Helen Grace and Maria Al Wahaibi have a little motoring tryst with the Maserati Quattroporte MY21 and some pastas and Burrata  thrown in to whip up a perfect Italian experience – a rare, fascinating duet.

We had driven before – and we had driven on this beautiful road too. The only difference today is that we were snaking up a winding road on the fiery, all-powerful Maserati Quattroporte MY21. And that is a BIG difference – a huge chasm that we can bridge only in our dreams — but today, our dream was coming true.

Dream-come-true chance
And we embraced this dream-come-true chance of hugging the amazing, beautiful roads of Muscat on an Italian masterpiece. It didn’t feel like driving – we were flying! We hugged the Amerat road curves with unbridled enthusiasm, feeling the power early even as we turned corners. It was good to feel all mighty and powerful, for a change.

Unbeatable offer

Earlier that day, some select group of scribes from leading publications in Oman, were given an offer they couldn’t refuse from Alfardan Motors, the Maserati dealers in Oman – to drive the incredible Maserati Quattroporte MY21 from Alfardan Motors showroom in Azaiba to Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton hotel and then have an Italian lunch at one of the topmost restaurants in town, Al Khiran, there – the best part was that we could cook our own lunch, of course with the help of the chefs.

Didn’t want it to end

We literally lit up the road from Alfardan to Al Bustan and back. There are times when we don’t want an experience to end. This trip on the road in an MY21 was one such experience. We breezed on the road — first on Al Amerat road from Alfardan to Bustan (driven by Helen Grace) and then from Bustan back to Alfardan (Maria Al Wahaibi).
Even in this day and age, women drivers are often sidelined, made to feel as though they should employ their skills only in the kitchen, instead of the road. However, Oman is a discrimination-free country and so we need not furry our brows with such worries. And, it is safe to say that no one can make a mistake when you are driving a Maserati, whichever road it maybe.

Head turners for a day

We don’t know if heads were turning whilst we were on the road because it was all an exciting blur, but when we reached the Bustan, a lot of heads kept turning in our direction. We slowly edged the MY21 into an elite group of Maseratis at Bustan’s parking lot and got out to whirring cameras of the paparazzis, who surrounded as though we were some Italian celebrities. We posed before our Maseratis and then we were lead to the level four of the hotel into Al Khiran, where another exciting Italian experience awaited us.

An ‘Eat’alian experience

Fond of cooking and mini experts in this arena, it was not that difficult to follow chef Anoop and chef Vineeth’s simple instructions (read secrets) to make pasta and burratas. We were regaled by their witty suggestions too. There were around six live stations and chefs Anoop and Vineeth and their team were simply too good to let us do our own thing – after all we were going to eat our own creamy little Italian culinary masterpieces.

Real takeaway – learning experience

While we may wax lyrical about our delightful cooking experience, the real takeaway is that we were let into the secrets of cooking delicious pasta and burratas. And, the former is an affordable and practical meal, preferred by people from all walks of life. So, this little culinary tryst was a real Italian gastronomic affair – made famous by reel-life mobsters in movies who were shown whipping up pasta amidst flying bullets and danger at every step – was also a learning experience for us.

Rare, fascinating duet
At the end of it all, it was a whirlwind experience where we had a rare, fascinating duet – a memorable motoring and a culinary experience of a lifetime – a delightful Italian one, rather. Thank you Alfardan. 

(Helen Grace and Maria Al Wahaibi)

Modern-day Maserati Quattroporte ‘distinctive and exclusive’ as its predecessors: Charly Dagher

The modern-day Maserati Quattroporte is as distinctive and exclusive as its predecessors, noted Charly Dagher, regional general manager, Alfardan Motors, in remarks made to the Black & White. He was responding to queries at an event organised by Alfardan Motors to give select scribes in towns to have a unique Italian experience. The scribes involved enjoyed whizzing around in town in a Maserati and also learning to cook delicious Italian food. And to top it all, they all had a great Italian meal – which they learn to cook themselves.

Refinement and classical beauty
Dagher noted the Quattroporte “combines elegant refinement and classical beauty with a contemporary flair — a true expression of the finest Italian design. Adding to its desirability is the gorgeous exterior design, rich-sounding exhaust note, a rarity”. It embraces challenge and goes the distance and wins. It truly defines the meaning and exclusivity of the trident badge, he added. Dagher further added that close on the heels of the Quattroporte MY21; the MY22 was also going to feature on the roads of Oman, thanks to Alfardan Motors.

Excerpts:
The Maserati Quattroporte MY21 was used during this recent Italian cooking experience. Could you highlight the importance of this? When was the model launched in Muscat? Is the Maserati Quattroporte MY21 available in Oman?
Bred to perform, designed to inspire. The Quattroporte is the original race-bred luxury sedan, since 1963. It is one of our most important models. The Maserati Quattroporte was launched in Oman back in 2013, currently the MY21 is available at Alfardan Motors – Maserati showroom and we’re looking forward to receive the MY22 very soon.

The oft repeated quote is that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – by cooking for him.  Is this the reason why a test drive cum cooking experience was organised? What is the connection between the launch of the test drive and the cooking? Your comments.
Most of us share a passion for both food and cars. Our passionate and visionary approach to food complemented the test drive event perfectly. “Made in Italy” is a value that united the Maserati they drive and the Italian dishes they cooked at the event.  A shared passion for using only the finest ingredients, a dedication to detail and meticulous craftsmanship and a belief in being true to the purity of an idea are the reasons why chefs and Maserati enjoy a great relationship. We were happy to host both at this event.
Was the cooking experience successful?
For us, if the journalists had a good first-time experience and enjoyed it then, it is successful. We were very happy to have them with us on this day and enjoyed the day out not to mention that driving the Maserati itself is a unique experience.

Could you provide a brief on the Maserati Quattroporte MY21?
The best Italian designers have been involved in developing the design language of the Quattroporte throughout its 55-year history. The modern-day Quattroporte is as distinctive and exclusive as its predecessors. The model combines elegant refinement and classical beauty with a contemporary flair — a true expression of the finest Italian design. Adding to its desirability is the gorgeous exterior design, rich-sounding exhaust note, rarity. It embraces challenge and goes the distance and wins. It truly defines the meaning and exclusivity of the trident badge.

How does it set itself apart from other luxury sedans?
The Quattroporte sets itself apart from all other luxury sedans like all Maserati cars do as well, it is a perfect combination of a distinctive and expressive design language with a state-of-the-art performance. This true icon of Italian elegance Quattroporte is an exemplary representation of performance, exclusivity, and sound engineering. Offering an upscale experience with a unique, performance-oriented bent, Maserati Quattroporte gracefully embraces the virtues of elegance and athletic attitude.