insideKENT Magazine Issue 58 - January 2017 | Page 119

The Maserati is a beautiful and almost mythical creature , like a unicorn . They tend to be rarer than the more obvious luxury cars , so when you see that distinctive trident in a car park or passing you on the road , it feels very special . And rightly so !
When you see a Maserati , you are instantly aware that you are in the presence of a truly powerful and awe-inspiring machine , and that the person who owns it is almost certainly one of the coolest people on earth , in a way that is unattainable to most mortals . Nobody tells you , it is just instinctively inferred ; you have to be exceptional to own a Maserati .
Incidentally , I rather love that trident logo – it couldn ' t be more apt . Poseidon , the Greek God of the sea who famously had a trident as his weapon , was also known as the ‘ earth shaker ’ and ‘ tamer of horses ’. Two turns of phrase that suit Maserati and their whole car design ethos , down to the very ground that they shake !
The Maserati Ghibli is definitely a ground shaker , and yet it does not need to brag ; it does not need to yell " look at me !" It simply goes about being amazing , and making whoever is driving it look and feel equally amazing .
Having been in existence since the 60s , the motoring world has seen three distinct incarnations of the Ghibli , with each one being an iconic and ground-breaking machine . But the latest one we road tested – and which has already enjoyed massive sales – promises to be one of the most significant and popular cars Maserati has ever produced ; and that ' s saying something !
To give you an example of the exceptional nature of the way the Maserati Ghibli is put together , even the colour of the beautiful model we drove was out of the ordinary . The Ghibli was not merely black ; oh no , it was Nero Ribelle – literally translated as Black Rebel . Seriously . And with its sleek sculpted bodywork sitting atop 19-inch Poseidone alloy wheels , and finished off with beautiful little flourishes of detail , such as the incredibly styled bi-xenon headlights , it looked breathtaking .
In fact , the only thing that made this Italian masterpiece of car craftsmanship hard to photograph , was that random strangers kept interrupting the photography to tell us how lovely they thought the car was !
Inside the car is an absolute treat for the senses too . Nero leather combined with tan panels on the dashboard , giving a distinctly sporty feel from the outset , along with sumptuous sculpted seats front and back , velour floor mats and wood trim . All the mod-cons are there , with rear view cameras , keyless entry and a nice big central display for information and entertaining . All the dials and buttons feel impressively
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