In Italian, Quattroporte literally means four doors. A special car was commissioned by Prince Kharim Aga Khan to the design house of Pietro Frua that really started it all.

Maserati debuted their first Quattroporte in 1963. This caw was fitted with a V8 4.1L engine that produced 256 horsepower mated with a ZF manual gearbox. This first generation Quattroporte was able to hit 143 mph for its top speed.

The second generation was developed during a period when Citroen was in control of the Italian car marques. The car was conceptualized by Bertone but the car’s power decreased to 210 horsepower as it used a V6 3.0L powerplant. That is the bad side of the coin. The good side is the rarity of this Maserati Quattroporte generation since only 13 units were produced. Six of these were prototypes, so only 7 were considered production units.

The next generation Quattroporte was during the time of Alejandro De Tomaso used the design lines of ItalDesign Giugiaro. This car was unwrapped during the Turin motor show of 1979. The car was fited with a V8 4.9l engine that can give out 280 hp.  Between 1970 through 1990, the car manufacturer was able to rollout 2110 units.

The Quatrroporte 4^th generation is an evolution of the 400-Series cars of Fiat which took control of Maserati back in 1993. Two variants were offered, one had a 284 hp V6 engine and another was more aggressive with 326 hp V8 powerplant. None of the 2375 specimen made it to the US soil.

The current generation Quattroporte is considered to be the greatest of the brood. It follows the sleek design lines of Pininfarina and roars with a 400 horsepower V-8 engine.

The Quattroporte was able to rack up about 56 awards from different organizations and press groups in a short span of six years zooming on the road. The car really deserves all the accolades with its beautiful design lines and innate appeal. The credentials of the Maserati Quattroporte though is beyond its skin and relies more on its luxury and performance with its top of the line GT S version.

The Awards Edition Quattroporte will get some design and equipment upgrades. This will include the Quarzon fuso finishing which refers to the metallic perlesescent grey color of Maserati with a splash of golden hints. The special edition Maserati also gets a 20 inch alloy rims, interiors with leathers from Poltrona Frau and Alcantara.

The Maserati Quattroporte Awards Edition will have a dual-cast set up for its brakes complemented with calipers for all the four corners. The calipers will be the hand polished made by Brembo and Maserati which will be the first one in the market. These calipers are designed to withstand the stress of heat cycles.

The Maserati Awards Edition Quattroporte variants are expected to hit the market before the end of this year as 2011 models. They will sport a unique plate to denote their status.