Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer that has experienced it all, from supreme racing and commercial success to bankruptcy and automotive irrelevance. Now, having been resurrected to its former glory, Bespoke had the chance to test out its full range along Levantine roads.
A Maserati test-drive must be any car lover’s dream. Naturally, I’m honoured that Bespoke chose me but I am also somewhat under-prepared for the task at hand so I quickly read up on all the necessary information while finding new and ingenious ways to shoo away my friends and family. Never did I receive so many offers for a personal assistant (for the day of course). Can they be my photographer? Shall they carry my handbag? People come up with a variety of services and it is clear to me: nearly everyone is dying to spend a day driving Maseratis around Beirut and the Lebanese countryside.
My new Maserati friends and I gather at Beirut’s Vendôme Intercontinental in the early morning. A group of lovely looking Italians have been flown in to assist the press and loyal customers during this glamorous lifestyle event. We are the lucky ones to spend a day driving around in the Quattroporte S, Quattroporte Sport GTS, Gran Turismo S Automatic, Gran Turismo S MC Sport Line and the recently launched GranCabrio – assisted by a group of Maserati Master GT driving instructors. Umberto Cini, the regional manager, explains to me that Lebanon and Maserati are a perfect team: “There is just such a great lifestyle here!”
Before we get started, we all have to fill in a form answering how many cars we currently own and what our dream car is. I am not entirely sure but that hip, white GranCabrio I just spotted outside does look very appealing. We are given a brief demonstration on how to properly drive the cars while most participants are busy chatting about recent Porsche events and the Ferrari test-drive they attended. I have clearly been missing out on this life. But once we all don identical Maserati T-shirts and are given Maserati shades, ‘excellence through passion’ instantly becomes our common motto and it is only minutes after that we all enter the world of Maserati.
We are given a number that matches one of the cars outside and it turns out that somehow I am to be the first to drive the GranCabrio. While the group walks to the entrance of the hotel, I start to get a bit nervous; can I do this? Nonchalantly I am handed the keys to the gorgeous looking car and Damien Pasini, international GT driver, gets in the seat next to me. With a big smile he tells me that he is here to assist me during this drive. A few seconds later and under police escort our convoy races away from Le Vendôme. The sirens are on and Beirut’s rush hour traffic is brought to a complete standstill. Policemen on motorbikes are risking their lives to get us through as fast as possible and before I know it we are on the outskirts of Beirut, on our way South.
Initially my hands are a bit sweaty and stay firmly stuck to the wheel; I have never driven this fast in my life. “Want to use the hand gear?” Damien asks with a grin. Why not! I unleash the car’s volcanic engine further and there we go, even faster than before. It all adds to the thrill. Is this really me driving? I touch the exquisite red leather interior and smell the aroma of prestigious woods of the dashboard while we fly to Deir al Qammar. Just as our convoy passes the army checkpoint to enter the Chouf mountains, Damien suggests we lower the roof. Just a touch of the switch next to the gearstick and the fully automatic fabric roof comes down in 28 seconds. We don’t even have to stop; it can be done on the move at slow speed. The soldiers just stare at me in disbelief, almost amused at what is going on.
My car looks even more superb with its top down. The weather is lovely and as we’re open to the elements my hair dances around in the air. “Don’t you feel like a Bond Girl!” screams Damien. He must have noticed my excitement. This does feel good! Never did I drive such an amazing car; Italian power and elegance are perfectly combined here. Inspired by images of Jackie Kennedy I take my scarf and quickly wrap it around my hair as we drive through small Druze villages. People hang from their balconies to see what on earth is going on; veiled village ladies and their husbands look on with astonishment when our convoy races past. Royalty from the Gulf? Some wealthy politician? No one really understands who we are but they can’t help but smile.
My speed indicator is beeping but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone. I have to stick to the rest of my group and so I firmly step on the gas. “Do you hear the sound of the engine? Isn’t it amazing!” Damien exclaims. Indeed it is. And the GranCabrio really is easy to drive – especially with Damien next to you. The throttle, brake and shift paddles have an easy feel and the steering is smooth.
This drophead definitely marks a new and important chapter in Maserati’s history. The GranCabrio redefines the idea of a cabriolet as it offers the chance to share the experience with those you love owing to the fact that it easily fits four people. In the GranCabrio you are not limited to using the car just as a couple but you can bring the whole family. True, the boot might struggle a bit to take the luggage but this convertible is more usable than most.
Like so many other successful Italian companies, Maserati started as a family business. Seven Maserati brothers were born between 1881 and 1889 in Voghera, Northern Italy. Their father was a train driver and all of the Maseratis were involved in the engineering and design of cars. Alfieri Maserati worked for Fiat and in 1914, when he felt he gained enough experience, he rented office space in Bologna’s old town. This was to become the first headquarter of the Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati.
Alfieri began his career as a racecar driver and soon proved successful, winning several prizes. Away from the racing world, Alfieri dedicated himself to the workshop and in 1926 he produced the Tipo 26, the first Maserati with the trident badge. For years, the company dominated the racing scene. Production of the 3500 GT, which was launched in 1958, marked an important new era for Maserati and consequently the plant had to be expanded. Car production and sales became the main goal, the racing activities became of secondary importance. In the early 1960s, Maserati’s reputation was at a high and became the car for the elite. With growing sales, Prince Karim Aga Khan ordered a special Maserati 5000 WP - one of the first Quattroporte’s designed by Pietro Frua.
Problems with reliability, build quality and residual values made for difficult times during the 1980s and early 1990s and the purchase by Fiat in 1993 did little to help matters. But in 1997 Ferrari took over Maserati and in 2003 the all-new Quattroporte was launched. The car boasted all of the refinement, luxury and sportiness for which the brand had been previously known and almost immediately the marque’s fortunes were to change.
Back to today and it is the full line-up of Maseratis that are at our disposal. We try out the newest Quattroportes and Gran Turismos on different types of roads. Highways, city roads, mountain roads, slopes and twisting narrow streets. Ideal to see how the cars react to different terrains. From Deir al Qammar we drive to the nature reserve of the cedars in the Chouf and then on to Kefraya, Lebanon’s famous winery in the Bekaa valley. “Maserati is always looking to combine its driving events with a significant choice of location, one that can match its brand values of exclusivity, quality, passion and its constant quest for the best in life,” says Umberto while we sip our wine. After lunch we tour the vineyard and then get back into our cars. It is amazing how smooth the Quattroporte Sport GTS feels on bumpy roads.
But I must admit, after my elegant GrandCabrio experience, the other cars feel slightly more ordinary (and insulated). The Quattroporte Sport GTS has plenty of legroom in the back but it just doesn’t give me quite the same adrenaline kick. Via Marie Baz’s wax museum in Deir al Qammar we return to Beirut in the late afternoon. The sun sets as our convoy of beautiful Maserati’s arrives back at Le Vendôme. What an amazing day! Now if only I could drive my white GranCabrio home.
