The future of an ultra-luxurious Maserati Quattroporte hangs in the balance. We have been told plans for a 6.0-litre V12-engined, Royale-badged version have been dropped in favour of a new 4.7-litre V8 machine. This powerplant could be shared with future cars from new partner Alfa Romeo, rather than using ones taken from Ferrari, which has distanced itself from Maserati in recent weeks.