Maserati, the glorious Italian luxury car brand, is proud sponsor of the “Italian Renaissance Art Exhibition” for the Year of Italian Culture in China on display in Beijng until April 23, 2006 at The China Millennium Monument Beijing World Art Museum - Multimedia Digital Art Museum. The Opening Ceremony that introduces the most prestigious exhibition of Italian Arts ever held in China took place yesterday at the World Art Museum of Beijing, with notable guests attending the event, representing Chinese local and national institutions and the Italian government.

Works of art of over twenty Italian outstanding masters, including Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Tiziano, Caravaggio and Botticelli will be on display at the “Italian Renaissance Art Exhibition”. An exceptional selection of paintings, sculptures and handicrafts spanning from the 13th to the 17th century reflects the different stages in the Italian style and culture, from Renaissance to Baroque. Pieces of the finest Italian art are flanked with Maserati masterpiece cars, representing contemporary Italian style, which does not only mean beautiful design, but also reflects Italian people’s innovative creativity, enthusiastic personality, refined craftsmanship, and classic aesthetic.

The attractive and mighty Quattroporte, Maserati flagship sedan, is display outside the Exhibition venue. The Quattroporte is a car that combines Italian style and elegance with impressive performance, and represents the synthesis of all Maserati values. This powerful 5-metre long sedan, designed by Italy’s world renowned Pininfarina, features a harmonious silhouette and spacious interiors, enriched with Poltrona Frau leather upholstery and precious woods specially selected and hand-crafted, combined with the precision of cutting-edge technology.
 

The Transaxle layout, typical of high performance sports cars, maximises traction during acceleration, gives great stability in all conditions and provides exceptionally dynamic qualities. The 400 bhp V8 engine of the Quattroporte, capable of a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 5.2 seconds, is placed behind the front axle while the gearbox is mounted in unit with the differential at the rear.

The uniqueness of the Maserati car range perfectly mirrors characters in the Italian culture, showing energetic, sporty performances combined with elegant style and supported by a prestigious heritage: a mix that cannot be presented by other brands. With more than 90 year history of racing success and prestigious international awards for the originality and elegance in its design and constant technological innovation, Maserati, has always played a leading role in the automotive world and is very well considered in China, where the unique combination of Italian luxury, elegance and sporty soul is always highly appreciated.

In fact, Chinese trendsetters have already started to enjoy the excitement of driving exclusive Maserati cars, with their thrilling sporty driving feeling as if on the racing track. In order to satisfy their aspirations for an authentic Italian driving emotion, Maserati is also pleased to sponsor the event with an exciting trip to Modena for a complete driving course conducted by professional drivers. The value of prize is more than RMB100,000 inclusive of round trip tickets for business class for two, hotel accommodation and the cost of driving course. Maserati currently operates in China through a joint-venture the Ferrari Maserati Cars Int. Trading Company, based in Shanghai. In total eleven sales and services points in nine major Chinese cities have recently been set-up.