Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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photography courtesy of Maserati Key to the VIP The 2015 Maserati Ghibli s Q4 offers BosTonians a fasT Track To The supercar class. by robert cocuzzo Maserati. Say it out loud. Don't you just love how those four syllables roll off your tongue? "Maserati" could be the password to a swanky North End speakeasy that's too exclu- sive, too luxurious, and all too expensive for most of us to join. We're left peeking through the club's windows, wondering what it would be like to be on the inside. So it is with the car itself—too exclusive, too luxurious, too expensive. Or at least that's what I thought until I learned another name. Meet Ghibli. He's a friend of ours. Starting at an approachable $69,800, the 2015 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 is the most entry-level supercar on the market today. While the company ordinar- ily earns its stripes competing against Ferraris and Lamborghinis, the Ghibli is Maserati's answer to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E Class and the BMW 5 Series. Since hitting the streets, the Ghibli has helped make Maserati the top-owned supercar in the country. The four-door Ghibli has the body of a sedan with all the sexy curves of a sports car. It's a supermodel in a business suit. The same can be said of its inter ior, which is t a stef ul a nd unclut tered, achiev ing f unct iona lit y a nd sophistication in the same breath. To take it up a notch, Maserati collabo- rated with Ermenegildo Zegna on a limited-edition series that's accented with luxurious leather and Zegna mulberry silk hand-stitched with Maserati's micro chevron. If this limited-edition interior also came equipped with a f lavor, it would probably be umami. But it's on the road that I really get a taste of this sports car masquerad- ing as a sedan. Slipping through the dappled light of early winter in New Hampshire, I punch the Ghibli into sport mode and pull onto White Mountain Highway. The twin turbo V- 6 engine turns throaty as the Ghibli channels its Formula 1 forebears. I sprint through the gears using the paddles on the wheel. Wailing through the crisp mountain air, the Ghibli is cruising with a force that could pull bark from the trees. By fourth gear, I'm moving at an illegal clip. I do the requisite cop check and tap the paddle into fifth. This ride would be well worth the ticket. Maybe even the cuffs. Herb Chambers Maserati, 531 Boston Post Road, Wayland, 508-358-3500; herbchambersmaserati.com BC clockwise from top left: The Maserati Ghibli S Q4; hand-stitched leather by Ermenegildo Zegna; the distinctive Maserati chevron; the cockpit of the limited-edition Zegna model. 122 bostoncommon-magazine.com Carnoisseur