28-03-2025
Maserati Spells Out What Money Can't Buy with Its Bespoke Service
Following the lead from other high-end manufacturers like Bentley and Rolls-Royce with their bespoke programs, Maserati's Officine Fuoriserie program allows customization wide freedom to pick paint colors and interior designs.
The program is available on any Maserati model and in any part of the world.
It does limit, however, alterations to the body: 'That's another chapter that maybe we can do in the future.'
On March 26, Maserati announced a new global customization program called Officine Fuoriserie that gives its customers carte blanche when it comes to paint colors and interior designs. It's a not-unexpected move, given how successful other high-end manufacturers, including both Bentley and Rolls-Royce, have been with their bespoke programs, which in Rolls' case actually includes letting buyers design their own bodywork. The process results in unique cars personalized down to the door handles, but at a cost of some millions to the customer.
Maserati head designer Karl Busse told Autoweek during the press briefing that Officine Fuoriserie customization is available on any Maserati model (including Grecale, MC20, GT2 Stradale, GranTurismo, and GranCabrio) and in any part of the world. But, journalists being journalists, the questions soon veered into what customers can't do.
For instance, the company's program doesn't extend into styling the exterior, as Rolls' does. 'Generally not, no,' Busse said in response to an Autoweek query. 'This program is about paint and materials for the interior. Alterations to the body, that's another chapter that maybe we can do in the future.'
Busse added, 'Color is what drives us. Our cars are like a canvas that wants to be painted. Less is more, and our process creates cars without unnecessary details.' There could be instances where customers ask for something that creates ethical or legal problems, leading to a firm no, he said.
Asked by another journalist if, as a University of Florida Gators basketball fan, he could have a Maserati with alligator hide upholstery, Busse demurred, saying such an idea would depend on the ethical issues around using reptile hide in 2025. 'We use cow leather, but we know that is a left-over product from the meat industry,' he said. 'Alligator, we don't know the consequences.'
A pink car? Maybe, if it's a cool pink. 'There is pink and then there is pink,' Busse said. 'We did do one for a customer and it didn't look cliched or cheesy at all, so the general answer is never no.'
For exclusive automakers, programs like these are not just about maximizing the amount people pay for their cars, but also an effort to forge a close relationship with the customer, potentially leading them to become lifelong buyers of the brand.
Fuoriserie will be based at Maserati headquarters in Modena, where the company has created a dedicated 43,000-square-foot space, including a lounge highlighting the catalogue choices available and a new robotic painting line capable of handling 24 cars a day, each a totally different color—some unique to the individual car.
The two levels are Fuoriserie Corse, with classic colors and materials, inspired by Maserati's racing history; and Fuoriserie Futura, a look into the future with all new colors and fabric choices. And above that is Bespoke, with the customer fully in charge.
'Any model can be painted or trimmed based on the imagination of our customers,' said Santo Ficili, who is CEO of Maserati and Alfa Romeo. 'It's a world where design is unlimited, and the fondest dreams can come true.'
According to Davide Baldini, the global head of Fuoriserie, colors and in-car materials can be 'without restrictions, down to the smallest detail. The customer is at the center of every stage, and we work as a team with the customer—it's a journey we go on together.' He said the car initially takes shape in the showroom, and the prospective buyer is sent a wooden box of physical samples, and is then invited to Modena to finish the process and, later, to take delivery.
To show how the program might work, the company points to a specially created customer MC20 Cielo 'Less is More' model that was painted with inspiration from the Bauhaus art movement, featuring Blue Corse matte bodywork that contrasts with multi-color glossy design livery with triangles, rectangles, dots, and lines that form a stylized trident logo. The gloss design is hand-painted, not applied with decals. The wheel rims shown used a red outline with striking yellow hubcaps.
Ficili also said pointed out that Maserati now has a full-service program called Classiche for its many cars that are more than 20 years old. 'We will do everything including full restorations,' he said. Such restorations are sometimes undermined by the availability of spare parts, and the Classiche department is making some of them available, based on the original designs but using modern technology to improve their performance. The company's archives are open to assist in the restoration process.
