You may have heard that the devil wears Prada; but at this moment, I've got my hands clasped firmly on a devil clad in a sharp Zegna suit.
The metaphorical devil in question is a car – the Maserati Ghibli S. You know this is the plaything of Lucifer himself because of the shiny, super-sized Trident badge adorning its resplendent snout.
It also goes like the metaphorical clappers of hell and sounds like approaching armageddon, so it's hard to dispute its otherworldly credentials.
Silk roads
Inside there are also hints – the Ghibli's mild-mannered matte grey exterior conceals hellishly bright red leather seats by Poltrona Frau – but there's something else, too.
Those same seats are clad with inserts of a pure but exceptionally hard-wearing woven silk in an anthracite colour that provides a striking visual contrast and a real point of difference for captains of industry looking for an executive express with a genuine bespoke touch.
The inserts are crafted by one of the world's most revered makers of men's suiting, Zegna, and the silk treatment is applied to the seats, door panels, roof lining and sunshades. They're made from Mulberry Silk, created and woven specifically for Maserati in a world-first initiative that ensures the durability and colour-fastness required for daily use.
The notion of seat inserts spun from fine silk calls to mind issues of traction – isn't silk one of the slipperiest textiles known to man? Will we all end up crumpled into the footwell on the first serious brake application? In practice the silk surface is reassuringly tractable, its tyre tread-like pattern as comfy as it is interesting to behold.
Smooth operator
Although the Ghibli is effectively a shrunken-down version of the maker's hugely successful Quattroporte flagship saloon, it is nonetheless well up for the task of a family day trip deep into country Victoria, for a special lunch date at the feted Daylesford Lake House.
The temperature at our destination is just three degrees at 1pm and black ice has been reported on the road into town, so we're not tempted to put the handling to any test just yet – alert and mildly alarmed are the watchwords on this chilly day.
The Ghibli S is rock-solid in the frosty conditions and as we return to the more temperate coast on the way home, there's the opportunity to engage the 'sport' button, tap the paddle shifters back a few gears and listen to one of the world's great automotive soundtracks as we negotiate a complex of curves.
Speaking of great soundtracks, there's also a 10-speaker Harmon Kardon premium audio system on board for an alternate source of aural pleasure. And on this day, we're mighty glad of the seat warmers that lurk invisibly beneath the Zegna silk on the plush front pews.
Split personality
The impressive thing about the Ghibli S is that it works on both a rational level – with a sensible four-door, five-seat layout, big boot and lashings of luxury appointments – but also piques your emotions with that distinctive grille, pleasingly large wheels, plenty of tactile engagement inside the cabin, and that signature Maserati sound when you open the taps.
It's a polo-shirt-wth-the-collar-flipped-up sports car, tucked neatly under a natty business suit – Zegna, of course. It can be as docile as a lamb in traffic, yet with 301kW from the twin-turbo V6 on tap, will go like blazes when the occasion demands it.
None of this comes cheap, but nor should it – a Maserati is a statement of exclusivity and privilege after all, and those attributes only come at a significant premium. The Ghibli S kicks off at $169,900 (plus on-road costs), while the world-first Zegna silk interior adds between $11,000 and $22,000, depending on the options pack chosen.
If it's true that the devil is in the detail, then this is indeed a car that is possessed – in the best possible way.