MASERATI X BARBIE

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE GRECALE WOULD LOOK SO PRETTY IN PINK?

Special edition releases are always great fun, especially when they involve automakers working alongside brands with little-to-no connection to the car industry. Porsche’s work with Pixar Animation Studios a few months ago certainly caught us by surprise, but Maserati may have just swiped the title of this year’s most unexpected collaboration with their latest reveal, the Barbie Maserati Grecale.

You read that right. The esteemed Italian automaker has joined forces with one of the world’s most widely recognised toy brands to create a special-edition vehicle that embraces the flair and personality of both Maserati and Barbie.

Inspired by the growing Barbiecore trend, the vision has been brought to life by Maserati’s Fuoriserie customisation program. The vehicle is a Trofeo-variant Grecale running on a powerful 530hp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine. Why the Grecale specifically? Maserati states that Barbie has chosen the SUV to “match her multi-faceted lifestyle ranging from a business meeting to a glamourous event.” That seems reasonable.

The Grecale’s most noticeable asset, the glossy pink hue, swallows every corner of the car, just as Barbie herself would have wanted. And if pink wasn’t glamorous enough, the vehicle has even been sealed with an iridescent topcoat that is said to reveal a rainbow effect in the sun. It is also subtly complemented by various acid-yellow accents, a humble tribute to Maserati’s racing heritage.

The interior is as sleek as you would expect for a car specially tailored for Barbie, decked out with full-leather seats, dashboards, carpets, and doors. Consistent with the exterior, the cabin is stylishly finished with pink stitching, with the Barbie “B” badge branded onto the headrests.

As is often the case with such collaborations, the Barbie Maserati Grecale has been created to support a noble cause. American toy company and Barbie brand owner Mattel will donate 10% of the sale price of this U.S. exclusive release to the Barbie Dream Gap Project, an initiative that “partners with charities to help provide equal opportunities and remove barriers for girls.”