The latest step in Maserati’s reinvigoration arrived in Australia earlier this month with the Melbourne Motor Show debut of the Quattroporte Sport GT S.

The latest step in Maserati’s reinvigoration arrived in Australia earlier this month with the Melbourne Motor Show debut of the Quattroporte Sport GT S. Priced at $308,000, this ultimate iteration of the stylish four-door was launched at last September’s Frankfurt Motor Show and features a host of enhancements designed to sharpen its dynamics for keener drivers.

Although mechanically unchanged from the normal Quattroporte and available only with automatic transmission, the Sport GT S features lowered suspension, by 10mm at the front and 25mm at the rear. This setup ditches the Skyhook adjustable damping found on other Quattroportes in favour of single-rate springs, 25 per cent stiffer than standard.

The braking package is also revised – newly-developed six-piston calipers from Brembo, gripping composite dual-cast discs for the first time on a road car, replace the standard four-piston items at the front. Specially-developed Pirelli P Zero tyres (245/35 at the front and 295/30 at the rear), mounted on 20” wheels with a dark chrome finish and less chrome detailing, including a black mesh grille, complete the round of changes from lesser Quattroportes on the exterior.

Inside, the seats of the standard car are replaced with more supportive items, including swathes of Alcantara. Aluminium and carbon fibre finishes are available for the dashboard, the latter featuring a new style of aluminium weave.

Following the launch of the GranTurismo at last year’s Sydney show, Maserati is set for yet another record year in Australia, boosted not only by sales of the new model but by the mini-revival being undergone by the Quattroporte. This has been a trend aided particularly by the availability of ZF’s six-speed automatic transmission and now the Sport GT S, but also the launch of the GranTurismo itself, as publicity for the coupe has indirectly increased interest in the saloon.

As Edward Butler, General Manager for Maserati in Australia, explained: “Customers come into the showroom to look at a GranTurismo and find themselves considering the Quattroporte.” Following on from this week’s launch of the new 4.7-litre GranTurismo S, the Paris Motor Show in September will see the debut of the facelifted Quattroporte. The Quattroporte Sport GT S is accompanied once again on the stand by Clive Smith’s classic 250F Formula 1 car, as well as the recently-launched Quattroporte Automatica and an example of the new GranTurismo.

by Shant Fabricatorian