If you’re a frequent reader of my site, which all of you should be to help my ego, you’ll remember my mention of an interview with Klaus Busse! Klaus has been Head of Design for Maserati since October 2015, overseeing the design of Maserati’s current line up including the MC20, with prior design experience at Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia.

Monterey Car Week is a special week for any car manufacturer, many of which debut their latest and greatest model or special edition on the grounds of some of the world’s most prestigious automotive showcases. Maserati is part of that latter group, having introduced their Maserati MC20 Tributo Modenese or “Monterey Car Week” edition at the private House of Maserati. Given the opportunity to witness this, I thought it fitting that I interview the designer of such a marvelous creation about what goes into distilling an event into a car. Enjoy!

Me:
“I wanted to ask specifically about the the Monterey Car Week Edition MC20. What makes it stand out from the regular MC20?”

Klaus:
“So first of all, why, why do we do it? Because Monterey Car Week is such a special event. From all the places I have the chance to visit throughout the year, it really has such a wonderful vibe, the car culture, the people you have here. So we felt that this is a special place for us. So that’s why we’ve come back year after year.

We talked about how can we make it more special and decided to create an MC20 dedicated to this event. You know, you can show up anywhere and put up a stand and that’s it. You move out. But I think that by showing that we are really serious about Car Week, by creating a car that is specifically done for this Week, we are really showing our respect to the car culture here.

So with this car, the Tributo Modenese, we bring Modena to Monterey. The base car is black and then we bring along the blue and yellow of the Modena flag along with the big Trident on the hood and those yellow details. All that is hand painted, you know, there’s no stickers, there’s no machine or whatever. It’s this beautiful handcrafted piece.”

Me:
“And how do you put an event in a car? Like how do you embody that event in a car’s design?”

Klaus:
“What we do when we create an event like this is we very meticulously plan the layout. We decide what car goes where, what the environment is, etc. And we know here in Monterey that we have to deal with with two lighting conditions: one is the early morning, with this beautiful foggy halo, and then eventually that’ll burn off and it will give you the sun. So we simulated the car in both conditions. When it’s misty, the yellow accent really pops out but when the sun comes out, you really see the blue and the black and the reflection. So it’s really respecting the environment of where you are.

We have ways to simulate that electronically. Even in our presentation room, we have an artificial ceiling where we can simulate different sunsets, different sunrises, to see how the colors feel.”

Me:
“Now, do you personally have a special edition Maserati that you like the most? Of any Maserati ever, is there a special one that speaks to you?”

Klaus:
“We have just done a special version of the Gran Cabrio, which is our latest model that we just revealed. We have had a long-standing partnership with the Italian wine maker Marchesi Antinori, who makes one of the most famous red wines in the world, and we were commissioned to do a special one-off that captures the essence of their brand. We auctioned it off at the Napa Valley Wine Festival not too long ago and that car is just so beautiful, elegant, and stunning. So that’s something that I think really reflects, not only Maserati, but also how we can interpret one of our friends and partners in a car and bring it all together.”

Me:
“Is the MC20 MCW Edition already accounted for? Do they go to special customers or who is able to get their hands on one?”

Klaus:
“In this case, what we really wanted to do was to bring a car that people can show interest in while they’re here. This car is not pre-sold and in theory, one of our guests could say ‘Hey, this is special. I’d be interested.’”

Me:
“And how many are gonna be made?”

Klaus:
“This is a one-off. That’s part of what makes it so special.”

Me:
“Last question, is there anything you want people to know about the car that I maybe didn’t ask you about?”

Klaus:
“This will be never repeat it again. It really reflects Modena with its color choice and again this idea of not using stickers, everything being hand painted, it’s just, you know, Italian craftsmanship at its best.“