Maserati Quattroporte S GranSport in Downtown L.A.

A dark blue 2018 Maserati Quattroporte S GranSport leaving The Broad museum in Downtown Los Angeles. The Quattroporte VI was introduced in 2013, and the S GranSport is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged F160 V6 engine designed by Maserati and produced by Ferrari.

I don't blame you if you think this car isn't particularly special, but it's certainly very rare compared to its better-established German competitors. Unfortunately, that rarity only shines the spotlight on Maserati's decline in relevance over the past decade. The previous-generation Quattroporte was a unique Italian take on the German-dominated luxury sedan market with styling that's exceptionally sporty for a large sedan and an engine shared with cars from Italy's very finest - Ferrari. The latest model doesn't look particularly bad, but it's a bit bloated and the rear end is surprisingly mundane. And while high-performance variants still offered an engine shared with Ferraris, the car's overall appeal had waned, and most buyers were simply interested in the brand name appeal. So when Maserati added the smaller Ghibli to its portfolio, offering just about everything that Quattroporte buyers wanted in a smaller and sportier package, there was little reason left to choose the larger car. Rumors have been circulating that if Maserati builds a seventh-generation Quattroporte, it will be a smaller and less expensive car that replaces both the Quattroporte VI and the Ghibli. That certainly makes sense from a business perspective, though I won't deny it's disappointing to see a 60-year-old historical nameplate evolve into what may become an everyday sight. In the mean time, at least the sixth-generation Quattroporte's rarity makes it just a little bit more special to see.

Do you think the sixth-generation Quattroporte would have been more successful if Maserati never introduced the Ghibli? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!