MASERATI Quattroporte II 1974-1978 Photos, engines & full specs

It was the only front-wheel-drive Maserati Quattroporte, and Citroen forced the Italian carmaker to make it, and the result was a financial disaster.

When Citroen owned the Italian brand, it considered that it should re-introduce the Quattroporte in the lineup. Maserati no longer produced the first generation of the four-door luxury car since 1969, and its customers were eager to get a new model, which was finally unveiled at the 1974 Paris Motor Show. It was a long, almost as heavy, four-door sedan built on top of an extended Citroen SM platform. The former V-8 engine was replaced by a V-6, which wasn't powerful enough for the Italian brand. Moreover, it was front-wheel-drive! To worsen things even more, the car didn't get European approval.

With a design signed by Marcello Gandini from Carozzeria Bertone, the 1974 Quattroporte featured a wedged-shaped bodywork with flat panels and squared headlights. Its cab-rearward look created the idea that it was a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.

Inside, the carmaker didn't make any compromise and installed a luxurious cabin. Citroen targeted the luxury car market, and due to that, it installed a spacious cabin with two wide seats at the front and a bench for three in the rear, with a folding armrest in the middle.

Citroen designed the V-6 engine with a direct fuel injection system, which was highly advanced for those times. It provided 210 hp, and it was paired with a five-speed manual gearbox developed by ZF. But the car was a total commercial failure. Maserati sold only 13 units of it. It remained the only front-wheel-drive Quattroporte built.