Vroom vroom ... Is that your phone ringing, or your Maserati?

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Look, it’s science. What are you going to do?

A few months ago, Up to Speed’s Colin Ryan told you about a study that evaluated the effect of exotic car engine sounds on men’s and women’s ... um, hormone levels, let’s say. A small group of men and women were tested before and after listening to recordings of roaring engines sounds from a Maserati, Ferrari and a Lamborghini. The animal-in-pain sound of a VW Polo was included as well, just for contrast.

The surprising result was that although the females said they were nowhere as interested in cars as their male counterparts, the females had a stronger hormonal reaction. One-hundred percent of the females reacted positively after hearing the sound of a roaring Maserati, whereas only 50% of men were similarly aroused. By contrast, 100% of women showed a decrease in testosterone level after hearing the VW.

At the L.A. Auto Show, Maserati is flogging the study results with abandon. To hear the sound of a rip-snorting Mazzer engine, you can simply text the word ‘Maserati’ to 707070 and you can download a free ringtone, which you can use in bars, grocery stores, Starbucks ... anywhere your animal magnetism could use a boost.

-- Dan Neil