Frontrow co-founder Sam Verzosa dreamt of driving a supercar when he was growing up. Now, he’s leading Maserati Philippines—and to great success.
Everyone in the motoring industry was surprised when the already successful founder of Frontrow, Samuel S. Verzosa Jr.—best known as Sam Verzosa—took the helm of Maserati Philippines and became president of Modena Motorsports.
In supercar circles, everyone knows that his garage is filled with some of the country’s most expensive, drool-worthy cars, including the rare BMW i8.
We would see him at the racetrack, followed by a bevy of supercars driven by some of his company’s top performers.
Growing up in Manila, Verzosa fondly regarded these cars as a level of achievement. Versoza expressed that cars symbolized success for him. “Maserati was one of the first car brands that I dreamed of, and I am very blessed that I was able to realize this dream,” he added.
Verzosa, is a father of three and has been dating actress Rhian Ramos for years. The businessman isn’t related to actor Gardo Versoza (as many have mistaken), and also has a career in politics, having been a first nominee party list representative in the Tutok To Win Party List for the 2022 elections, as well as a House representative for the 19th Congress. He took up grade school and high school in Angelicum College before taking up a Civil Engineering degree in the University of the Philippines Diliman.
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The Wait is Over
The Maserati brand is gearing up for a total renewal in brand direction. This is what Verzosa fully understand. Most aficionados of the brand have been waiting for 2021 for a long time. It will be the year when Maserati launches its much-awaited Corse (MC) 20. It houses a 630-hp twin-turbo V6 and might possibly have an electric variant. This is significant because the last time the Trident produced a supercar was the MC 12. However, they halted its production in 2005.
The Levante became one of Maserati’s most exciting cars as it carried an embodiment of a supercar turned SUV. The Levante was one of the first vehicles that signaled some of the luxury car makers’ foray into the SUV segment, namely the Rolls Royce Cullinan and The Lamborghini Urus.
The beginnings of Maserati stems from five Italian brothers involved in motorsports in the early 20th century. One of the brothers’ custom-built cars won the 1926 Targa Florio, an open road endurance race in Sicily. The trident logo, inspired by Neptune’s fountain situated in Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, stands for strength and vigor. The Fiat Chrysler Group now owns Maserati and will continue to use Ferrari engines until 2022.
Young Achievers
Today, luxury brands such as Celine and Bottega Venetta are going after a younger demographic. These include those 40-and-below billionaires whose became affluent through tech start-ups and the digital revolution.
Maserati’s shift to cater to this target market is seamless, following Verzosa’s personal mindset on how supercars are a testament to one’s success.
What Verzosa brings to the table is having the inside scoop on the psyche of supercar customers—what they value, appreciate, and the features that they are willing to pay for.
Because of this innate understanding and appreciation of these machines, verzosa’s Maserati has become one of the most successful distributorships worldwide, despite the challenges in 2020. Under his leadership, Maserati has upgraded its BGC showroom and plans to expand into key cities in Metro Manila.
Loving the brand helps. “Maserati is innovative by nature, unique by design, powered by passion,” Verzosa says. “It is the absolute opposite of ordinary.”
The full story on Sam Verzosa is in Volume 1 of Lifestyle Asia 2021.
Banner photo by Miguel Abesamis of Studio 100.
