German Car Zone

Thanks for your kind words.

I would be willing to admit that the quality of Italian cars has risen by quite a bit. My impression of Italian cars changed totally after seeing the Alfa and the Maserati showroom.

Although there are still minor problems, I doubt these cars will repeat the harrowing experiences of the older models, more so if it's the Qporte, since it prides itself as Maserati's flagship.

Woah, that's some news.

My dad is more keen to get the Sport GT now (without the carbon fibre trim) - I don't think he'll wanna wait for that new gearbox.

After all, I would fathom I guess that he'll be using the manual mode more often: if he wanted something smooth, he shouldn't be looking into this side of carland.

I would bet that you are`right

Thanks for the review and pictures Mirage. Good Job.

This on the other hand is completely unacceptable:


They only get away with it because they are Italian and it can be passed of as a by product of their design flair.

No problem.

You know, I wonder what's stopping them from looking into these details... I mean, how hard can it get? It's only a matter of getting the right dimensions from the manufacturer, then making sure it fits snugly into the chassis itself, right?

From what I know, Maserati only makes 3500 of these Quattroportes a year... We might not get our turn in 2006. You could also choose to be at the factory to watch your car being built. Unfortunately, I don't live in Europe, so we can't literally drive it out of the factory.

How is the Quattroporte priced in your countries? Here, the standard QP is priced similarly to an A8 4.2L Quattro and a S500.

I'm very sure you know far more about Italian culture & practices than I do.

I'd be delighted to visit their store... I've never seen Poltrona Frau furniture before.

Their Singapore showroom is on the 4th floor of Caltex House in Raffles Place.

Website

It is expensive furniture, as you probably guessed, but prices are comparible with other top international manufacturers like Knoll International, de Sede, Fritz Hansen, or B&B Italia.

Thanks Roberto, I'll check it out.

If a car leaves a deep impression on me, I'll keep dreaming of it all the time. And one of those cars is the Quattroporte Sport GT, which is slightly different from the standard Quattroporte me and my dad tested a week ago. It costs 20k more, has a revised gearbox, a tuned suspension and some visual upgrades like 20" rims, cross-drilled Brembo brakes and Maserati trident logos with red strips. I'll admit, both cars leave really good memories, but since the Sport GT's is more recent, I can recollect it better.

I feel that the gear changes now are more composed; more synchronised like an intricate clockwork mechanism, rather than a mechanical arm shifting the gears that may cause incessant neck whiplash.

The car is also noticeably louder. On idle, it emits a venerable hum that I can just happily lick up (with my ears... somehow). On higher revs, the car just keeps sounding better and better, revealing its true Ferrari ties with the F430. The sweet spot in this engine is that the faster you go, the more powerful it is. Peak power is reached in the high 6000/7000rpms and torque in 4500rpm.

The ride wasn't as bad as claimed by some reviews despite the low-profile tyres.

There are only 5 Sport GTs designated for Singapore each year... And 4 have been spoken for already. I really hope we can grab the last piece! Otherwise we'll have to wait for at least 6 more months... Already delivery for this year's 5 units is scheduled for January 2007.

That's it, we ordered it!

Delivery January 2007.