can afford an Italian exotic.
Still, even with all the build quality faults, these cars are still great lookers. Like many Italian exotics, they’re cars that you can admire from a distance, if not up close.
The car you are describing is the Bi-Turbo car lines, the QP was designed as a Rolls Royce/Bentley rival and not ‘down market’ at all. The Italian government pressured DeTomaso in the Bi-Turbo to fight the BMW 3 series, this car has nothing to do with that fight. The QP was the flagship luxury car to be followed up by the ‘Royale’ with even more luxury.
I have many of the very same magazines that Yoha has, including the oe with this Maser, and the test of the Toyota Tercel liftback on the same issue.
I always liked these Quattroportes. Maintenance and repair on one would scare me to death, though. I occasionally see these for sale. Every time I see one being sold, it’s either a pristine creampuff or a worthless heap.
+1, let’s see a few more Italian exotic 4 door sedans please. I only ever saw one of these in Fleetwood (the British one) in the yard of a funeral directors in 1980.
When dealing with these, what looks like a pristine creampuff could actually be a worthless heap. Or become one, in short order.
Pretty car, though, and with the same kind of lasting, timeless beauty as the 1992 Cadillac Seville, which probably was influenced by the Maserati; it did come more than ten years later.
The styling is pleasing in an odd way. Interior looks sumptuous and very comfy. Wished they had a closeup of those door handles, they look interesting and very AMC-ish.
I’ll never forget seeing Julius “Doctor J” Erving parked in his brown Quattroporte outside of a mall as I departed my minimum wage job. I looked so looong.
Talbot Quattroporte
Lol 😀
In any iteration, I’ve always found the Quattroporte to be one of the best-looking sedans out there.
While the current Quattroporte is a wonderful (and big !) sedan, I’m also a fan of the Quattroporte IV with its fast-forward pitbull appearance. A man nearby had one, burgundy metallic, with a tan interior. Splendid automobile.
wheels remind me of the Buick Ultra’s for some reason
Bottle cap rims. Mercedes:
BMW:
And all high-end Euro-Fords (Ghia trimlevel) had these: