Photos -- Quattroporte II

Text by Francis G. Mandarano.

The Quattroporte II, with coachwork by Bertone, was the brainchild of the then-new Citroen-Maserati management. Developed in the early '70s, and shown at the 1974 November Turin Auto Show, the Quattroporte II never made it into volume production. With approximately 13 cars built, the project was put on the back burner during the financial crisis of 1975 and ultimately killed by the new De Tomaso management.

Equipped with the Merak/Citroen SM 3-liter V-6 engine, it was the first and, one hopes, the last, front-wheel drive Maserati GT car. It was essentially a Citroen-SM with Italian coachwork. It's not known for sure, but it probably was the work of Marcello Gandini, who is the father of all those great Bertone-bodied Lamborghinis. It is possible that the sheer uniqueness of these virtually prototype vehicles could one day in the future make them quite desirable.

First shown at Turin in 1974, the second edition of the Quattroporte by Bertone.