Ferdinand Porsche was an automobile engineer with more than a thousand patents to his name, and played an important role in the development of airplanes and the construction of tanks for the Wehrmacht as well. In the 1920s he was appointed chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart and later set up his own engineering workshop. There he designed, among other things, the Volkswagen. He acted as chief of operations at the plant where the Volkswagen was made, Wolfsburg, and at the end of the war he was interned by the Allies. He was released a few years later and immediately went to work building his first car with his son, Ferry Porsche. This car was named the Porsche 356, after Ferry, and was a sports car with styling reminiscent of the Volkswagen. In fact it had the same four-cylinder boxer engine, and wore it rear-mounted, just as the VW did.
This meant that it was far from being a powerful sports car, boasting a mere 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). Distinguished by its elegant and innovative body, the Porsche 356 was first produced as a convertible and then as a hard top. Father and son developed it in the workshop of Erwin Komenda, a master of restrained streamlining who had been in charge of sheet metal and design techniques for Ferdinand Porsche since the VW Beetle. This new style of closed coupe designed by Komenda soon became the embodiment of the sports car, due in part to its "fastback". The 911 became instantly recognizable: it had an attractive sloping bonnet reminiscent of the 356, what later became characterized as "frog eye" headlights, curves running from the top edge of the windscreen to the rear bumper, and a straight waistline. From a functional and technical point of view it shared more in common with a BMW 1500, but it retained the distinctive stylistic features of the original Porsche. The new 911 became the keystone of Porsche's identity, even though the design was not always fully appreciated. During the 1970's and 1980's, many Porsche designers attempted to distance Porsche from its legendary design and nearly brought the company to the edge of disaster. The more modern 924 model, "a people's Porsche", developed with Volkswagen, as well as the 928 fell short fulfilling expectations, and failed to allow the company to branch out in new directions and styles. However, in the 1990's the company seemed to realize that what some perceived as a stylistic straitjacket was in fact a market advantage. During this period Porsche embraced the timeless nature of classic styling to become highly profitable.
Double wishbone suspension layouts are a race-bred tradition at Maserati and the Ghibli continues with this heritage but also incorporates some new technologies for greater accuracy. Utilising a suspension layout and software system that has already proven a hit in the Quattroporte, the Ghibli has high-mounted all-aluminium double wishbones at the front to guarantee light and precise handling characteristics. Aluminium is the dominant metal of the front suspension system, with the dome nuts, the hub carrier bars and uprights all made from forged aluminium, while the springs are steel. This matches up to constantly adaptive Skyhook dampers and an anti-roll bar. The geometry of the system has delivered a quadrilateral architecture, which has enabled Maserati’s handling team to deliver steering that is precise, communicative and comfortable. The rear suspension employs a firmer version of the Quattroporte’s five-bar multi-link system, with four aluminium suspension arms, and has achieved the conflicting targets of executive ride comfort and extreme sports performance. The Ghibli’s suspension package is based around a fixed rate damping system to control the movement of its steel springs and anti-roll bars.
All Ghiblis are available with the option of the Skyhook adaptive damping system, where all four Skyhook dampers can now be electronically controlled independent of each other. This is a variation of the Quattroporte’s standard system, though its performance and tuning has been heavily modified to cater for the Ghibli’s more dynamic ethos. The default mode for the optional Skyhook system prioritises comfort, and then becomes more athletic if the driver presses the suspension button. This extra damping stiffness pushes the Ghibli’s handling to even higher levels and its tune was developed in both extreme test scenarios and on the racetrack. Essentially, it drastically reduces both longitudinal and lateral load transfers and minimises body roll to bring out the sportiest side of the car’s character. The computer system in control of the Skyhook dampers monitors an enormous array of parameters, including speed and lateral and longitudinal acceleration, individual wheel movements, body movement and damper dynamics. Adjusting also to suit the suspension mode chosen by the driver, the system delivers the perfect damping mode for each wheel almost instantly.
Late this year, the Ghibli Diesel will be available with the option of a Sports suspension setup, which will be based around the fixed damping system rather than the optional Skyhook system. While the architecture of the Sport suspension is unchanged, it lowers the ride height by 10 mm and uses stiffer springs and firmer, dual-rate Koni dampers that adjust to varying conditions. Featuring 18-inch rims as standard equipment, the Ghibli is also available with 19”, 20” or 21-inch rims as well. While the 18’’ 19” and 20” alloys are crafted from flow-forming technology that reduces the core thickness of the wheels and prioritises light weight without sacrificing stiffness and strength. The 21” rim is a forged alloy wheel, which also emphasises light weight and is no heavier than the 20” rim. All the Ghibli’s rims have been designed and engineered to enhance both the visual design of the body and to lower the unsprung masses to improve grip and handling.
