The sedan, or berlina in Italian, has always been kind of the standard bearer in a vehicle lineup. Unlike coupes, convertibles and estates, they are cars that serve a wide variety of purposes for different people. In the past few years, companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have sought to spice up the sedan by producing what has become known as the four-door coupe, what you could consider a sedan with a bit of an attitude. But there's been one long, standard bearer of the sedan with an attitude genre that has only recently gained wide notoriety: the Maserati Quattroporte.

The Series 1 Quattroporte was vastly different than its contemporaries, with bespoke looking styling by Frua and power dealt out in spades by a 4.1 liter V8. This was one of the first motorcars that could comfortably cruise at 200 km/h (125 mph) for long stretches. In 1967, a larger, 4.7 liter engine was offered before production came to a halt in 1969. In total, a little over 700 of these four-door Maseratis were built. This example for sale in Hamburg, Germany was originally delivered in France, hence the yellow headlamps, and looks sumptuous in metallic gray over burgundy leather.

1967 Maserati Quattroporte

Dark gray metallic, dark red leather, manual transmission, 4.7 liter, delivered new in France, beautiful original interior, two previous owners, partly restored on well-preserved original base, extensive documentation of work performed over the last 40 years.

We only featured one other Series 1 Quattroporte on this site, and it was listed at about half of the asking price of this example last year. At almost $80,000, we're closing in on what a brand new Quattrporte will cost you, but that would be like comparing apples to oranges. Sure, both are great ways of having your sports car cake while piloting a more practical sedan, but this Series 1 Quattroporte is a great chance for the discerning collector to purchase something different that would instantly put your good taste on full display.

-Paul