Here’s every generation of the Maserati Quattroporte: which one's your favourite?

Fast four-door saloons are cool. Very few can argue against that. And what even fewer would argue against is that the Maserati Quattroporte stakes a very real claim for being the coolest of the lot. For over 60 years, it’s provided the perfect lounge for folk to complete their journeys to and fro - regardless of whether it was to an overpriced Martini lounge or a snoozefest financial meeting.

But with the recent announcement that the very last of its kind will roll off the production lines this summer, we thought it's best to showcase each generation of one of the great saloons of the car world.

It all began with this: the Quattroporte I. Codenamed ‘AM107’ and produced over six years during the Sixties, its power plant was a choice of V8s with either a 4.1 or 4.7-litre displacement. Good choice of propulsion, those, given that this was during a time when Europe’s motorways were seeing a heavy rework and a fast, handsome saloon was the ideal way to rack the miles up… though it’s claimed just 230 were ever made.

And then came the six-cylinder second generation, which dwarfed the production count of its predecessor by just over double. Want to know what else was dwarfed? Top speed: now up from 143mph to a dizzying 158… supposedly. The design saw a pretty substantial overhaul too, with bigger light clusters thrown on at either end of an even longer body. The more mainstream shape is perhaps not quite as easy on the eye, but you just can’t ignore the fact that this car can outpace most modern German performance saloons. Let’s gloss over the existence of limiters, OK?

Ah, the third act. Designed by the supremely talented Marcello Gandini and Italdesign, the Quattroporte saw a return to V8s, though it took nearly three years of planning before it actually went on sale. That careful thinking paid dividends, though, since Maser shifted over two thousand of these before it ceased production after 11 years on the showroom floor. The big changes here included power steering in favour of hydraulic and an even bigger chassis - the latter being used to full effect by Maserati to equip the Quattroporte with even more wood and leather. The people liked this one, alright. 

The third gen’s success meant Gandini was once again given the reigns for design, which resulted in a few more curves and a lot more face. Continuing with the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, buyers could now choose from up to three different engine options (two V6s and a V8) to pair with a four or six-speed transmission. It was starting to become a truly versatile car now, the Quattroporte, and it benefitted from the fact that Fiat had acquired Maserati through its ownership of Ferrari, and introduced… actual quality control. That means pieces of trim and larger bits like, er, the engine, actually stayed intact for over seven whole minutes.

Alas, we arrive at arguably the most well-known member of the family - and one you can pick up for as little as three pounds these days. That partnership with Ferrari also meant Maserati had adopted the fantastic ‘F136’ naturally aspirated V8, so the Quattroporte now had another ace up its sleeve: a proper soundtrack. It’s also the point where the Quattroporte started to really become known as a driver’s super saloon, which reached its zenith with the bewitching ‘GTS’. Yes, we’re talking about the same one you’re picturing right now.

The final encore, which swept across neon-lit streets to Martini bars and carried business folk to snoozefests for over 10 years during a successful production run. In its most potent form, the Quattroporte VI can also crack 200mph and give just about any other super saloon on earth a run for its money. And with the Grand Finale drawing curtains on the legendary lineage in the coming months - and Maser’s association with the V8 engine full stop - we want you to tell us which generation of the Quattroporte is your favourite. The comment section awaits.