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Maserati to cap output at 75,000 cars

Maserati appears set to take a page out of corporate sibling Ferrari's playbook with the possibility that it may cap global annual output in the coming years. Ferrari announced in 2013 that it would limit itself to 7,000 vehicles a year to maintain exclusivity, and so far, it has stuck to the plan.
According to an unnamed Maserati executive speaking to Reuters, the Italian luxury car maker wants to cap its sales to 75,000 vehicles a year. However, it's hardly there yet. The company doesn't forecast reaching that production benchmark until 2018.
Dave Sullivan, an auto industry analyst for AutoPacific, thinks that limiting sales could be a smart move for Maserati. "If it is profitable at 75,000 and doesn't require a significant investment in capacity to get there, this appears to be sound," he said to Autoblog via email. "Alfa Romeo is intended to be the volume brand and by capping Maserati, it means that even if you opted to buy the 'entry level' Ghibli, you still have a level of exclusivity."

Maserati Fuoriserie customization program arrives in the U.S.

Furioserie means "custom-built" in Italian, and luxury automaker Maserati introduces the word to U.S. and Canada with its Fuoriserie customization program. Now, this isn't custom custom, the way one would order a one-of-one Ferrari. It's more like Maserati's version of BMW Individual or Mercedes-Benz designo, opening access to new styles and colors, but doing so with the starting point of three themed collections. We're not given too many details about how details distinguish the themes, but the Corse collection focuses on the brand's racing heritage, using "innovative pigments" to re-create historically accurate colors, and including "original components" (what other kind are there for an OEM?). Unica, which means "unique," serves fans of contemporary fashion, art and culture with color and materials palettes that look forward to next year's trends. Futura goes on ahead of the others, highlighting "an appreciation for technology and new materials" that balance performance with sustainability from the worlds of product design, interior decor and sportswear. As examples of what can be done, Maserati created three Fuoriserie vehicles. The Corse-dressed Ghibli Trofeo adopts a livery recalling the Maserati Birdcage in Trofeo Blu, with 21-inch dark Orione ("orion") wheels red brake calipers outside, black and grey sport seats with the brand's Zegna Pelletessuta leather coverings and gloss carbon macro twill trim inside. We're not sure which collection the Orange Zest Metallic Levante Trofeo with its 22-inch Orione wheels pulls from, but it's got a full grain black leather interior with contrast stitching in a "living coral" hue. The Quattroporte Trofeo gets Verde Royale Metallic exterior paint, a set of 21-inch Orione wheels with black brake calipers, and the same Zegna-dressed sport seats and gloss carbon macro twill trim. There's a survey Fuoriserie shoppers can take to find out which collection matches their personality. And that's only a starting point, Maserati saying that salespeople will work with the customer "to determine [the customer's core values" and so create an appropriately representative car.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Stirling Moss-crashed 1956 Maserati 450S to be auctioned in Monaco

RM Auctions has some very special and expensive Italian sportscars of the 50s and 60s consigned for its auction in Monaco on May 10, but the one that currently carries the highest estimated value at between 4 and 5.5 million euros ($5.5 - $7.5 million) is a 1956 Maserati 450S with some very interesting provenance.
The Maserati started its life as a six-cylinder 350S that Stirling Moss drove in the 1956 Mille Miglia race. Unfortunately, the brakes failed, and it crashed into a tree and nearly into a ravine. Moss and his co-driver weren't injured, but the car was kaputt.
Maserati repaired it and used the chassis as a test mule for its new 5.7-liter V8 racecar called the 450S. It featured an extended wheelbase to fit the larger engine and a new body with a single seat. The racer hit the track again at the hands of Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1000 KM but retired with transmission issues. Later that season, it crashed again at the 1957 Mille Miglia at the hands of driver Jean Behra. After that, the car sat around the workshop until it was sold without an engine in 1965.