In Memory of Marc Sonnery (†2025)

The Maserati community has lost one of its passionate voices with the passing of Marc Sonnery, journalist, historian, and author. Marc’s fascination with Maserati began in childhood, when his father, CEO of Citroën in Sweden, Portugal, and Germany, brought home Maseratis during the golden era of 1968–1975. That spark became a lifelong devotion.

He went on to author “Maserati, the Citroën Years”, a book that quickly became a reference point for collectors and historians alike. Hailed as “Book of the Month” in multiple publications, it captured the spirit of a fascinating, sometimes misunderstood era in Maserati’s history and soon sold out. Over decades, Marc contributed countless articles and features to the world’s most respected automotive magazines, cementing his reputation as a Maserati authority.

But it was with the Khamsin that Marc carved out his most enduring mark. In 2004, he founded the Maserati Khamsin Registry, an ambitious undertaking that, thanks to his relentless research, allowed him to document around 345 of the 430 examples ever built. His magnum opus for the model was the Khamsin Quaranta gathering in 2012 (which he repeated with Khamsin Cinquanta in 2023). In that 40th anniversary celebration, he brought together 27 Khamsins, including the prototype, alongside legendary figures such as designer Marcello Gandini, historian Ermanno Cozza, and Maserati Classiche’s Fabio Collina. He was also a strong force in making the Classiche Masters book of 2019 a reality, pushing forward with his knowledge, energy, and unwavering dedication to the marque. Marc was, in every sense, a character.

He was sharp, witty, stubborn, and always passionate. He had the courage to say what he thought, but also the warmth to connect people, to share his knowledge generously, and to make you feel part of something larger. Conversations with him were never dull – he had stories, details, and anecdotes at the ready, and he lived every bit of the passion he carried for the cars. And of course, Marc was the kind of man who would never shy away from a great Barolo – a reminder that life, like a fine wine, is best savoured with intensity, depth, and a touch of mischief.

Through his writings, his registry, and his tireless efforts, Marc Sonnery aimed to ensure that future generations would understand and cherish the extraordinary cars that shaped an era. We raise a glass to Marc Sonnery – a man who gave the Khamsin its voice. He will be remembered as a journalist, an author, a Khamsin’s greatest ambassador—and above all, as someone who lived his passion fully, leaving an unforgettable mark on everyone who has met him.

Rutger-Jan Cleiren is a photographer and cinematographer born in Belgium with a love for everything on wheels. Both his parents were illustrators and he inherited his view on aesthetics and beauty from them. Grandfather, uncle and father were all canvas artists. When he realized that he could never put more on paper than just silly doodles, he tried to find his own creative outlet. At the age of 15, he bought his first camera from the resources of juggling 2 paper routes. Over the years, Cleiren has travelled around the world and has worked on many challenging productions. One of these was working for Jerry Seinfeld and his amazing ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ as a camera operator and assistant camera in 2014. Not afraid of taking on a challenge, this work-ethic contributed to Rutger-Jan becoming the Director of Photography of ‘The Prism’, a 360 VR short. His work as a cinematographer got featured on channels like NBC and CBS and got shortlisted for the London Motor Film Festival and Court métrage at the Cannes Film Festival. Supported by a great team, he won ‘Best Cinematography’ for short fil Takhil in 2016. Together with Don Deckers, he founded BRUUT in 2014, with the mission of creating daring films together with the best in the field.

Antwerp based filmmaker Kasper Mols started making short films and commercials singly as a freelancer. With the establishment of BRUUT collective, Kasper was able to focus on what he is most passionate about, directing. In his films, Kasper likes to tangle out-of-this-world situations and stories, yet realistically capturing the essence of the characters. Over the years Kasper has combined his passion for music and film in several music videos and short films, resulting in projects like ‘To Forget’ and ‘Zero’. His main pursuits next to directing are writing, animation, music and sound design. Building up to the experience on all kinds of small and big productions, Kasper has promised himself to keep growing and ultimately produce the best content possible.

Onno Hesselink is the co-founder of LUON, a customer relationship marketing agency in Belgium. As a creative director and managing partner, he is responsible for maintaining the high-level creative output of the company. Before he started LUON, he worked as an independent designer since he obtained his Master’s Degree in Arts in 1991. LUON is now part of the Intracto network, a group of +600 marketing professionals in Belgium and Holland. Onno graduated from the Sint Lukas Institute Brussels with a specialisation in Etching and Linocuts. He is an early adopter of computer graphics and he has a very wide and in-depth knowledge of both printed and digital marketing as well as a deep understanding of visual storytelling and video. He is passionate about classic Maserati and he owns and drives a few. He is an active member of the Maserati club Maseratisti Fiamminghi. He is a writer, designer and publisher of Trident, the Belgian Maserati club magazine and of Alfieri magazine, the independent magazine for and by Maserati enthusiasts.

We also like to thank:
Dottore Adolfo Orso - Historica Selecta
Fabio Collina - Maserati Classiche Historian
Ermanno Cozza - Maserati Historian
La mamma di Marcello Candini with her long and delicious lunch,
Shinichi Ekko - President of the Maserati Club of Japan,
Sandra Hermsen and Rob Kowalski of Classics2drive,
Johan Dillen - European editor for Magneto
Johan Vergote - Uitgeverij Bibliodroom
James Elliott - Editor for Octane Magazine
Cristiano Bolzoni - Maserati Classiche Manager
Michael Micik - Maserati Classiche
Ivan Ruiz - thecarnut.com
Peter Straub - Maserati Club Switzerland
Tom Rossi - The Maserati Club Southeast USA
Claudio Ivaldi - Maserati Club Italia

Colophon for the Classiche Masters book
Classiche Masters, the finest workshops for classic Maseratis. 2020.

Author: Marc Sonnery
Editors and contributors: Joris Claeys, Johan Dillen, Peter Straub, Pedro Cappelle
Photography & video: Rutger-Jan Cleiren & Kasper Mols - Bruut Collective, bruutcollective.com
Illustrations: Greg Smith, fillcreative.com
Book design & layout: Onno Hesselink & Els Vandecan
Photogravure: Olivier Dengis
Web design: Onno Hesselink
Alfieri icon: Yves Capelle
Web development: Keplerstein keplerstein.com
Printed in Belgium by L.Capitan, Ruddervoorde on paper produced by Fedrigoni, an Italian company with over 130 years of history.
Showrunner: Pedro Cappelle

First published in January 2020 - ISBN: 9789464000115
Published by Fast Forward Publishing bv, Kwadestraat 151A bus 51,
8800 Roeselare, Belgium.



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