Maserati Cars | Used Cars, Motorbikes, Vans & Other Vehicles

Way back at the end of the nineteenth century, seven brothers were born in the province of Pavia in Italy. With the exception of one, they all grew up with a passion and an artistic flair for engineering design and construction. It all began when eldest son Carlo, as an apprentice in a bicycle factory, designed a monocylindrical engine to power a velocipede. All the brothers went on to demonstrate the same creative flair, as became apparent later on, when three of them made a name for themselves at Isotta Fraschini. It did not take long for Brother Alfieri to eventually branch off on his own to create the Maserati company in Bologna; a business that went on to become a legend on roads and race tracks all over the world. Alfieri had a true passion for racing and he and his brothers made modifications and built engines that went on to win races. It wasn't until 1925 though, that they built their first entire car, the Tipo 26. In 1939 the growing company was taken over by the Orsi family, and continued to produce sports and racing cars until 1968 when the company was sold to Citroen, then to Fiat in 1993. Ferrari was given a 50% share by Fiat, later taking over 100% in 1999. Fiat took over completely once again in 2005. Despite its role as a producer of premium top-priced cars, due to a legacy of lack of investment and poor sales, Maserati has not always boasted high profits, in fact 2007 saw the company in profit for the first time in 17 years of Fiat ownership.

One thing is for sure however, and that is that the vehicles that have been produced for the last 90 years under the Maserati name have been truly synonymous with the ultimate in high performance, superb Italian-designed hand-crafted prestige cars. Despite its changes in ownership, Maserati has tenaciously remained true to its original principle of 'Excellence through Passion' that goes back to the days of the young Maserati brothers. The workforce at Maserati today are as skilled and dedicated as its founders. These are handcrafted cars, individual expressions of automotive art, created within state-of-the-art facilities. It is no surprise that in recent years Maserati have won over thirty international awards for innovation and craftsmanship.

Today's models
Today's market reveals something of a catwalk of breathtaking models, such as the Spyder CambioCorsa, a beguiling model of stunning curves drenched in pearlescent metal. It incorporates a state-of-the-art paddleshift gear change system, with four modes of operation - Manual, Automatic, Sport and Snow, which interact with the vehicle's avant-garde electronic system to provide an unsurpassable level of control. But if you want to take off like a rocket and beat the boy-racers, simply trigger the sport button which stiffens the suspension and disables the traction control to trigger shifts in a third of a second. Worried that you will damage the gearbox? The on-board software will ensure you never do that. We are dealing here with the realms of engines that are classed as works of art.

The Quattroporte's beautiful, elegant Italian styling and 'made to measure' finish have won award after award in recent years. It is a sporty model yet practical, the plush interior is full of luxurious touches and as for safety concerns, well, there are none; stability and traction control come as standard, along with six airbags. The wheels are amazing, with high performance bespoke 245/35 tyres at the front and 285/30 at the rear, with their own construction specially created for the Quattroporte, and its damping is state-of-the-art to guarantee it rides bumps like a magic carpet.

The whole exercise of reviewing some of Maserati's flagship models however, can feel a little like walking on quicksand. It has to be said that the world at Maserati - typical of all Italian car design - is in constant flux, where innovations and fine-tuning are as common as throws of Italian passion. This is so much so that the only thing you can rely on is the fact that all Maserati's cars are so bespoke that each one is practically an individual. In any case, Maserati is so extensively perceived as an exclusive brand, and they pride themselves on offering their customers such an individual, bespoke service that even finding two cars the same anywhere can prove something of a challenge.

Buying a second-hand Maserati
Buying your Maserati second-hand is a sensible and practical move all round, not least when we take into account the depreciation. It is estimated that after three years, a Spyder will only have retained 45% of its original value, so a second-hand purchase really is a good investment and a way to save thousands on the market price for a new model. Bear in mind the fact that these classic cars are relatively rare and their exclusivity will only pay dividends and maintain a solid value in the long term. Another advantage for the second-hand buyer is of course that there is no waiting time. Less than 10,000 cars are produced every year at Maserati, which keeps its customers waiting up to a year for their brand new dream car. Second-hand buyers merely need to trawl through the ads, decide on a model that inspires the most heated passion - which will never be difficult, way up the individual offerings of the car in question, and follow their dream