410 Park Avenue – The Maserati Corporate Showroom
One of Manhattan’s must-see destinations

Maserati dealers recognize that their clients expect an environment which is some way removed from the norm of worn vinyl chairs and vending-machine coffee. They set out to provide a special experience, which goes hand-in-hand with the special cars they have on offer.

Even by Maserati standards, the Corporate showroom in Manhattan, at 410 Park Avenue is an exceptional destination. The location has something to do with it – on the southwest corner of East 55th Street and Park Avenue, the huge panoramic windows provide ample opportunity to watch the hustle and bustle of New York from a calm and stylish oasis. In fact, visitors will often find themselves being watched, as passers-by pause to look in at the attractions within the showroom, especially the rolling works of art: 2008 Maseratis

The attentive staff, led by Francesca Xella and assisted by Yulia Paul, are friendly and helpful, happy to answer any questions visitors may have, and willing to find the answers if they happen not to know them. Just as the showroom is dramatically different to a typical dealership, the staff bear little resemblance to normal sales staff. The Maserati showroom is not a dealership - no cars are sold through the location. Instead, 410 Park Avenue functions as a permanent display and the center of Maserati culture in North America.

There are comfortable red leather Poltrona Frau sofas on which to relax, and a selection of books – covering both past and present Maseratis – for browsing. The paint, leather and wood trim options for each Maserati model are available to mix and match, to help you create your perfect combination. There are displays of an assortment of Maserati memorabilia – everything from cufflinks to luggage, fine pens to bathrobes.

And then there are the cars, which are the star attraction. At the time of writing, the limited production GranTurismo S is in the showroom, and the limited edition Quattroporte Collezione Cento will soon be there – however, the display changes so frequently that it’s difficult to predict what particular attraction will be featured.

It should be no surprise to find the Maserati showroom, a treasure-trove of the finest Italian cars, in New York – the city is renowned for its strong links with Italian culture, from the famous Little Italy district which still celebrates the Feast of San Gennaro every September, to the equally famous Columbus Day parade, which raises funds to support needy and deserving Italian-American students. Metro New York may not be with the best location for high performance driving, but it is not without automotive and design connections: nearby Long Island was the site of the Vanderbilt Cup races which inaugurated American motor sports in the early 1900’s, anyone who is a fan of car movies can name at least three in which the music of fine Italian machinery has resonated through Manhattan's canyons, and the city is the center of the empire of fashion.  Where else would Maserati seem so very much at home, and yet stand apart with such panache?