Sporty Luxury And Detailed Craftsmanship: The New Maserati Grecale Is The Epitome Of Exquisite Italian Design

Maserati’s head of design discusses the craftsmanship behind the new Grecale range.

There’s a special word Italians use to describe the notion of happiness, of lightness and the celebration of life. ‘Allegria’ also helps to explain an important aspect of the culture, notably the Italian love affair with luxury. For Maserati’s head of design Klaus Busse, allegria informs the new Grecale, an innovative range for the next-generation Maserati driver.

Though somewhat of a departure for the luxury Italian car company, delivering the performance of a sports car with the interior spaciousness and comfort you’d associate with a mid-sized SUV, the Grecale nonetheless maintains Maserati’s reputation for making beautiful “rock star” cars in classic Italian style.

“The way Italians express luxury is different to the other countries I’ve lived and worked in,” says Klaus over Zoom from Turin in Italy, where Maserati’s design centre is based. The German-born designer has worked around the globe at several of the world’s top car manufacturers, joining FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) in 2015, and working on Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Maserati. Since 2021 Klaus has led the Stellantis Design Studio and continued as Head of Design for Maserati, producing the award-winning “supercar” the MC20, the all-new Grecale and a forthcoming new Gran Turismo and GranCabrio.

While each new product Maserati produces is informed by the company’s legacy and history, it’s also reimagined for the future. The Grecale references Maserati’s famous 450S model (an elegant, cigar-shaped racing car made in 1956), along with the futuristic MC20, which some have called the modern Batmobile. Each of these three contrasting designs shares the Maserati face with a lower mouth and elevated headlights, an elegant silhouette synonymous with Italian sculpted design. Contributing to the heritage of the Maserati brand is a responsibility that Klaus takes seriously.

“Very quickly the responsibility settles in because you realise you are designing cars not just for the next five, six years, but you’re creating collector pieces,” he says. “These are cars that will be judged in generations to come.”

Available in GT, Modena and Trofeo trim and soon, the electric Folgore, the Grecale range is a new take on what it means to drive one of the world’s most desired sports cars, in that it’s designed to offer the complete Maserati luxury sports car experience with the addition of space, comfort and endurance. If it wasn’t for its distinctive grille, Trident badges and logo, you might not immediately identify the Grecale as a Maserati.

Every new product is preceded by a period of deep philosophical thinking and debate, says Klaus. This means spending time considering global concerns such as sustainability and the future of automotive technology along with observing popular culture, social trends and the relevance of luxury today.

“Living in northern Italy helps me do that because Italy has this wonderful approach to life and to luxury,” says Klaus. “This idea of ‘allegria’ – you see it in how fashion is expressed. Armani or [suitmakers] Brioni, for example, are really restrained and timeless and designed to celebrate the wearer, to amplify who you are, your character. Then you have brands that are a little louder, more emotional, like Dolce & Gabbana or Gucci. They exude so much positive energy.”

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It also means doing as the Italians do and enjoying the small luxuries, starting with something as simple as a morning cappuccino or espresso, or soaking up the breath-taking scenery of northern Italy. Turin is nestled between the mountains, lakes, vineyards and the Mediterranean Sea, so there’s ample opportunity for Klaus and his team to test out the cars on roads not dissimilar to those in New Zealand.

“I’m not the best designer at Maserati,” says the modest yet influential team leader, who has produced distinctive and memorable cars for every spectrum of the market. “My design team are the ones sitting in the studio actually creating these cars. I think my skill is to manage the communication between all the teams and to help to bring forward those ideas for the future… There’s a lot of meat on the bone about who we are and what our role is before we actually put pen to paper.”

Though much has been made of the Grecale’s SUV qualities, Klaus prefers to think of the car as a GranTurismo, a model equally as capable of tearing up the racetrack as it is going the distance on an adventurous road trip with the family.

“I’ve always felt it surprising that literally after five minutes of driving you forget you’re in an elevated position,” says Klaus, who is a father of three boys. “You have space for five people and a dog behind you, yet you immediately feel like you’re in a sports car.

“These are the two components of what makes a GranTurismo, the idea I can get my Maserati out of my garage, drive 2000km and arrive in style feeling refreshed.”

Before starting the design process, Klaus says Maserati needed to wait until technology had reached a point where they could create the car they’d envisioned. The Grecale boasts a 530hp V6 Nettuno engine and the option to customise your driving experience to the open road or urban spaces.

Inside, it features all of the exceptional materials Maserati drivers expect, with Italian leather, carbon fibre and precise attention to detail throughout.

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EVOLUTION OF DESIGN

In the 1950s, Maserati developed a reputation for designing the world’s most beautiful cars. Rather than simply functional, their silhouettes were sculptural, voluptuous. Then in the late 1960s and early 70s there emerged an exciting new wedge design, with the Maserati Bora, the engine moving from the front to the rear. This marked a stark transition from classic beauty to the Bora’s masculine, angular shape, a dramatic design pivot that is very Italian, says Klaus. A more pragmatic approach to design flourished in the 80s and 90s, and since the 2000s, the design has become increasingly romantic in style, yet always striving to meet the zeitgeist.

Now, with the option to do away with the engine altogether in its electric Grecale Folgore, this completely changes the potential of the car, he says. Likewise, the combustion engine models exhibit super clean design and aerodynamic exteriors, making a statement that Klaus is confident will stand the test of time.

“The surfaces are still very much hand sculpted. Modellers sculpt the exterior like Michelangelo.”

Meanwhile, the interior is inspired by Italy’s culture of Renaissance, making the driving experience as comfortable as possible. The dashboard does away with protruding buttons, opting instead for a flat and user-friendly console, with the option to customise everything from the lighting to your clock face and Bluetooth features, such as hands-free verbal texting.

Reverse parking in tricky urban spaces is easy thanks to a birds-eye-view camera and wing mirrors that tilt automatically toward the curb.

Maserati has even achieved an industry first in the interior of the electric model Grecale Folgore, incorporating a material called Econyl made from recycled fishing nylon. Rather than the coarse fibre produced from recycled plastic, recycled nylon produces a silky material that until now has been used in high-end fashion and luxury purses. The Econyl has been laser-cut into a chic parametric design inspired by the idea of metamorphosis and the transition from gas to electrification.

The sound system is just as impressive, with premium Italian audio Sonus faber systems installed in each Grecale model. This attention to detail and craftsmanship is what leads Klaus to compare the Maserati to the band, Queen.

“You don’t have just one song that we evolve. We constantly reinvent ourselves. In Germany, when a new luxury product comes out, they will always show you the 10 cars that came before, a very careful evolution. Whereas the Italian sense is that we can continue to innovate ourselves.

“We are an exciting brand where so many beautiful things are happening and that fuels the engine for all the amazing things we’re doing for the future.”