Opulence and Desirability, Automatically
Long Island a perfect match for Quattroporte

Long Island must surely be one of the most diverse stretches of land anywhere in the United States. At the western end are the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens; heading east there are numerous bedroom communities, and eventually, over 100 miles from Brooklyn, are the North and South Forks, home to world-class wineries. In between are some of the most desirable vacation spots in America – the Hamptons, the hip South Shore, and the North Shore, where mansions looking out over the Long Island Sound were so desirable following the Gilded Age, that it became known as the ‘Gold Coast’.

The area is an ideal match for the Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT Automatic we took for a drive; the style, elegance and exclusivity of the car are perfect for the north shore, while the automatic transmission made light work of the traffic-clogged New York boroughs. And while it may seem counter-intuitive, the suspension of the Quattroporte, while making for sports-car-handling, acquitted itself marvelously on both the urban potholes and the ice-damaged asphalt further out.

Our scenic tour started with a gentle drive out from Centre Island, which overlooks the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. At least, it was intended to be a gentle drive; but our pace could hardly be termed gentle with the inviting 400bhp fed through an automatic transmission which seemed almost prescient in adapting to our demands, all mated to suspension which did a marvelous job of smoothing our path. The back roads of the area seem tailored to encourage the enthusiastic driver; given a car as supremely capable as the Quattroporte, we made the most of the lack of traffic and attacked the corners.

The cold winters can wreak havoc with road surfaces, with sizeable potholes found lurking in many places. The 2007 Executive GT Automatic handled them all with impeccable style. Despite the inherently sporting nature of the suspension, it was able to smother such imperfections remarkably well, providing a ride more quiet and smooth than lesser vehicles despite their softer settings. We were able to power through corners with badly broken surfaces which would have unsettled any other sedan, at speeds which might have been unwise, though not illegal, in almost any other car.

While the pace was hot, the weather provided a distinct contrast.  The temperature was well below freezing, there was a substantial quantity of snow beside the recently ploughed roads, and the blustery wind made getting out of the car something to be avoided. The cabin became a haven for our photographer, and no one else could find any reason to leave. The sumptuous leather upholstery and wood trim made for a luxurious environment while the double-glazed windows efficiently banished both noise and cold drafts. On the few occasions when we ventured down a shaded side-road, where snow and ice lay in our path, the ‘Ice’ setting instructed the automatic transmission to adapt itself accordingly, helping us to make safe progress and providing a great measure of confidence.

After leaving Centre Island we took the main road to Locust Valley, where we took some very entertaining back-roads through Lattingtown. The Quattroporte proved itself as well suited to turning such a journey into a thrilling adventure as it is at long-distance travel; the steering provides excellent information to the driver, enabling maximum use of the available grip, while the suspension allows weight transfer to be smooth and controlled when cornering.

While Long Island remains a perennially popular destination for summer vacations, it is much quieter out of season despite its numerous attractions; we didn’t complain about this, as it meant that the roads allowed us to make full use of the Quattroporte’s superb handling. While the nature of the roads – not to mention the speed limits – meant that we never began to approach the car’s 168mph top speed, it did enable us to make full use of the lower ratios in the automatic transmission. With Sport mode engaged, flooring the throttle provides astonishing performance from such a large car – helped by the transmission’s ability to handle an engine which revs to 7,200rpm. Corners can be tackled at almost unbelievable speed – and if a bend tightens unexpectedly, the Brembo brakes rapidly shed speed and keep things calm.

As New York’s dynamic economy fostered ever greater fortunes, the north shore of Long Island became so fashionable that numerous giants of industry and finance built opulent homes magnificent estates. This Who’s Who of pre-war society included names such as Vanderbilt, Woolworth, Pratt, Guggenheim, and Chrysler. This was the opulence chronicled so memorably by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. Sadly, almost none of the houses and estates survive intact. 

On the East Island to the north of Glen Cove was the 60-acre estate of the financier J.P. Morgan approached by a guarded bridge which remains, along with its gatehouse, although the manor house was demolished over 25 years ago.  Approaching Sands Point stands a mansion that escaped  the wrecking ball.  Hempstead House was built by Howard Gould, son of the railroad pioneer Jay Gould and later purchased by Daniel and Florence Guggenheim before eventually passing to Nassau County for public use.

Could there be a more fitting place for a Quattroporte Executive GT Automatic?  We decided not, as Hempstead House provided a suitably grand backdrop for us to pause and admire the classically elegant lines of the Quattroporte; it also made an excellent shelter from the biting chill of the winter wind. Like many a commuter, we next drove to Manhattan; the Quattroporte Executive GT Automatic proving as adept at slicing through clogged traffic on the run to the Throg’s Neck bridge as it did carving the back lanes and ‘pikes of Long Island. Even where progress slowed to a crawl such as at toll plazas and the perpetually clogged Cross-Bronx Expressway, the automatic transmission, newly standard 6-disc CD changer, and the general luxury of the Quattroporte made being in the car a pleasure.

Long Island holds many treasures, if you know where to look; from Montauk in the east to Great Neck in the west, the Gold Coast of the north shore to the Fire Island National Seashore to the south. Our visit merely scratched the surface in one small area and whetted our appetite for more, but it did prove that the Maserati Quattroporte makes an ideal vehicle for exploration, whatever the weather, and Long Island is a superb place for a test drive.