Global recession or not, the automotive industry keeps on walking. While some automakers struggle, others interrogate and eventually find ways to keep business on the safe side of that annoying yield curve. However, the way some manufacturers choose to fill in their gaps in order to rebound aren't quite orthodox. For instance, Porsche saved their buttocks building SUVs, and while the gimmick trampled their heritage, the gear-grinding poke has passed as far as I'm concerned. Stuttgart still does what it knows best, 911s and race cars.
Then there's the Fiat-Chrysler mash in which we barely know who's who. We have Italian-badged American cars underpinned by Italian platforms and sold in China under an Italian name after they've been assembled in an Italian-Chinese joint facility. Mesmerizing indeed! I don't know 'bout you, but Fiat ruined both Alfa Romeo and Lancia for me, and pretty soon it's going to ruin Dodge as well. Take the future SRT Barracuda as a hint. Oh wait, the Charger has already been screwed by an extra pair of doors...
However, I must get into my current rant: the 2014 Maserati Ghibli. The corporate mid-size four-door sedan conceived to rival the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series. What a noble-purposed car coming from Modena... one that wants to teach the Germans a lesson in terms of luxury and performance. Sure, there's nothing wrong with that in the 21st century, but why do this by reviving a nameplate that once rivaled the potent Ferrari 365 "Daytona" and the gorgeous Lamborghini Miura?!
Come to think of it, I'm amazed that recent reports about the 2014 Maserati Ghibli are limited to "look at the new BMW 5-Series fighter" or "this is Maserati's first diesel car". Not to mention that the historic Ghibli name is oftenly brought up as the designation used for "some 1967 and 1992 vehicles". A truly sad phenomenon that buries an iconic car in favor of a hilarious revival. OK, so it's not up to the motoring media to knock at one's door and try to straighten things up, and there's always the almighty sales target argument, but both enthusiasts and automakers shouldn't forget that success is based on heritage.
And heritage is not a thing to be messed with. Do that in a moment of poor judgement and it's gonna strike you down with great vengeance. Just look at what happened with the the 1988 Pontiac Le Mans, the 1989 Lotus Elan or the 1999 Mercury Cougar. There is a difference though, the Ghibli wasn't reborn with a cheap and fuel efficient idea in mind, but that's no mitigation by any means. When I wrote about the 2014 Ghibli not too long ago, I noticed Maserati describing it as a car that's "distinctive, elegant and luxurious". I can't argue with elegant and luxurious, but what makes it distinctive? It's a slightly shrunk Quattroporte. Distinctive compared to what? A Jeep Cherokee? Let's not sugar coat it for once, Maserati should have given the baby Quattroporte an identity of its own and not just poach on the status of an award-winning wedge-shaped coupe. Might as well slot a coupe under the Gran Turismo and call it the "Birdcage". No wait, the "Birdcage" is too old to have an appeal to customers...
By 1973, the Maserati Ghibli had already outsold the Ferrari "Daytona" and Lamborghini Miura. By the same year, the "Daytona" had raced all over the world under a plethora of flags with great success. The Maserati Ghibli didn't need a track and names like Dan Gurney and Brock Yates to take on Maranello's prized sportscar. It did so by offering a unique design, staggering performance figures, and a top speed that made it worthy of the Ghibli name, a fast and feared African wind that can sweep massive amounts of sand. The reduced vertical height of the engine, which consequently meant a low center of gravity thanks to the mill being mounted deep in the car's frame, translated into a fine-engineered piece of machinery. Still remembered as one of the company's greatest achievements, the initial Ghibli can't be bettered by any of the Trident's efforts in a financially-challenged 21st century. Therefore it should have been left to peacefully rest on its laurels to eternity.
However, I must get into my current rant: the 2014 Maserati Ghibli. The corporate mid-size four-door sedan conceived to rival the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series. What a noble-purposed car coming from Modena... one that wants to teach the Germans a lesson in terms of luxury and performance. Sure, there's nothing wrong with that in the 21st century, but why do this by reviving a nameplate that once rivaled the potent Ferrari 365 "Daytona" and the gorgeous Lamborghini Miura?!
Come to think of it, I'm amazed that recent reports about the 2014 Maserati Ghibli are limited to "look at the new BMW 5-Series fighter" or "this is Maserati's first diesel car". Not to mention that the historic Ghibli name is oftenly brought up as the designation used for "some 1967 and 1992 vehicles". A truly sad phenomenon that buries an iconic car in favor of a hilarious revival. OK, so it's not up to the motoring media to knock at one's door and try to straighten things up, and there's always the almighty sales target argument, but both enthusiasts and automakers shouldn't forget that success is based on heritage.
And heritage is not a thing to be messed with. Do that in a moment of poor judgement and it's gonna strike you down with great vengeance. Just look at what happened with the the 1988 Pontiac Le Mans, the 1989 Lotus Elan or the 1999 Mercury Cougar. There is a difference though, the Ghibli wasn't reborn with a cheap and fuel efficient idea in mind, but that's no mitigation by any means. When I wrote about the 2014 Ghibli not too long ago, I noticed Maserati describing it as a car that's "distinctive, elegant and luxurious". I can't argue with elegant and luxurious, but what makes it distinctive? It's a slightly shrunk Quattroporte. Distinctive compared to what? A Jeep Cherokee? Let's not sugar coat it for once, Maserati should have given the baby Quattroporte an identity of its own and not just poach on the status of an award-winning wedge-shaped coupe. Might as well slot a coupe under the Gran Turismo and call it the "Birdcage". No wait, the "Birdcage" is too old to have an appeal to customers...
By 1973, the Maserati Ghibli had already outsold the Ferrari "Daytona" and Lamborghini Miura. By the same year, the "Daytona" had raced all over the world under a plethora of flags with great success. The Maserati Ghibli didn't need a track and names like Dan Gurney and Brock Yates to take on Maranello's prized sportscar. It did so by offering a unique design, staggering performance figures, and a top speed that made it worthy of the Ghibli name, a fast and feared African wind that can sweep massive amounts of sand. The reduced vertical height of the engine, which consequently meant a low center of gravity thanks to the mill being mounted deep in the car's frame, translated into a fine-engineered piece of machinery. Still remembered as one of the company's greatest achievements, the initial Ghibli can't be bettered by any of the Trident's efforts in a financially-challenged 21st century. Therefore it should have been left to peacefully rest on its laurels to eternity.
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