Uh, No & No

6 Reasons Why Maserati Is Cooler Than Ferrari

Ferrari might have surprised us with its J50 earlier this month, but Maserati will always be the cooler brand. Here’s our reasoning

More soulful V8 noise

Maserati’s V8s, which admittedly were developed with Ferrari, sound spectacular. The 4.7-litre version is possibly the best-sounding engine of the last 25 years, in my opinion. It sings to the heavens with its own harmonies, bellowing out baleful roars and howls to the sky. One of the greatest days in my life was spent in a GranCabrio, driving around city streets in first and second gears with tall buildings packed close to the kerb on either side. That noise!

The incredible soul in that sound puts it way out ahead of anything else in terms of character. Ferrari’s flat-plane crank V8s sound brilliantly racey, but the cross-plane Maserati 4.7 echoes every ounce of bittersweetness that ever made you fall head-over-heels in love with a movie, a piece of music or a book.

They are just more stylish

Now I’m not talking about sharp-edged purposefulness. Ferrari wins the day there, of course, with designs penned as much for functional aerodynamics as much as aggressive beauty. Maseratis have genuine Italian stylishness; a generous dollop of what it is that makes the Italian police look so damn suave in their uniforms, and what makes the shores of Lake Como an unrivalled place for fashionistas to be seen.

Maserati styling is genuinely distinctive, with fuller, more graceful curves than you see on the likes of tauter, more focused Ferraris. There’s a sense of the classic in their lines; a glimpse of a bygone age. They’re just more stylish.

(CarThrottle.com)

Of Course Someone Had This Built

 
Things I’m not usually a big fan of are hearses. You probably aren’t, either. I can’t think of a time that I looked at a hearse and thought, “Wow, that’s a good hearse.” But this Maserati Ghibli—which is meant to be a flashy sedan for those among the living—it’s a good hearse.

This is one of three luxury hearses customized by Ellena srl Autotrasformazioni, an Italian company that provides fancy last rides for people. Both of its other models are from the Mercedes-Benz lineup, but the lines and flow of the Ghibli set it apart even from other wildly expensive sedans-turned-hearses. CarScoops has pictures of the real thing rather than just the rendering above, and it is beautiful. 

In order to go from sedan to hearse, the car got an obvious extension of its roof and back end. The rear axle had to be pushed back on the hearse version of the Ghibli in order to hold the weight of a casket, and CarScoops reports that it moved back by about a meter. The hearse is a diesel casket wagon with a V6 engine under the hood, an automatic transmission and—from the looks of other models by the company—an interior fancier than the hearse of anyone’s dreams. (Please don’t dream about hearses.)

(Jalopnik.com)

In My Opinion They Are

The GREAT Debate: Is Maserati In TROUBLE?

For years the iconic Italian sports car manufacturer underwent some seriously tough times and it seemed as though it was about to be done for in the 1980s and 1990s. Then, it had a bit of a comeback and it returned to the US market.

While I would argue the products aren't best-in-breed, they are good picks if all you care about is standing out from the pack, emotion and sound. Buyers based in the New York Tri-State region and SoCal can't seem to get enough of the GranTurismo and newer Ghibli. But, sales of the Ghibli have started to show signs of slowing down.

Next up is the all-new Levante luxury sport-utility vehicle but, if you ask me, its design is a bit of a let down. If it looked more like the Maserati concept called the Kubang I think the brand would have struck a chord with many buyers; however, it looks a bit sloppy and the antithesis of slick in its execution. Instead of having a modern, Italian flare, it appears ungainly and rather harsh. What happened to the sensual designs that come from Italy?

Now the latest word is that the Alfieri, which was adored and admired by many, is being kept quiet. Is the project being delayed? Has it been killed off? What gives?

There's a chance the company is trying to go for an element of surprise as the media has been relatively spoiled when it comes to leaked information or gentle guidance, there's also a chance that the brand is in trouble.

(AutoSpies.com)