Miller Motor Cars: Friends in Greenwich
Connecticut dealer combines amity, good service and great cars...

Connecticut is one of the oldest states in America; its first European settlers arrived there in 1636. It is also one of the wealthiest states – the modern embodiment of ‘old money’ and authentic style. It’s also a place where loafers and polo shirts are as acceptable at most events as blazers and brogues.  As such, it is an excellent place to find a Maserati dealership; Maserati is one of the oldest auto companies in the world, and it has long been synonymous with exclusive but accessible luxury cars.

Miller Motor Cars is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and in keeping with the surrounding area, it occupies a comfortable and welcoming historic building. We paid them a visit, and spoke to Werner Pfister, Bailey Vanneck and Phil Brous. Werner was particularly keen to give us the story of both the dealership and the building. “Miller Motor Cars bought this building in the mid-eighties, and in 1990 moved our Ferrari franchise here,” he told us. “The building dates back to 1923, and we believe that in the early days it was a Ford dealership.” For many years it was Aston Martin’s US headquarters, and it has a beautiful stone floor and large windows in keeping with the Tudoresque exterior, as well as some spectacular modern touches.  The style is in keeping with the subtle, pressure-free approach of this dealership which respects heritage, old world values, and genuine personal warmth.

“The building has had many uses – for a time, it was used by a company who manufactured high-class packaging for jewelry and perfume,” he continued. “A few years ago an old gentleman stopped by and told us he worked here in 1942. We asked him what they did here – and he told us they manufactured Thompson machine guns for the war!”

The hospitable building is certainly something special – a fitting space for the Maseratis that grace it today. We spoke to Bailey and Phil about the Building, Miller Motor Cars and the ethos of the dealership, which strives to provide the most comfortable and stress-free experience for customers.

“One of the most important things we do here is to ensure people feel comfortable when they come in the door here at Miller Motor Cars,” Bailey told us. “Too often when people have to deal with the car industry, they feel that they’re being taken advantage of – we want people to feel that they got the best deal that they can, that they are comfortable and happy. We want people to come in, even if they feel intimidated by the brand – because no matter who it is, we want to make them feel comfortable, to find out something about the brand, and to leave here feeling that they were treated properly.”

“We always strive to get everything right the first time,” said Phil. “That helps our customers feel comfortable – they know that we know the answers, that we understand the wants and needs of our clients, and that we will go the extra mile to make it happen.”

Getting everything right extends to the service department, ensuring that maintenance of these high performance automobiles is not a chore, but is more often a pleasure for owners. “We offer a free pick-up and delivery service, so if they prefer, our customers don’t even need to come down here,” explained Bailey. “Of course, we’re always pleased to see them if they pay us a visit, and we can provide them with a loan car – and all our loan cars are Maseratis. We want people to be seen driving a Quattroporte, it’s good exposure for us.”

Miller Motor Cars also achieves exposure through organizing events, often in tandem with clothing or jewelry stores and the like. They are also very active with charities. “Many of our customers are involved with charities, and they ask us if we can help them – and if it’s at all possible, then we’re happy to help,” Bailey told us. “Because this is such a fine, relaxing space, we allow charities to use it as a venue. Of course, we’ll have cars and our people around, but we don’t see them as ‘selling’ opportunities – it’s a good way of giving something back to the community, while hopefully making people feel good about coming to Miller Motor Cars.”

It goes without saying that a great showroom environment, involvement in the community and attentive, understanding staff would count for little if the cars themselves didn’t live up to the same high standards – and it also goes without saying that this is one area where Bailey and Phil have few concerns. “Miller Motor Cars also has a Bentley dealership, so we have two sedans, the Flying Spur and the Quattroporte,” Bailey told us. “One weighs 5,500 lbs, the other weighs 4,000 lbs. One looks like a fairly ordinary car, the other looks like a piece of artwork. In reality, do you want something that’s light and agile or do you want a boulevard cruiser? If you want something a little more exciting, something that will get some adrenaline in your blood, something with some passion, then Maserati has to be it.”

“At the moment, the Quattroporte ticks all the boxes,” Phil said. “We might have a guy come in – he wants a sports car, his wife needs four doors, and they want something which looks great – that’s the Quattroporte. What sets it apart is the style, performance and image. It’s a sexy-looking car, it has great performance, it has four doors and full-size rear seats; on top of that, it’s exclusive yet it’s reasonably priced.”

“Now they’ve introduced the Quattroporte Automatic, that has also been good for us,” Phil continued. “It makes the car more attractive to people who simply wouldn’t be interested in driving a stick-shift – even though the DuoSelect wasn’t a conventional stick-shift.” At this point, it became clear that Bailey is a real fan of the DuoSelect, as he praised the paddle-shift option. “If you want something sporty, and you want a manual feel, the DuoSelect is a fabulous car to drive,” he said. “Some people come in thinking that the Automatic is the only way to go, and it’s not like that. The DuoSelect allows you to feel even more in control, and for more enthusiastic drivers, it’s a fine choice.”

Finally, we asked what makes Miller Motor Cars special. Phil was unequivocal in his reply, stressing the comfort customers and browsers should feel and the personal, low-key relationship Miller sales staff enjoy with their clients. “We listen – that’s the major difference, we listen to everyone who walks through the door, and we act accordingly. We take things at face value, we aim to be consistent, and we always strive to follow through on what we say.”

With a cherished location in historic Greenwich just a few hundred yards from Greenwich Bay, and with articulate, knowledgeable and friendly staff such as Bailey, Phil and Werner, Miller Motor Cars makes a great place to while away some pleasant time admiring the Maserati Quattroporte. And with the new GranTurismo set to make a spectacular debut on the showroom floor later in the year, there will be even more reason to pay them a visit.