Paid for and posted by Maserati
Maserati’s ethos of “everyday exceptional” is undoubtedly at the core of its Grecale GT, yet that doesn’t mean the marque’s flagship SUV range lacks the performance-led option so many motoring enthusiasts demand in 2025. Quite the opposite, actually.
Known within the wider line-up as the Trofeo (trophy, in Italian), this most extreme badging of the Grecale DNA weds creature comfort and technological convenience to the same powertrain Maserati favours inside its best-selling MC20.
Thematically, this somewhat gives the Trofeo the appearance of a (well-shod) wolf in sheep’s clothing. Its clean, sculptural bonnet conceals literal racecar engineering: a 530-hp V6 engine that announces itself with a thrilling staccato exhaust and the capacity for breakneck pace.
Those who crave dynamism in their drive are able to access as much (or as little) of this power as they prefer, through the aid of air suspension and an ultra-responsive ‘Corsa’ driving mode – both features exclusive to Trofeo owners.
Amid the action of Australian Fashion Week, it was arguably the trimline of the Grecale that lingered most in memory: possessed by the same sharp, voluminous angles and barely contained energy that were hallmarks of Farage Summer 25/26.
The brand best known for dressing the Sydney Swans and for clean, perennially relevant unisex tailoring made its debut on the AFW runway this month – plunging, as co-founder Joe Farage said, into the “full breadth of the brand’s offering” as it has evolved and matured over the past 27 years.
The presence of jewel tones and Riviera-inspired styling cues were noted by several attendees – an organic influence, some might argue, for a contemporary Antipodean label – though these played more like punctuation to a show floating on the same wavelength as European designers Anthony Vaccarello and Simon Holloway.
Sartorial staples, such as waxed trenches, grey two-pieces, and the modest navy balmacaan, were dislocated from their humdrum corporate context – imbued with sultry discotheque energy. “Clothes to wear whilst drinking cocktails in dark, loudly soundtracked hotel bars” was one description we overheard.
There were even a few references that will appeal directly to the visual sensibility of drivers who typically favour the Trofeo.
The cabin’s carbon fibre surfaces find similar expression in a metallic-effect jacket of spongy knit wool, while the sheer number of plunging double-breasted silhouettes – present in most of the best womenswear looks – evoke the chevron motifs all over the Trofeo’s heated leather upholstery (chosen by Maserati designers to “emphasise the car’s dynamism”).
Clearly, good design – as few would dispute – can assume many forms: but seldom with as much sensory force as a twin combustion engine, or the perfect dinner jacket.
That pairing raises the tantalising question: is it too much to ask for both?
Discover the Grecale Trofeo (starting at $214,617 before on-road costs) at Maserati.com.
