Italian car rivals Maserati and Ferrari race for Gold Coast’s new wave of wealth

Two of Italy’s most iconic luxury car marques are in a race for a new wave of wealth hitting Queensland’s Glitter Strip.

Maserati is set to open its new multi million-dollar showroom on the Gold Coast.

CIAO, baby!

Two of Italy’s most iconic luxury car marques are adding some la dolce vita to the streets of Queensland’s Glitter Strip.

Maserati and Ferrari have pulled into new purpose-built multi million-dollar dealership showrooms on the Gold Coast.

The rival car brands — among the most desirable in the world — have been racing to enter the market and capitalise on a new wave of wealthy residents moving from southern cities.

The new Maserati showroom on the Gold Coast.

On a per capita basis, the Gold Coast has long been one of Australia’s strongest luxury car markets and now it has got some added Italian style and grunt to prove it.

“You’ll not only see more of our cars being driven around the Gold Coast, you’ll hear them,” said Maserati Australia chief operating officer Glen Sealy.

Maserati Australia chief operating officer Glen Sealy.

Maserati engines are renowned for their distinctive sound that is mechanical music to car enthusiasts’ ears.

Its cars have been called “four-wheeled Pavarottis” and a few years ago the company began offering its engine sound as a downloadable ringtone.

It has even been claimed the sound of a Maserati is an aphrodisiac with a British study reporting higher testosterone levels in female test subjects after hearing the engine sound.

The two new Gold Coast dealership showrooms at Southport — both featuring the finest Italian design and furniture — reflect a combined investment of more than $30 million.

Italian luxury car marques Ferrari (pictured) and Maserati have pulled into the Gold Coast to capitalise on a new wave of wealthy residents.

“When you’re seeing brands like Maserati and Ferrari move into the Gold Coast you’re really seeing a stake of confidence in the Gold Coast,” Mr Sealy said. “It’s such a strong capital injection.”

Mr Sealy said the Maserati brand was a perfect fit for a young and dynamic city like the Gold Coast — its largest market outside the major capital cities.

“It’s absolutely the right place to be for Maserati,” he said. “Even without a showroom presence we’ve sold 10 cars so far this year on the Gold Coast.”

Mr Sealy said the brand’s owner demographic was mostly 35 to 45 years old but in recent years had been getting younger with “a far greater female content within our owner base”.

The launch of Maserati’s “most accessible model in its history” (that means cheapest) — the new 350hp Levante with a $125,000 price tag — coincides with this week’s opening of its Coast showroom.

Maserati’s 350hp Levante is its “most accessible” model with a price tag of $125,000.

“At $125,000 we’re still talking about a proper Maserati — one that sounds like a Maserati, performs like a Maserati, has the craftsmanship and ageless design of a Maserati,” Mr Sealy said.

“Our heritage is as an exclusive $300,000-plus brand … but we’re very much aware of our model range becoming far more accessible.

“Having said that, however, we’re still very much an aspirational brand and we make no apologies for that.”