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Maserati marks 50 years of Tignanello

02 July 2024 By Louis Thomas

To mark half a century of iconic Italian wine Tignanello, Marchesi Antinori has collaborated with luxury vehicles manufacturer Maserati on the development of a one-0ff customised sports car.

The first vintage of Tignanello was the 1971, released in 1974. At the time, it was a truly groundbreaking Chianti Classico – supposedly the first Sangiovese to be aged in barrique, and the use of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend was also cutting edge.

To this day, it remains a prestigious wine, with a single bottle of the recently-released 2021 vintage retailing for €130 on Marchesi Antinori’s website.

Now, those not content to show their affection for Tig just by collecting bottles can show it in their choice of motor: the GranCabrio Folgore Tignanello might be the most suitable car for fine wine lovers…in the world.

“This collaboration with Marchesi Antinori gives us the opportunity to epitomise the essence of Bespoke production, the flagship of our Maserati Fuoriserie customisation programme,” said Klaus Busse, Maserati’s head of design. “Telling a story of Italian excellence is a source of pride for us and serves as constant stimulus for our work, which with Bespoke production aspires to create something absolutely dedicated and inimitable.”

While Tignanello undergoes a steady maturation before release, the car is anything but slow.

The 100% electric soft top convertible packs, thanks to its three motors, a whopping 818 horsepower, hitting 0 to 62mph in 2.8 seconds. For those wishing to use it for a group winery visit around the rolling hills of Tuscany, it also seats four.

The one-of-a-kind vehicle has a garnet/chestnut paint job, intended to evoke the colour of the Tignanello vineyard’s soil, with coppery/burgundy touches as a nod to the barriques the wine ages in.

Piero Antinori, who helms the Tuscan wine giant and was a co-creator of Tignanello, said: “A never-ending challenge, the obsession to improve and constantly question ourselves, to find higher and higher quality margins: these are the cornerstones of the collaboration with Maserati, a brand acknowledged worldwide as a symbol of Made in Italy quality.”

The car will be auctioned for charity at Festival Napa Valley’s Arts for All Gala on 14 July.

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