Member Article

Drive Benfield Bring Maserati to North-East England

Benfield Motor Group pulled off a potentially lucrative coup by signing a deal with iconic Italian cat manufacturers Maserati. The two motoring heavyweights put pen to paper on a new dealership to bring the Maserati range to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and make Benfield Drive the first standalone Maserati car dealership in the UK.

The deal means that Maserati´s range of eye-catching motors, which include the GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Quattroporte will be turning heads all over the north of England and Scotland. Although the maserati brand will operate from Benfield´s Newcastle office, the car dealership has 34 branches across the north-east and north-west covering Tyneside, Northumberland, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The Maserati will be showcased in Benfield´s Newcastle premises on Warwick Street. It is the first solus Maserati dealership in the UK.

Managing Director of Drive Benfield, Nigel McMunn is excited by the deal and said, “To be chosen by Maserati to operate their first solus UK dealership is a great privilege for a family business like Benfield.” His Italian counterpart, Giulio Pastore returned the compliment by saying he was “delighted by the opportunity to work with such a highly regarded local business…We are certain that, in partnership, we will be able to establish a highly effective local Maserati brand presence.”

A brief history of Benfield Motor Group

Benfield Drive is an independent family-run business that was found with humble beginnings in 1957. In a little over 50 years the company has invested in excess of over £20 million in new sites across the north of England and into Scotland, and during that time has earned a glowing reputation as one of the UK´s leading distributors of fleet cars for corporate businesses and clients in the public sector including the NHS.

Maserati also began life as a family business, in the Italian town of Voghera near Bologna. It was founded in the early 20thcentury by seven brothers who had an interest in engines and racing. In 1900 they built a racing car that won several races and set a new record speed for a car – 31mph (50Kmh). In 1939, the iconic sports car was purchased by Orsi Group, but due to the success and acclaim the brothers had achieved in the racing world, the car retained the Maserati name.

That Maserati is one of the most sought after makes of car in the motoring world today is a fact the Benfield Drive were quick to point out after penning the deal. “Maserati make beautifully engineered, thrilling motor cars and the brand will certainly bring a genuine glamour and excitement,” McMunn noted. “We are delighted to team up with Maserati and everything that goes with their luxury image and Grand Touring heritage.”

The Newcastle dealership has assembled an experience team to handle the Maserati account. The firm´s intention is to deliver a first-class quality of service that reflects the vehicles brand image alongside its other leading car manufacturing brands which include Audi and Maserati´s Italian counterparts Alpha Romeo.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Mechan .