Happiness is His and Hers Maseratis
Bob and Linda Speetzen of Horseshoe Bay, TX

Bob and Linda Speetzen are happy. After a long and successful career at GE, Bob describes himself as ‘happily retired’, they have been happily married for more than 40 years and they live in a gorgeous and happy house in Horseshoe Bay, Texas- what more could they want? Well, how about his and hers Maseratis? Nothing could make a car enthusiast couple happier!

The story of how they became a two-Maserati household goes back a long way – even further than their marriage. “I quit school for a semester in 1965 and took off hitch-hiking around Europe and North Africa, staying in youth hostels, that kind of thing,” explained Bob. “I went to Florence to see the statue of David, and after seeing that I walked around the parking lot looking at all the cars – I’m a car enthusiast, that’s what we do. I saw this wonderful, gorgeous car that was a Maserati [Ed: Probably a Mistral], and I said to myself, one day I’m going to own one of those.”

“In 2004 Neiman Marcus had the special edition Quattroporte, with beautiful Bordeaux Pontevecchio paint,” said Linda, “and that just stuck in my mind. I kept telling Bob that he should get one, thinking that if he did, I’d get to drive it! Sometime later he had a business trip and took a detour via Maserati of San Antonio; he had them send photos to me, I fell in love with it, and he bought me a Quattroporte as an anniversary gift. So a year or two later I returned the favor and bought him the GranTurismo – with his money, of course!”

The two of them are most definitely car enthusiasts; their house has a seven-car garage – and one of the bays has a hoist installed, “because we ran out of room,” laughed Linda. The list of cars they have owned makes for impressive reading, stretching right back to a ’67 Ford Mustang in the early days of their marriage. “Here’s how much we’re into cars: after we married we lived in San José, and one time we were driving to San Francisco to watch an NBA game, in the Mustang,” Bob told us. “Well, I saw a Mustang Mach 1 on a transporter – it was a brand new model then. We never made it to the basketball game, because we pulled over, followed the transporter and bought that car before it had even hit the ground.”

So a succession of interesting cars has come and gone; the GranTurismo replaced a Corvette Z.06, while Linda had a Mercedes-Benz SL500 before the Quattroporte. While they both think the Maserati pair look tremendous, it is the driving experience that they most enjoy. We have an inkling that Linda can be something of a speed demon – “Route 71 from here into town is open, and you can see a long way – that’s all I want to say about that,” she told us. Meanwhile Bob is more interested in finding a winding byway, one which will allow him to explore the terrific handling of the GranTurismo. “I just love to find a challenging road – in the hill country there are some gorgeous roads, out around Fredericksburg and Luckenbach – you could drive forever, drive the wheels off that puppy.”

When they bought their cars the nearest dealership was Maserati of San Antonio, some 90 miles to the south; we wondered if that was a concern, and they had nothing but praise. “The guys at Maserati of San Antonio are fantastic – Matt and the team there are the best we’ve ever dealt with, and we’ve dealt with a lot,” said Bob. “I think that what distinguishes them is that they are top of the line, service oriented. Any reasons we’ve had to contact the service manager, any questions, and he takes care of it. For example, one time I got a screw in one of my tires, and they sent a truck all the way from San Antonio to pick it up, fix it and then send it back. They really are top notch.”

Given that they are clearly financially secure, we wondered why they had opted for two Maseratis when there are a number of other cars which would have met their requirements. “For me, it genuinely does go back to seeing that Maserati in Italy all those years ago,” Bob told us. “The look of the car is unique, there aren’t a lot of them around, and it is so pleasant to drive. In comparison, a Ferrari is like getting in a race car and going down the road with a pretty hard ride. I’m not belittling Ferraris, they are great cars; but the Maserati has the unique combination of luxury, comfort, sportiness, responsiveness, it’s fun to drive. I don’t think there is any other automobile out there, in my estimation, that has that combination.”

Linda has other reasons for having a Quattroporte. “Actually, the Maserati makes me feel a little younger! Less serious, you know? I always put opera - Boccelli - on, and it makes me feel Italian. We love going to Italy, and here I am in Texas, running to the veterinarian or whatever, and it makes me feel Italian – special. And then, once in a while, a guy at the golf club will ask me if I’m married as he’s eyeing my Maserati! The looks of the cars make them my favorites – they are the prettiest cars. It’s that Italian styling. For a long time I wanted a BMW, but their styling didn’t thrill me; that’s when I got the SL500. Then I saw these... That’s what everybody says when they see them in the parking lot. Their lines are just beautiful.”

We had a great time with Bob and Linda; there were continual smiles and jokes, and laughter was never far away. Although Bob is retired, he joked that he’s busier now than ever – he is a keen golfer (he recently hit his third hole-in-one) and tennis player, and between those he enjoys looking after their 22-acre ranch. Since we met them, his GranTurismo has gone – a dealer made him an offer he couldn’t refuse on a Corvette ZR1. “There are times when I wish I still had the Maserati, though – the ride, and the quality of the interior, are far superior to the Corvette. I guess you could call it buyer’s remorse,” he told us. Linda, on the other hand, has no intention of parting with her Quattroporte. “It’s still a great car, and I think I’ll have it for a few years yet. And when I do come to replace it, it will probably be with a new Maserati.”

Our grateful thanks to Bob and Linda Speetzen for welcoming us into their home, and for making our discussion feel more like a conversation with old friends. We wish them well in their retirement, and continuing – and future – Maserati ownership.