Maserati Will Gladly Take Back & Recycle Your Old Quattroporte

by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img Maserati S.p.A. ::: End of Life Cars

HAD a neighbor in D.C. who drove the very same Quattroporte you see above – right down to the olive exterior finish. The old Maser seemed endowed with the hulking dimensions of a P40 and you could hear that 300 horsepower V8 pushrod its way ’round Washington Circle from two blocks away.

Every time I saw it, I couldn’t help but marvel at this one saloon’s quarter century of service. Knowing how Maseratis of a certain Go-Go era were anything but long-lived or reliable, I wondered how much longer could the Italian  last before succumbing to the fatal kiss of that last four-digit invoice from some backwater Alfa mechanic.

Thanks to government prodding, Maserati’s now in the business of wondering the same thing.

In a new, for-Europe-only program that’s meant to seem eco-friendly (if sickly green), Maserati S.p.A. will take back your aging Trident and “recycle it” free of charge. Creatively, Maserati’s calling the scheme, “End of Life Vehicles.”

There are caveats.

“All significant components such as engine, gearbox, chassis, bodywork, catalytic converter, wheels and electronic control units must be present in the vehicle. There must be no additional waste in the vehicle. Maserati, [sic] that is currently working to ensure compliance with the regulation and convenience for its customers, thanks you for supporting this environmental challenge.”

Wonder if that means if the factory will re-sell previously enjoyed parts from so-called end of life vehicles? Were that the case, I’m sure one vintage Maserati owner would be very interested in taking up stock.