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Maserati Quattroporte I - The fastest four-door car in the world

Name: Maserati Quattroporte 1965
Brand: Maserati

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Created on December 2, 2021

Text:

Stefan Dierkes / Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Pietro Frua, Archiv Roberto Rigoli (Familie Frua), Turin (I)

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

Archiv Maserati S.p.A., Modena

Stefano Bricarelli - Courtesy Pietro Frua Archiv

Maserati S.p.A. - Courtesy Pietro Frua Archiv

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Pietro Frua, Archiv Roberto Rigoli (Familie Frua), Turin (I)

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

Archiv Maserati S.p.A., Modena

Stefano Bricarelli - Courtesy Pietro Frua Archiv

Maserati S.p.A. - Courtesy Pietro Frua Archiv

Archiv

89 1

Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the manufacturer promised a top speed of 230 km/h at the time

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - almost 1.7 meters wide

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - back then it was possible to achieve above-average travel averages with it

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the test drivers of the time attested to its slightly understeering handling

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the generous glazing offers excellent all-round visibility

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - with De Dion rear axle

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - relatively simple design

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the design is reminiscent of the 5000 GT from Frua

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the wide Cibié headlights were also used on the 5000 GT

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - low waistline, relatively large window area

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - it's hard to guess that a race-proven V8 engine is revving under the hood

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the beginning of a new driving genre

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - elegant but simple design

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - who could resist?

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - quattro porte stands for four doors

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - touring sedan with four doors, with the virtues of a sports car

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - ready to go

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - all "quattro porte" are open

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the car looks almost simpler from the front

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - still a feast for the eyes today

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - not too much chrome

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - this interior made an impression back then

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - sporty and luxurious interior

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Cockpit with wooden steering wheel

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - lots of leather in the interior

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - hardly any need for information remains unfulfilled

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - seven instruments inform the driver

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Additional functions and heater operation

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - with air conditioning (extra charge)

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Air conditioning operation

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Type lettering on the passenger side

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - this is where the boss gets in when he is being driven

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - light-alloy V8 engine with 4136 cm3

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the V8 produced 260 DIN horsepower

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the large air filter housing dominates the engine compartment

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the camshafts are driven by chains

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Manufacturer's lettering on the cylinder head

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Shrink-wrap paint makes the engine more beautiful

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - with four Weber twin-body downdraft carburetors

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Oil filler neck

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Chassis badge

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the trident on the radiator grille

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - golden trident on the bow

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the headlights characterize the front design

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - there is also a similarity to the Glas 2600 Coupé, as both were designed by the same designer

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - the nose styled by Frua

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - smooth surfaces, some chrome and ornamentation

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Air intake for the large eight-cylinder engine

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - chromed rear-view mirror

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Trident also on the wheel cover

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - two fuel filler caps

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Trident on the flank

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Tail light

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - labeled as a four-liter, although over 4.1 liters in size

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1965) - Type lettering on the rear

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Maserati 5000 GT Frua (1962) - at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati 5000 GT Frua (1962) - the Aga Khan Coupé

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Maserati 5000 GT (1962) - ordered by Aga Khan

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1963) - comm317- Maserati Quattroporte (1963) - A first 1:10 design by Pietro Frua with still different design of the C-pillar and the rear end

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Maserati Quattroporte (1963) - Presentation at the 1963 Turin Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte 4000 (1963) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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Maserati Quattroporte 4000 (1963) - Center console of the prototype, photographed at the Turin Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte 4000 (1963) - with new V8 engine, on show at the 1963 Turin Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - the body design was created by Pietro Frua - at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - with rectangular headlights - at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - Interior of the world's fastest sedan - at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - View of the interior of the pre-production model at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1963) - completed prototype (chassis no. 107.004) in the backyard of the Studio Tecnico Pietro Frua in Turin

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1963) - departure of the second prototype (chassis no. 107.004) with Maserati employees in front of the Studio Tecnico Pietro Frua in Turin

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Maserati Quattroporte I (1963) - the second Frua prototype - (chassis no. 107.004) with Maserati employees in front of the office building on the Maserati factory premises in Modena. At the wheel: test driver Guerino Bertocchi, in the background (wearing white tennis shorts) Omer Orsi's son (and current Maserati historian) Adolfo Orsi Jr.

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Maserati Quattroporte (1963) - four-door sports car

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Maserati Quattroporte (1965) - early version of the successful saloon, designed by Pietro Frua

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - Pietro Frua created a classic notchback sedan of great elegance

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - the first series of the sedan designed by Pietro Frua featured rectangular headlights

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Maserati Quattroporte (1967) - 2nd series example

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Maserati Quattroporte (1966) - photo of a Series 1 model from an English advertisement retouched to Series 2 with twin headlights

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Maserati Quattroporte (1966) - design by Pietro Frua, the 2nd series differs from the Series 1 by double headlights, among other things

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Maserati Quattroporte (1966) - Design by Pietro Frua, the 2nd series differs only marginally from the Series 1 on the sides

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Maserati Quattroporte (1969) - Dashboard of the first Quattroporte designed by Frua

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Maserati Quattroporte (1964) - 260 hp, 4 downdraft Weber twin carburetors, 4 overhead camshafts, eight cylinders in V-shape - at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Quattroporte (1967) - Design by Pietro Frua, for 1967 the DeDion rear axle was replaced by a classic rigid axle, 225 km/h fast - Geneva Motor Show 1967

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Maserati Quattroporte (1969) - with wooden dashboard and 4.7-liter V8 engine - Geneva Motor Show 1969

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Maserati Quattroporte Frua at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show - the version by Piero Frua shown here is much cleaner in form than the Italian sedan that had already been built for years

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Maserati Quattroporte II (1975) - very elegant design, but hardly any parallels to contemporary Maserati models

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Maserati Quattroporte (1974) - the Quattroporte II was only built 13 times

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Maserati Quattroporte (1974) - Marcello Gandini was responsible for the design in the service of Bertone

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Summary

A saloon with the performance of a really fast sports car and technology from racing car construction - that was unheard of before the Maserati Quattroporte. And the four-door saloon almost wasn't built at all. In the end, however, Maserati's good instincts prevailed and a new vehicle category was created. This driving report focuses on an early Maserati Quattroporte I, tells the story of the fast four-door and shows it in current and historical illustrations as well as in the sales literature.

This article contains the following chapters

Tamed engine and sporty chassis
Elegant bodywork by Frua
Presentation at the 1963 Turin Motor Show
The fate of the Frua prototypes
Start of series production
Illustrious clientele
Driving like the richest in the world
Successor project Quattroporte II

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Maserati always had an open ear for the wishes of its customers when developing its series vehicles. In 1959, the two-door sports coupé 5000 GT was created at the request of the Shah of Persia Reza Pahlevi, for whom the 3500 GT was not exclusive and fast enough.The idea of further developing this car into a fast four-door saloon for long-distance journeys for discerning customers on the growing network of European freeways was expressed by the Italian journalist Gino Rancati. His biography of Enzo Ferrari also made him famous in German-speaking countries. In his memoirs, Maserati archivist Ermanno Cozza recalls a dialog in 1958 between Maserati senior boss Adolfo Orsi and engine developer Antonio "Tonino" Reggiani, who was testing a 5-litre V8 racing engine with 400 hp derived from the Maserati 450 S racing sports car. Reggiani remarked that the Americans would be happy if they had such an engine with 200 hp in their sedans, and the "Commendatore" replied to him: "Who knows, maybe one day we'll build a sedan with it".

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