It’s no secret that the car design and yacht design sectors are linked by an invisible thread. This is why Maserati chose to partner with the Versilia Yachting Rendez-vous with none other than Giovanni Soldini, fresh from setting a new Hong Kong-London record, as its testimonial. It took Soldini just 36 days, 2 hours, 37 minutes and 12 seconds to sail across the Indian Ocean, round Cape Town and then sail back up the Atlantic, which slashed more than five days off the previous record.
“Maserati is a great Italian marque that’s recognised all over the world as an icon of passion, challenge, sport and attention to detail,” declared skipper Giovanni Soldini. “Skippering the trimaran Maserati and taking this important brand across the world’s oceans is a great honour for me and an extraordinary challenge too. In the last few years, we have done great things together and I hope we will continue to do many more in future.”
Maserati laid on a courtesy car service for guests of the Viareggio event who were chauffeured to conferences and parties celebrating the joy of yachting in the Trident marque’s flagship Quattroporte.
But the Quattroporte was not the only model in the spotlight. Also out amid the stands were the elegant GranCabrio Sport in a stunning Bianco Birdcage livery, the SUV Levante GranSport SUV in Bianco Alpi and the Ghibli GranLusso sports saloon in Rosso Energia. All were available for test drives with professional drivers from the Master Maserati driving courses too.
The elegant Ghibli executive sports saloon and the Levante SUV Levante sport 430 bhp engines built by Ferrari on a special Maserati-only production line in Maranello. The engine is, of course, the 3-litre Twin-Turbo Euro 6 V6 engine which is powerful, edgy and eco-friendly thanks to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and the automatic Start & Stop system. The GranCabrio Sport packs a 4.7-litre V8 engine that unleases a massive 460 bhp.
Maserati engines have been beloved in the boat world since the 1930s when Count Conte Theo Rossi di Montelera set records aboard his powerboats, the Montelera XII which was powered first by a 1.5-litre Maserati 4C engine and then later the 3-litre 8 CM, and the Montedera XV which sported two 5-litre 16-cylinder Tipo V5 power units.
Also at the event was the Slalom World Champion skier Giorgio Rocca, Maserati’s Brand Ambassador for the Maserati Winter Tour which finished last month.
