NEW YORK — It’s so limited that not even Gildo Zegna can get one.
Tonight, Zegna, chief executive officer of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, and Harald Wester, ceo of Maserati, will host a party at Industria Superstudio here to show off the new limited-edition Maserati Quattroporte by Ermenegildo Zegna. The event — one of 100 — is aptly named since there are only 100 of the cars being produced.
The luxury sedan, which will retail for $175,000, features a special “platinum silk” finish for the body and wheels that employ aluminum pigments so the car looks silver, beige or gray depending upon the angle. The interior offers a custom mocha and gray herringbone silk fabric, produced at Zegna’s woolen mills in Trivero, Italy, for the door panels, roof lining and sun visors, and there’s a label on the back of the visor that reads: “Ermenegildo Zegna Exclusively for Maserati.” The seats have a panel of 100 percent silk chevron set into the grain leather, and the rest of the interior is a blend of leather and chrome. There’s also a brass plate set into the central console that denotes the car as “Limited Edition One of 100.”
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“This is a great way to collaborate with another well-known Italian brand and show the best of Made in Italy [design],” Zegna told WWD during a preview of the car on Monday. Maserati is celebrating its centennial this year, four years after Zegna marked the same milestone for its company, which was another reason for the partnership, he said.
The companies held an event in Shanghai in July and will host two others, in Dubai and Milan, next year. Wester said that 20 people have already come forward and are ready to buy one of the cars, and more than 100 others have expressed interest. “But before signing the contract, they want to touch it,” he said.
Those who do pony up the $175,000 — the price represents a 20 to 25 percent premium over the cost of a regular Quattroporte sedan — also receive a special gift in the trunk: an Owner’s Collection assortment of Zegna leather goods that includes four travel bags, a pair of sunglasses, a journal and a bolt of the same fabric used in the car that can be crafted into a made-to-measure suit.
To commemorate the special car, Zegna and Maserati have commissioned Italian photographer Fabrizio Ferri to photograph 100 prominent people — 25 at each of the four cities where the events will be held — who use their hands for their crafts. Portraits and close-ups of their hands will be compiled into a “One of 100” book, along with photos of the car and the Owner’s Collection, that will be completed for the Milan event in spring.
But with only 100 cars in the world, will Zegna wind up driving one around Italy? “There are not enough,” he said. “We need to leave them for our special guests.”