Originally introduced in 1963, the Maserati Quattroporte - quite literally, four doors in Italian - has served as the standard-bearer for the Trident marque ever since.
For all its many virtues, however, this Italian executive saloon has never been celebrated for its interior room or family-friendly credentials - though, as a luxury model, did it really need them? - and it has never been offered as an estate, or rather… a Cinqueporte. At least, not officially.
A decade ago, Carrozzeria Touring created and built four examples of the Bellagio Fastback (pictured below): in essence, a particularly stylish estate version based on the previous-generation Quattroporte. More recently, an English admirer of the Bellagio decided to follow that lead and create the car featured here.
The Maserati Quattroporte - sorry, Cinqueporte
The story of this estate-bodied Quattroporte began when its owner failed to secure one of the four Bellagio Fastbacks at auction in 2013.
Disappointed, the unnamed Quattroporte enthusiast contacted several respected companies to find out what it would cost to convert the car into an estate. Their answer? Nearly £200,000 (approximately €227,000).
Put off by that figure, the Maserati Quattroporte owner eventually met Adam Redding, a mechanic specialising in classic-car restoration. Redding accepted the challenge of turning the four-door model into a five-door estate, crucially at a more accessible cost.
The finished result speaks for itself and, in truth, it is impressive. The rear third of the Quattroporte’s bodywork was entirely reconstructed, from the roof through to the side panels. Naturally, the main attraction is the enormous electrically operated tailgate.
Interestingly, Adam Redding says that tailgate was one of the project’s greatest challenges, which required more than 1,500 hours of work. Integrating the tailgate’s electrical system with the Maserati’s existing systems proved far from straightforward.
Maserati Cinqueporte powertrain and conversion
Mechanically, everything remains unchanged, which is slightly disappointing. As the rear badging confirms, this Maserati Quattroporte has been renamed the Cinqueporte, yet it is fitted neither with the more desirable twin-turbo V8 supplied by Ferrari nor even the twin-turbo petrol V6.
Instead, it retains the 3.0-litre V6 Diesel producing 275 hp that it left the factory with in 2015. It may be the best choice for anyone wanting to make the most of this Quattroporte’s new family-focused qualities, but it is not the ideal “heart” for a car carrying the Trident emblem.
It is for sale!
Having embarked on an “epic” journey around four years ago, one that resulted in the “Cinqueporte”, the owner of this one-off model has decided it is time to let it go.
With just 14,024 kilometres covered and re-registered in 2016 following its conversion, this Maserati Quattroporte Shooting Brake is now seeking a new owner through Classic Driver. No asking price has been disclosed.
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