Maserati on Road and Circuit in Canada
Quattroporte Sport GT a great way to explore rural Québec

What better way to relive the glorious history of Maserati than watching the Modenese masterpieces get the better of the red racers from Maranello? And what better place to do so than “Le Circuit”, a historic, beautiful and extremely challenging race course at Mont-Tremblant, Qu�bec. Each year the circuit plays host to the Shell Historic Challenge races, where classic cars from yesteryear are put through their considerable paces. And the weekend was made perfect by the kind generosity of Maserati Qu�bec, who loaned us a pristine 2007 Quattroporte Sport GT Automatic.

Just as the Quattroporte has earned a reputation for fulfilling all desires for luxury and performance, as the mood dictates, the resort village of Mont-Tremblant caters to travelers in all seasons. Located an easy hour north of Montreal, it has long been known as a premiere winter destination, attracting skiers from far and wide, and is finally being recognized as a fabulous summer destination as well, offering all manner of outdoor activity and entertainment. And this is where you want to be in October if the autumn colors catch your interest.

The day dawns comfortably cool and will be comfortably warm by midday. La Belle Province is set to offer up its very best for our visit today.

Our adventure gets off to an early start in the pedestrian-friendly village where the delicious black Quattroporte awaits us outside our front door, effectively rendering the nearby BMWs and Mercedes invisible.

Knowing that the weekend of the Historics draws quite a crowd, we have risen particularly early to enjoy a brief but spirited drive around the local roads before joining the line of traffic that forms from the Village to the circuit. The sound of the starter cranking the high performance 4.2 liter Maserati V8 goes on a little longer than in your typical car. This is by design, as the high-compression engine runs its electrical checks before signaling the ignition to fire, and it makes the first bark of life from within the all-aluminum Ferrari-designed engine even more intoxicating than it might otherwise be. The sound of the tuned exhaust cuts through the cool morning air, echoing off the hotel canopy with vigor. Yes, it’s childish, but I cannot help it. This first encounter always brings a smile to my face, and it’s by no means the first time I have sampled such an exotic thoroughbred. Of course, it’s the one exotic that I could imagine living with as my daily driver. Easily. And it’s the only one in which my entire family can be ferried about in comfort while I enjoy an engaging drive.

This morning, however, it’s just a good friend and I, and we have a date with a sinuous ribbon of road that roughly follows the Rivi�re du Diable from Lac Tremblant to Lac Sup�rieur (not so grand as its name might suggest, but no less breathtaking). With a few kilometers and a handful of photos out of the way, I decide to take the passenger seat, crazy as that sounds. One of the joys of great and rare experiences is sharing them with friends.

As my copilot cautiously set out, eschewing the beautifully crafted shift paddles and instead relying on the superb ZF automatic transmission to show off its luxury car credentials, I took the opportunity to admire the cabin. The sumptuous black leather with red stitching, decadent Alcantara headliner, and sexy, glossy carbon fiber combine to make us both wonder how we’ve survived without such luxurious materials in our daily lives until this point. The cabin of a Quattroporte deserves every bit of praise both press and customers have given it. Hours at a time would be no chore here and the car fairly begs to be taken on a cross-country cruise... and Canada is a big country.

As we make increasingly rapid progress toward our destination, I encourage use of the Alcantara-backed metal paddles found just ahead of the leather-wrapped steering wheel. It takes no time to explain how they work – right changes up a gear, left changes down – and immediately the experience evolves. Though he has never driven a paddle-shift transmission before, my good friend never gets confused by the intuitive system and finds himself immediately engaged by the apparently transformed personality of the Quattroporte. The unquestionably rapid four door luxury sedan has just morphed into something entirely more racy and exciting. It’s only a few more minutes to the end of our planned route, and a good thing too as I’ve been about as patient as I can be: my turn! We take a few minutes to stand back and admire the surroundings and the ebony Quattroporte Sport GT before it’s time to get back to the village and then make our way to Le Circuit for some racing action. Walking around it, we agree that the taut lines drawn by Pininfarina are gorgeous from every angle. But it’s the shark-like grille we like best, literally and figuratively drawing in cool air from inches above the road surface as it skims along at high speed, an automotive predator that seats five in glorious comfort and looks both elegant and fast even standing still.

Back on the road, and feeling focused, the Quattroporte proves once again to be a predictable and capable partner. In fact, the remarkable chassis is undoubtedly talented beyond my own abilities, deftly controlling the solidly constructed and well appointed Sport GT, on the lovely 20” wheels that come as standard on this model. Given that my skills and the car’s have both been honed by many hours on the track, the fact that its capabilities are so clearly beyond my own is both humbling and confidence-inspiring. This is the rare car that a skilled driver can use to the limits of their own abilities.

What I hadn’t really noticed as passenger was the sometimes abysmal road surface we traversed on the way to Lac Sup�rieur, but as the driver I am now keyed into the road, ample feel coming back through the steering wheel. Never once, however, does the Quattroporte fight back, another testament to its exceptional chassis engineering given that those sleek 20” rims are clothed in ultra-low profile tires. It follows steering and throttle inputs faithfully, and even when I crest a rise and find the road curving suddenly to the right, my partner makes me feel like a hero, all four tires dancing across the road surface in ideally controlled unison. The brakes never show any sign of suffering under the workout I’m giving them.

The journey back seems to go by in an instant. Although too short by far, it has been one of those rare, great drives. Perhaps there are more focused drivers’ cars – all of them stripped-out two-seaters – but I cannot imagine the experience being any more enjoyable. And none of them are more prestigious, luxurious, and above all genuinely practical than this car wearing the famous Trident on its grille.

The Historic races featuring a brace of Maseratis were a walkover. The same 250F Grand Prix car with which Stirling Moss won the Australian Grand Prix in 1956 was a winner in both outings, with a quartet of Maserati sports racers (two each of the stunning and rare 200SI and 300S models) battling for podium finishes.

In a stroke of rare luck, we were able to stage our own tribute to the 50th anniversary of Maserati’s 1957 World Championship title. With the blessing of its very generous and enthusiastic owner, the well known vintage racer and Maserati enthusiast Peter Giddings, we stole the spotlight from the races by positioning our Nero Carbonio Quattroporte alongside his Formula 1 250F. Two cars, separated by 50 years, never looked so right together. Having watched cars from its glorious past and sampled its remarkable offerings today, it is no wonder Maserati is proving so successful at converting former drivers of boring German sedans into happy and enthusiastic customers.

Many thanks are due to Maserati Qu�bec for use of their 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT Automatic. You will thank your own authorized Maserati dealer after you arrange a test drive and purchase of a Quattroporte and experience great drives every day.