Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S (2007) CAR review

Maserati model names confuse me. What’s this Sport GT S all about?

According to chief engineer Paul Fickers, it’s the car the Quattroporte always should have been. There are six Quattroporte variants – three with a semi-auto, three with a full auto – and it’s the ‘proper’ auto Sport GT S that’s expected to now form the majority of sales. Why? Because, like the Ford Fickers once worked on, it’s been 'focused'. Key change? Out goes the Skyhook adaptive damping, and in comes single-rate Bilstein dampers, biased towards handling to exploit the Quattroporte’s advantageous layout. Fickers is adamant that cars only feel right if the fundamentals are so. By this, he means a front mid-engine with all the weight behind the front axle and near-perfect weight distribution: for example, the Quattroporte…

OK, so apart from the new dampers, what’s been done to create this £86,400 range-topper?

The suspension has been lowered by 10mm at the front and 25mm at the rear compared to the Sport GT, while the mountings have been uprated to cope with the all-new set-up. There are also bespoke 295/30 section rear tyres, aiding turn-in and traction, while Fickers’ obsession with minimising bump steer has kept the Maserati test drivers occupied for months. Mean and moodiness is enhanced by a ‘dark chrome’ finish for the exterior, including the wheels and exhausts, while the doorhandles are now body-coloured. Result? Frankly, it looks superb.