Maserati Quattroporte (2003)

The fifth series of the Maserati Quattroporte was built from 2003 to 2012, and about 24,000 were made in all. Pininfarina styled it, and it was developed under the close eye of Ferrari after the Fiat group reorganised its two brands. The aim was to bring back the luxury and elegance that made the early Quattroporte exclusive, restore the marque's image and lift sales in markets such as the United States and the Middle East. It rode on an entirely new rear-wheel-drive platform that the GranTurismo and GranCabrio later used, with a front-mounted V8 set back towards the cabin for a weight distribution of 49 percent front and 51 percent rear. At launch the only engine was a 4.2 litre petrol V8 built at Maranello by Ferrari engineers, and a 4.7 litre V8 followed in the 2008 update, which also redrew the lights and grille. Special editions included the Neiman Marcus, limited to 60 cars, and the Collezione Cento, limited to 100. The last car left the Modena plant on 20 December 2012.