A Maserati MPV? The Buran was a car ahead of its time

 • Fiat's Multipla is Italy's best-known MPV. But it could have been different if Maserati had its way.
 • Using the brand's brilliant small-capacity V8, engineers built a powerful large MPV concept.
 • Maserati combined daring Italian design with clever traction and convenience features.
 • For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24.

If you love Italian performance cars, you probably dislike any vehicle configuration that is an acronym.

SUVs and MPVs have no place in the product portfolio of those storied Italian brands which have a rich history of F1, Le Mans and gloriously styled supercars.