SEVENTY years ago Maserati set the motoring world alight with victory in the Indianapolis 500.
A year later, it stormed to another Indy title and became one of few marques to take the chequered flag in consecutive years.
Now the Italian supercar company is after another double by posting a second year of record sales on the bounce.
The car spearheading the latest Maserati mission is the ultra hot Quattroporte Sport GT S.
Despite the economic downturn Maserati reckons to have found a niche and is confident there are sufficient numbers craving the GT S and its blistering performance.
Maximum speed is close to 180mph, 0 to 60 comes up in around five seconds but the real experience is the thrill of driving this gorgeous machine.
Its secret weapon is an uprated 4.7-litre V8 mated to a highly sophisticated six speed auto box, all sitting on stiffer suspension.
The result is a grand tourer straight out of the top drawer and at £89,860 the GT S is in an elite league.
Direct competition comes in the shape of the Audi S8, Mercedes AMG models and, albeit much cheaper, the soon-to-arrive Jaguar XFR.
Where a Maserati will always score is with flair, panache and the romance of the brand and the GT S has all those qualities.
The acceleration is breathtaking. Switch into sports mode and the exhaust note changes from a meaty burble to a mighty roar.
All 440 horsepower is available in this setting and with rapid fire manual gear changes available via steering wheel mounted paddles the GT S has higher cornering speed, improved traction and added stability compared to the standard Quattroporte.
The steering still feels a touch light on the turn in but once committed the GT S is beautifully weighted and responsive.
With help from former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli Maserati is committed to developing the finest sports auto box in the world - and it is getting very close to perfection.
A throttle blip when changing down adds to the aura while there is no automatic upshift and revs can be held at the limit.
This is a mighty sports saloon in anyone's book. On the open road it is magnificent although in tight conditions a wide turning circle can make it a bit of a handful.
Outside the GT S is distinguished with a black louvered grille, 20-inch alloy wheels housing red brake callipers, LED lights and twin oval exhausts. All convey an aggressive look underlined by red accents in the Maserati Trident badge.
Inside the seats are more supportive and clad in Alacantara and leather with the trim mimicking titanium. The Quattroporte logo has a 3D effect on the passenger side of the dash.
A digital rpm display with gear shift alerts is the focus of the instrument panel while the overall finish is of fine Italian style.
Despite the added power the GT S is said to average 17.9mpg, little more than the standard model while emissions from the Euro 5 compliant engine are rated at 365g/km.
Maserati has been through a bad patch in the past two decades and quality is now paramount. Every model is now test driven on the road before being handed over.
As part of the rejuvenated Fiat group the marque is on a roll and in many ways it is producing its finest cars ever.
In the past ten years sales have grown from around 1,000 a year to more than 8,500.
It may be only a small player but increasing sales by 17 per cent in 2008 was no mean achievement. With cars such as the Pininfarina-styled Quattroporte it's easy to see why.