Maserati has made the luxury Italian four-door mantle its own in recent times, but this Ferrari concept shows that others could be waiting to snatch it from the trident brand.

Automotive designer Alex Imnadze, whose name is normally associated with whacky Lamborghini designs, has decided to pen a potential future four-door concept for Ferrari, Maserati's sibling rival.

It is based on the current Ferrari FF all-wheel-driven coupe-estate's underpinnings, with an extended wheelbase to help accommodate genuine luxury legroom in the front and rear, with styling cues that link brilliantly to the Scaglietti, the FF and the new F 12 Berlinetta supercar coupe.

Unfortunately, Imnadze's naming strategy for his new Ferrari concept is not as imaginative as its shape and styling, for he's called it the Quattroporte, which of course is exactly what Fiat Group's other supercar-maker, Maserati calls its own star sedan. Mind you, as it means merely "four doors" we don't think anyone has a mortgage on the Italian word.

But it's a study only, and one that wasn't even commissioned by Ferrari so it's unlikely to be picked up by the famous prancing horse brand.

However, it is irrefutably gorgeous with a liftback-styled rear, under a striking and dramatically sloping roofline with four passenger doors which could well be of clamshell type, like the Mazda RX8's, for easy access.

Imnadze hasn't gone so far as to describe the mechanical configuration of the car, but you don't have to be an expert to see that the engine - probably a V12 - is in the front, driving the rear or all four wheels.

- © Fairfax NZ News