Automobility Travel

I don’t remember the Turin Auto Show in 1963. As a fourth grader, I didn’t attend it and I was still a few years away (1966) from regularly picking up Road & Track, whose correspondent would have covered it. However, it was at Turin in the fall of ’63 that Maserati introduced its Quattroporte. And while Italian design studios typically invest their creative loads in coupes and convertibles, Maserati’s first interpretation of a four-door conveyed a sense of style fully appropriate to one of Italy’s iconic carmakers. Even its tag — which means ‘four-door’ in Italian — had a ring to it, rolling off the tongue like ‘Lollobrigida’ rolled off the screen.

Over a half-century later and with the Quattroporte now in its sixth iteration, Gina is long retired but the Quattroporte still sounds seductive and Maserati’s sixth edition still looks exotic. At a time when the Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series have been eclipsed by Tesla’s Model S, Maserati’s most substantial sedan remains a cheerleader for internal — and Italian! — combustion.

Today, Maserati is part of FCA and was closely related to Ferrari on FCA’s organizational chart prior to Ferrari’s departure via an IPO. In a lineup that includes the midsize Ghibli sedan, the GranTurismo GT and the relatively new LeVante crossover, Maserati’s big four-door sits – with a base price of just under $100K – in the middle of the lineup. (The smaller Ghibli starts at $70K, while a GranTurismo convertible begins at $150,000.) And within the context of the luxury category, Maserati is a value brand. You’ll spend $70K on a BMW 5 Series, while front-engined, V8-powered Ferraris are on that side of $200K.

Despite its four doors and longish footprint, the Quattroporte speaks credibly to the history of Italian Grand Touring. Its sheet metal is overtly organic, and with a front-mounted V8 driving the rear wheels, the cabin sits aggressively back on its chassis. Given the ubiquity, in certain zip codes, of Porsche’s Panamera or Tesla’s Model S, you’ll not confuse the Quattroporte with either one. Both Porsche and Tesla are irrevocably digital, while the Maserati remains fully attached to its analog roots.

Those analog roots are even more fully evident when, in the quilted bucket of our GTS, we press the starter button and light the candle. The $40K bump between the GTS and the ‘entry-level’ Quattroporte S gets you a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V8, whereas the base four-door uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. The V8, with 530 horsepower and a peak torque figure of 710 Nm (look it up) is, as the RollsRoyce folks once observed, more than adequate. The Quattroporte will accelerate from rest to 62 in 4.7 seconds, and if an attorney is riding with you, the big Maser tops out at 310 klicks per hour or 180-plus.

Beyond the tangible aspects of horsepower, ride and handling is how you feel behind the wheel. And here, we’ll channel “Titanic” director James Cameron. “You’ll think you’re King of the World!” While some Quattroporte owners will secure their own driver, you really should get behind the wheel. There (and only there) will you experience the full, last-century aspect of ‘connectivity’, as every input, whether it be the Maserati’s steering, throttle or brakes, works exactly as you would hope.

Of late, machines like the Quattroporte don’t garner the attention of Porsche’s new Taycan EV or, for that matter, Ford’s recently announced Mustang Mach-E. That dearth of visibility is a shame, for if more people knew Maserati more people would invariably enjoy Maserati. At $100K and up, I won’t be in line for a new one, but when preowned examples are down around $40K and my choice for similar monies is Tesla’s Model 3. I know which trigger I’m pulling. I’m going for the big sedan, ending in a vowel.

David Boldt brings years of experience in automotive retail sales and public relations to his automotive reporting. More can be found at txGarage.com.

MASERATI The Maserati Quattroporte GTS. By David Boldt boldface2020@gmail.com

By David Mullen david@katytrailweekly.com

An era-defining milestone in American sports, and in American history as a whole, celebrated its 40th anniversary on Feb. 22. It went unnoticed by many media outlets (save ESPN and NBC), as headlines went to NFL billionaire owners going back and forth with highly-paid players over a new collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball displaying little backbone regarding an unprecedented credibility crisis and more current and former athletes getting arrested for their lawlessness.

Forty years ago, on Feb. 22, 1980, the “Miracle on Ice” occurred. The youngest hockey team in the Winter Olympics, Team USA, defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 in Lake Placid, N.Y. It represented what team sports is supposed to be all about. The unselfish team play of amateur athletes over the machinelike qualities of paid, full-time professionals. Good over evil. David over Goliath. All for the love of the game and country.

In 1980, Jimmy Carter was president. The Cold War was at full scale. The powerful USSR had invaded lowly Afghanistan. The U.S. recently had a nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island, Penn. The Middle East was in turmoil as America tried to gain freedom for 63 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Oil prices were skyrocketing, causing gas rationing and long lines at the pump.

Ironically, one of the most popular songs in 1980 was Gloria Gaynor's “I Will Survive.” But for three short hours, America seemed to forget their troubles and become united and survive. The U.S. didn't have a chance against the tough Soviets, winner of the last four Olympic gold medals. In 1979, the Soviet national team had routed a team of the NHL All-Stars 6–0. In an exhibition match on Feb. 11, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the U.S. Olympic hockey team were trounced by the Red Army 10-3. Remember, most hockey players skating in the U.S. were from Canada. U.S. born players were still relatively scarce.

The U.S., down two goals in the third period, rallied to an unthinkable win against the USSR. But it was only the semifinals. They still had work to do. Two days later, they defeated Finland 4-2 for the gold. Team USA, led by Massachusetts-natives captain Mike Eruzione and goalie Jim Craig, wrapped the U.S. flag around them as a sign of great patriotism. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named the “Miracle on Ice” as the top sports moment of the 20th century.

“If you would see the letters that I get in the mail, and I get a ton of letters, it’ll always start out, ‘Although I was not born in 1980, I heard about this,’” Eruzione was quoted. “I watched the movie 'Miracle,' [or] my grandfather told me about it [or] I watched the HBO documentary. It's a shame more Americans didn't experience the moment.”

The televised game, inexplicably shown on tape-delay in the U.S. by ABC, introduced America to announcer Al Michaels. Loyal baseball fans already knew Michaels from his work on baseball broadcasts with the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and ABC, but he was still virtually unknown. On Oct. 21, 1978, I was doing the football broadcast on the UC Berkeley campus radio station KALX. ABC brought in their announcing A-team of Keith Jackson and Ara Parseghian to televise the 5-1 Bears versus the 5-1 UCLA Bruins.

The morning televised college football game, showed on monitors and being viewed by the ABC technical crew, featured Michaels doing play-by-play. “He will never make it,” I remember one of the crew members said while he enjoyed the free press box food. “His voice is too squeaky.”

Michaels' now storied career is defined by his final call in the 1980 Olympics semifinal game. “Do you believe in miracles?” Michaels yelled as the game ended. “YES!” Despite not being broadcast live, the 1980 U.S. versus USSR semifinal game remains the most-watched ice hockey game in the history of American television.

Eruzione has a different perspective on Michaels' signature exclamation. “I thought Al’s best call, which I thought got lost in this whole thing, was ‘This impossible dream comes true,’ when we beat Finland,” Eruzione said. “Because it was an impossible dream.

“And I think still that message of what makes this country so great is that underdogs could accomplish anything,” Eruzione said. “And can still accomplish it.”

America needs an event that brings the country together, like the USA victory over the USSR, now more than ever. Instead, as an ominous sign of the times, the biggest story in sports today is the Houston Astros cheating to win the 2017 World Series title. But if you believe in miracles, or the impossible dream, maybe it can happen. HISTO RY.CO M The victorious U.S. hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

By Michael Wald wald.world@yahoo.com

Zadar, with 800,000 inhabitants, is the fifth largest city in the small country of Croatia. Located on the beautiful, dark blue, sparkling clean Aegean Sea, it can get very hot during the summer high season, but never snows in the winter. Nevertheless, the city nearly shuts down during wintertime due to a lack of tourism, the principal economic driver. During other seasons, cruise ships make port here. The dock is adjacent to an old city that dates back 3,000 years.

Zadar was largely destroyed by the ravages of World War II. The more recent conflicts were between Croatia and its neighbors and the only known earthquake to hit Zadar occurred in 1667. Most of the city and many of its destroyed churches have been rebuilt in the last several hundred years.

In the port, you can observe the locals taking a swim in the crystal clear, but cold, Aegean Sea, or simply taking in the sun along the lengthy promenade that runs the length of the peninsula on which the old city is strategically situated.

Close to where the cruise ships dock are two of the highlights of Zadar. These are not old, but rather two of the best examples of modern public art. They are amazing and unique sculptures by Croatian artist Nikola Bašic. In the first, called “Greeting the Sun,” the artist uses solar panels in the shape of circles to collect energy during the day that is projected out after dark. There are eight such circles of solar panels, each proportional in size and distance to the planets of solar system with a “main” circle representing the sun. It’s an astounding visual representation of just how miniscule Earth is in the big scheme of the universe, and, conversely, how large the universe is.

This other, equally provocative art piece is next to the “Greeting to the Sun” and is called “Sea Organ.” Here, the artist lets the waves of the Aegean Sea make music on an underground water organ that opens

on the sidewalk in small holes and slats. The holes are where the organ pipes end and the slats provide the music. Adjacent to this underground organ, the artist has painted a representation of a piano. All day long, music is naturally generated by the seashore waves randomly created by swimmers, passing boats, and docking cruise liners. These two works alone are reason enough to visit Zadar.

The partial remaining walls of the old city of Zadar and its main gate recently obtained UNESCO protection as fine examples of medieval city fortresses. Inside the walls are one-of-akind examples of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. Wander the old city’s main street, Broad Street, to observe its many old churches and plazas intermixed with modern retail and offices.

The city’s archeological museum contains many significant Catholic relics, pieces of bones or hair from famous people in the bible, as well as recovered, salvaged and restored church iconology. If you are a student of

MIC HAEL WALD "Greeting the Sun" by Nikola Bašić uses solar panels to collect energy.

Catholicism, art or history, this museum a must-see stop. The local cathedral is also a highlight. Around town, many monuments and works of art are dedicated to Saint Simon, the patron saint of the city. Just inside the wall five wells in the appropriately-named “Square of Five Wells,” now occupying the place where a moat once protected Zadar from intruders. Don’t miss Zadar’s two beautiful city parks next door to this square, Vladimir Nazor Park and the adjacent Jarula Park. On a sunny day, the red tile roofs of Zadar glisten in the bright Mediterranean sun. Although similar beautiful scenes of the Mediterranean have been beautifully depicted in innumerable canvases and photographs, experiencing it in person is so much more enchanting.

Michael Wald is a travel specialist with special expertise in Panama adventure travel. He blogs about travel and other musings at www. UntraveledPlaces.com. Follow him @UntraveledPlace and see where he is off to next.