Bye Bye Maserati

[urbanmaser]

Im no economist, but i know what floats my boat and being a MR average kinda guy that sorta puts me in the same catergory as the majority where maserati ownership is concerned , so yes it beggars belief that they would take that kind of direction, If we take a look at the european market share of sales , in the past it has had a significant market share , Europes outlook over the next 10-20 years is bleak it has to be said so perhaps they are looking a bit too far ahead and pre-empting the ever increasing Asian growing markets , it has to be said China's Maserati sales in the last 3 years have nigh on doubled year on year ,

We as Brits in general ,have probably the largest quota of car buffs per capita head anywhere in the free world , so we understand and appreciate the needs for heritage/ prestige/Italian design and charisma that Maserati gives its owners , i fear the emerging Asian markets don't , nor does the pile em high sellem cheap attitude of the American market , for them its probably an added bonus and cred having a Chrysler lump deposited between the Maserati bowels, (altho Chrysler history is original German) but soon as the Yanks got there grubby mits on it , any signs of German reliability / innovation went straight out the window.

Im not surprised if this direction goes ahead , the Italian economy is on its knees , its currently about to join the ranks of Greece Ireland Spain and Portugal and the government is in no position to help out, if Fiat decides to shed the brand to make some much needed funds to bail out its other marques.

Lets hope someone else comes to the rescue , to enable Maserati to stay as close to its roots as possible , pretty sure Ferrari would be willing to negotiate further supply / be part of the design process for a new Maserati engine for future models


regards loz

Well said Loz. Purity counts in the UK but in the USA it counts for very little. You just have to see how Lexus have stolen the sales from Mercedes in the executive car market and as good as a Lexus maybe it just does not have any heritage

 

[lozcb]

Well said Loz. Purity counts in the UK but in the USA it counts for very little. You just have to see how Lexus have stolen the sales from Mercedes in the executive car market and as good as a Lexus maybe it just does not have any heritage

Why thank you Urby ,been thinking my feelings might be a little mixed if Maserati tried to strike a deal for the Nissan GTR engine and drive train , its a proven set up leaps and bounds ahead of most others in the same catergory

thoughts anyone


regards loz

 

[urbanmaser]

Why thank you Urby ,been thinking my feelings might be a little mixed if Maserati tried to strike a deal for the Nissan GTR engine and drive train , its a proven set up leaps and bounds ahead of most others in the same catergory

thoughts anyone


regards loz

Ok Loz thats a good example the Nissan GTR. What a fabulous example of technical engineering. Without doubt the GTR is a masterpiece abeit very ugly. It hold the road as though it was glued to it and for the money it costs is just about the quickest thing on 4 wheels. The acceleration is not too far behind a Bugatti Veyron costing 15 times as much. With all that though I would not sink my hard earned money into a car that is void of any class or heritage and manufactured by a company that gave us the Micra

 

[lozcb]

Ok Loz thats a good example the Nissan GTR. What a fabulous example of technical engineering. Without doubt the GTR is a masterpiece abeit very ugly. It hold the road as though it was glued to it and for the money it costs is just about the quickest thing on 4 wheels. The acceleration is not too far behind a Bugatti Veyron costing 15 times as much. With all that though I would not sink my hard earned money into a car that is void of any class or heritage and manufactured by a company that gave us the Micra

Pretty sure i could live with Maserati using the GTR engine and drive train , provided it was branded as Maserati on the rocker covers and all other things Maserati were retained and kept Italian

You may well find that Maserati performance figures started to outshine those of Ferrari ..... just possibly


regards loz

 

[Parisien]

...would sorta be a Masersun amalgam......hhhmmmmmmmmmmm...wouldn't light my fire.......................


P

 

[lozcb]

...would sorta be a Masersun amalgam......hhhmmmmmmmmmmm...wouldn't light my fire.......................


P

But the performance would Frank


regards loz

 

[Maser Sod]

Ok Loz thats a good example the Nissan GTR. What a fabulous example of technical engineering. Without doubt the GTR is a masterpiece abeit very ugly. It hold the road as though it was glued to it and for the money it costs is just about the quickest thing on 4 wheels. The acceleration is not too far behind a Bugatti Veyron costing 15 times as much. With all that though I would not sink my hard earned money into a car that is void of any class or heritage and manufactured by a company that gave us the Micra

As mentioned on Thursday, I was very close to putting a deposit down on a GT-R back in April. I even joint the GT-R register. But I found those guys to be an uninspired bunch lacking any real passion about their marque, and I also found myself not getting excited about seeing a GT-R on the road. I still get a tingle of excitement when I see a QP glide down a road, looking a million dollars. Enough said.

 

[dem maser]

Yes, i had 2 boys bring GTRs at the wedding and well thats what they are.....boys

Fast but thats all they care about.....i love the avatar by the way pat

 

[Parisien]

As mentioned on Thursday, I was very close to putting a deposit down on a GT-R back in April. I even joint the GT-R register. But I found those guys to be an uninspired bunch lacking any real passion about their marque, and I also found myself not getting excited about seeing a GT-R on the road. I still get a tingle of excitement when I see a QP glide down a road, looking a million dollars. Enough said.

Spot on Pat.....you've nailed what this forum and this group of owners are about.

Far-eastern mechanical wizardry leaves me stone cold. Styling...even worse. Heritage, non-existent.

Why would I want to buy a car from a Japanese/Korean/etc company whose only true raison d'etre was to modernise their countries industries and make profit?

P

 

[Andyk]

As mentioned on Thursday, I was very close to putting a deposit down on a GT-R back in April. I even joint the GT-R register. But I found those guys to be an uninspired bunch lacking any real passion about their marque, and I also found myself not getting excited about seeing a GT-R on the road. I still get a tingle of excitement when I see a QP glide down a road, looking a million dollars. Enough said.

Nail on the head Pat......There are loads of cars to try before I die and cars that are better than Maserati but they ain't Maserati and thats the thing...

 

[lozcb]

You guys getting me all wrong i think , what ive been advocating is that i wouldn't be adverse to any new Maserati having the GTR engine and drive train as its power unit , cant see a problem with that , its an individually hand built engine honed and toned to absolute perfection, indesputable and without doubt , never advocated Nissan having an influence on Maserati as a whole , Italian styling and Maserati as a whole is completely unique even Ferrari and Lamborghini would find it hard to replicate , i think Lamborghini have it got it right for them Audi powertrain reliability, sofar Audi have had the common sense to steer well clear of the Italian flair design dept ,


Guess im on my own then



regards loz

 

[Parisien]

No no Loz.......not at all.......its just that the Nissan/Maserati link up isn't a goer.......but given a choice and if we had any idea of where the link up was going.....

We do have a Chrylser/Maserati link up........end of life as we know it?

Wouldn't be happy about most link ups.....a great engine link up would be better than whats on the table.........then again who was bowled over about the Citroen years........?!!


P

 

[lozcb]

No no Loz.......not at all.......its just that the Nissan/Maserati link up isn't a goer.......but given a choice and if we had any idea of where the link up was going.....

We do have a Chrylser/Maserati link up........end of life as we know it?

Wouldn't be happy about most link ups.....a great engine link up would be better than whats on the table.........then again who was bowled over about the Citroen years........?!!


P

Citroen lovers thats who , the rest of us were left wanting and wasting for 20 years from that fiasco


regards loz

 

[Parisien]

Not sure they did Loz...maybe the Peugeot owners of Citroen thought so.......but am sure at the time the market didn't know what to make of it!!!

Choice being ....going to wall....or no more Maserati.....or a knight of types.....on a piebald charger?!!


P

 

[urbanmaser]

Quite simply there is nothhing about Chrysler that excites me. At least as Loz says Nissan have a piece of genius in their engine for the GTR. Chrysler for me stands for borrrrrrrrring motoring from the styling to the engines and if I were Maserati I would seriously find a different partner.

In the meantime I have put myself on 599 watch because if this alliance goes ahead thats the direction I want to be in

 

[dem maser]

612 will be better suited to you UM....i can see you in one...

 

[Emtee]

It seems there are two equally valid points being promoted here; the process and the product.

The process simply demands an ongoing profit / dividend and Marchionni has proven himself a master in this regard with his investors greedily following him in his plans for world domination. If changing the specification to one of his products grows sales and maximises profit, well I doubt there'll be many investors rushing to sell their shares. Good old capitalism at its most basic.

But in this instance the product has had, and currently enjoys again, a specification that includes artistry, emotion and class and it's clear from this and other discussions that these are to be found on the job sheet right in between the body parts and the engine. We see a body that quickens the heart rate every time we look through the rear view mirrors over those flanks and feel a smile spread across our faces every time we press the throttle knowing there's a Maserati / Ferrari fairy dusted V8 ready to oblige. And the result in spite of a perhaps reduced profit line is one classy motor car.

So now it seems there is a specification change on the cards that may reduce or even remove any space on the job card for none-direct costs such as artistry and emotion.

Unfortunately in this regard I'm an aesthete and not an investor and so if the rumours prove true I'll mourn the passing of a very classy marque.

 

[Parisien]

Miles, its been RIPed before....only to arise phoenix like from the ashes......rebirth after rebirth.........................a born again marque...............

P

 

[dickygrace]

Miles, very passionate piece which echoes my sentiments. My lack of writing skills just don't allow me to express them quite so well. Are you a writer by the way or just educated proper right?

 

[Phil H]

If you want a proper Maserati pedigree you'll have to go back a few decades and the same philosophy applies to other marques including Jaguar, Aston Martin, etc, so while we like to think current crop is of true Maserati heritage that could easily be challenged. That said, the TC was a prime example of how to get it wrong, from the engineering, to the styling, and even marketing; in short it should have been aborted at the concept stage as should it's 'designers' and I use that term quite loosely. I'm sure that none of us would like to see such a repeat.

Worldwide manufacturing in general is full of mergers, alliances, and takeovers for good reason, and the automotive industry faces exactly the same problems so ends up with the same solutions. The movers and shakers will talk about synergies and brand identity when they actually mean profit and survival, and many of them won’t give a stuff about heritage; even if they have a passion for a brand the final decision maker will always be the balance sheet, and that is not going to change. Don’t forget that Chrysler’s been through a bad time and was firmly under the US government’s microscope for a while, and that must make Fiat vulnerable to some extent, so they must be seen to be pro-active with regard to the future of the respective companies.

There’s nothing new about mergers and collaborations; how do you think Messrs Rolls and Royce got together? Then there’s the great WO Bentley who had a few automotive dalliances in his time. I wonder what they would make of their namesakes’ present ownership?

As long as the new ‘Maseratis’ don’t feature quartic steering wheels and hydro-pneumatic suspension there will still be hope, until the oil runs out that is.

PH