As soon as you fire this so very MOTORE ITALIANO, thumb the Sport button, which summons quicker shifts and opens baffles in the exhaust system to allow more tunes to burble out of the large oval-rectangular pipes. The engine's intake moan and blaring exhaust alone make the QP a more emotional ride than most other luxury sport sedans. ZF's well-calibrated transmission is a perfect dance partner, allowing automatic and manual modes plus Normal and Sport shift action. Selecting manual means MANUAL too; no upshifts at redline or downshifts at WOT, unless you command them with the Sport GT S's large shift paddles or via the floor shifter.

Stiffer springs, revised suspension uprights, a lower ride height (down 15 mm front, 10 rear) plus the big rubber mean the GT S handles even more crisply than previous QPs. Maser mounts its engines low in the chassis and fully behind the front axle, helping the front end bite and stay true. The steering communicates well, and the car's body motions are always controlled. This Maser's ride/handing balance is on the sporty side of luxurious, and its high-speed stability is faultless. The only unmatched element is braking, which doesn't provide the pedal feedback or the immediate stopping power expected, given the rest of the driver inputs.

If a Ferrari or Porsche is your sports car of choice, the Quattroporte Sport GT S may be the sedan you want parked next to it in your garage.