Maserati, Italy's other premier performance-car maker, was recently split off from Ferrari and paired with Alfa Romeo. All are part of the vast--and still greatly troubled--Fiat Auto Empire. Over the years, Maserati, Ferrari, and Alfa have built a reputation for manufacturing automobiles with allure and grace. More recently, Maserati has been charged with the task of building sensible ultraluxury cars.  

Like Ferrari, Maserati is doing well, with over 5600 worldwide sales last year. U.S. deliveries jumped 53 percent from '04 to 2100, of which over 1500 were its new Quattroporte sedan. A vehicle that uses Ferrari components, but offers unique styling and a heritage all its own.

2006 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
Trying to maintain strong sales, Maserati unveiled a new version of its sport/luxury sedan at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. Called Quattroporte Sport GT, it uses the same 4.2-liter V8 and rear-mounted sequential manual gearbox as the regular QP, but the transmission is reprogrammed for quicker response. In a similar way, Maserati has tweaked the QP's "Skyhook" adaptive suspension to provide extra cornering grip without compromising ride comfort in standard mode. The Sport GT also gets upgraded brakes and standard 20-inch wheels, plus sporty aluminum and carbon-fiber interior accents.

2006 Los Angeles Auto Show