Maserati Alfieri claims 2014 Concept Car of the Year award

8 March, 2015

Maserati’s Alfieri Concept caused a stir within the motoring fraternity upon its unveiling at last year’s Geneva International Motor Show — not only did the sharp 2+2 coupe boast a name in honour of one of the legendary marque’s founding brothers, Alfieri Maserati, it also displayed the beautiful lines that Maserati’s designs are known for.

The Alfieri Concept, designed at Maserati’s Turin-based Centro Stile, displayed none of the exaggeration so common in concept vehicles. The design influence from Maserati’s classic A6 is clear, with a long, low nose juxtaposed against the squat, muscular rear section.

Now, a year on, Maserati’s efforts have been rewarded by being named 2014 Concept Car of the Year at the Car Design Night in Geneva. The event’s Car Designs of the Year awards are judged by an independent panel of professional designers, including those from educational facilities, and from behind names such as Daimler, General Motors, and Jaguar. Marco Tencone, who led the Alfieri design at the Centro Stile, was on hand to accept the award on Maserati’s behalf.

Following the positive public reaction to the Alfieri Concept, the car was also promised for production as an exotic competitor to the likes of the Porsche 911 and Jaguar F-Type. Though various concessions will undoubtedly be required to ensure the Alfieri will be suitable for a global market, Maserati CEO Harald Wester promises that the coupe’s design is here to stay.

The engine is the same 4.7-litre unit found in the Maserati GranTurismo coupe, producing 460hp and 384lb·ft through a six-speed automatic gearbox, and limited-slip differential. Production is confirmed for 2017, with a cabriolet version to follow soon after.

A second dose of Dash

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.