Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept

Maserati GranTurismo coupe and convertible are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful GT car on the road. This new car, looking for casual observers, as well as lead the GranTurismo. But try to take a closer look and you will know exactly what this car really is. The performance is even more GranTurismo does not look very good at first, like the GranTurismo S are fulfilling the role. The GranTurismo MC S Line Sport limited edition cars to the Middle East is the ante a bit, though. But the real tell-tale signs of the GranTurismo MC Corse race cars that GT4 has the same configuration and settings exhaust spoiler as a spy on the car, while the version here does not have street frontage and the extreme rear splitter / diffuser combinations found in car racing . This may suggest that the road-legal version of the pilot, did not differ with BMW M3 GTS. We’re not sure how that will sit down with the bosses at Ferrari Fiat franchise partners, but it is certainly a welcome idea for us.

MASERATI GRANCABRIO

Maserati has taken the GranCabrio convertible to a new level of performance with the new Maserati GranCabrio Sport.

With more power, a faster gearshift and a distinctively aggressive look, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport has given Maserati a harder-edged convertible to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S as the performance flagships of their respective ranges.


Publically unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport combines an upgraded 4.7-litre V8 engine with a 10 horsepower increase to 450 hp and improved fuel economy with the faster MC Auto Shift transmission.


With a 285km/h top speed and a 0-100km/h sprint of just 5.2 seconds, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport is brimming with performance and luxury refinements both inside the cabin and underneath its award-winning body panels.


Its six-speed transmission includes a super-fast MC Auto Shift mode and has been developed for the Maserati GranCabrio Sport directly from the transmission in the Quattroporte Sport GT S.


The handling has been enhanced for greater speed, too, with an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system and the adoption of a more-responsive brake package.


Visually, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport is characterized by a more-pronounced dynamic look. This look begins with the GranCabrio's distinctive nose and continues with a host of small, perfectly integrated changes throughout the body and the interior.

MASERATI GRANCABRIO

Pricing and market
This is the new and very stunning — Maserati GranCabrio, the open-top version of the potent GranTurismo coupe, which goes on sale in Australia in April for $338,000. That's $19,500 premium over the hardtop but that hasn't deterred 20 buyers who have already put their hand up for one. And numbers will be limited. Australia's allocation for the year is just 43 cars.

Maserati has had cabriolets before, but the Spyders have all been two seaters. This is the brand's first four-seater and it's aimed directly at the American market Maserati gambling its prestigious brand combined with the extra seating capacity will prove a marketing winner.


In Australia, true four-seaters, as against two plus two, are thin on the ground but Maserati is up against models from Benz, BMW and Jaguar for the up-market ‘fun in the sun’ dollar.  Maserati is counting on pulling power of the cabrio — the third model in its lineup behind the coupe and Quattroporte sedan — to drive it out of the global financial crisis to add even more sex appeal to the famous Italian brand.


It does so in spades. This is adult-rated car porn; a cabrio to lust for. A car that should equally appeal to both sexes but for different reasons.


It has performance, and it has style.  But the cabrio nearly didn't make it to market so early in 2010. Maserati's marketing director Massimo Farao hinted to Carsguide that the company, which has been regaining ground after years of financial losses, had considered stalling the launch because of the worldwide economic crisis.


"Sure we looked at it (delaying the launch) but decided to go ahead and introduce this new model. The global situation had a very serious impact on our markets but, with careful planning, we finished the year in the black. It was the right decision; the GranCabrio adds a third model alongside the Quattroporte and the GT to round out our lineup," he says.


While it may seem an easy task to create the GranCabrio by simply chopping the roof off the Turismo, Farao says the task was not that simple. "We had to do a lot of work to strengthen the car because the cabin is so long," he says. "We did a lot of strengthening around the sills and under the car and we kept the weight difference (over the coupe) down to less than 100kg, which if you look at our rivals is a remarkable achievement."

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE SPORT GT S

Introduction
The new Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S sets another milestone in terms of sportiness in the high performance luxury sedan segment. Conceived and developed as "a real driving machine in the guise of a luxury sedan", the Quattroporte Sport GT S is the ultimate expression of Maserati's sportiness in the Quattroporte range. 

The uniqueness of the car in its segment is denoted by some important features.


First of all, it truly offers sporty handling thanks to a suspension set-up which further enhances the Quattroporte's already optimal dynamic balance. The new Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S is targeted at those customers who demand the unparalleled handling of a thoroughbred sports car even in a luxury sedan. 


Secondly, it features the latest evolution of sporty automatic gear-shifting software, designed to win over committed and demanding drivers, seeking an exciting driving experience.


Last but not least, it is equipped with a sports exhaust which, by means of the "Sport" button, makes it possible to deploy the full power of the engine and produce a deeply enveloping and throaty exhaust note. 

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE S

Maserati has tampered with the Quattroporte, a sedan that inspires visceral, carnal automotive lust wildly out of proportion with its size and door count. Perhaps fearing cries of "blasphemy!" the factory proffered these historic precedents: DaVinci's do-over of his "Virgin of the Rocks" masterpiece and Henri Matisse's reinterpretation of "Le Luxe."

Well, okay, in that context, we might forgive Pininfarina for extending the nose 1.4 in. and the tail by 0.4 in. and giving it a larger grille with vertical slats (chromed to distinguish the new S model) to strengthen its resemblance to the GranTurismo. It's also incorporated new bi-Xenon and LED lighting and expanded the already staggering array of interior trim choices to 10 leather colors with 11 piping hues and myriad woods or lacquers from which to choose. Other interior upgrades include new cluster graphics, reshaped seats and a new multifunction wood and leather steering wheel with sporty thumb rests. We can certainly forgive the infusion of 25 extra horses and 22 lb-ft of torque that come with the S model's half-liter-larger V-8. If you take umbrage at these aesthetic amendments, you'll surely embrace the quantum improvement in ergonomics brought by Bose's new multimedia/nav system, standard on base and S models (only these two trim levels are offered; the outgoing Executive model's many extravagances are now optional on either).

MASERATI GRANTURISMO S

Looks
The Maserati GranTurismo S made a big impact on the Auto Trader team when it arrived for its test drive. Everyone loved the looks, which are pretty much everything anyone expects from an Italian supercar, or as one impressed onlooker exclaimed: “it’s the Bat Car!”.

Combining look-at-me features including seven spoke 20-inch trident-inspired alloys with spadefuls of style isn’t necessarily an easy act to pull off but the Maserati GranTurismo S does it. It also features chrome-trimmed side vents, red-painted Brembo brakes, oval section exhaust pipes you can fit an arm in, black headlights new-design side skirts, boot-integrated rear spoiler and of course that gaping grille with the iconic Maserati badge.


Looks inside
The class continues into the car with electric assist on the doors giving that touch of luxury. Once in front of the three-spoked steering wheel the first thing you notice is what’s missing, with “R” button and “1” buttons instead of a conventional gear stick. The black fabric roof lining adds to the feeling this is very much a driver’s car of serious intent and the displays dominated by a shift indicator are clear and easy to read. The trident-embossed headrests look the part too.

MASERATI GRANTURISMO

The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo ranks 4 out of 4 Exotic Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 9 published reviews and test drives of the Maserati GranTurismo, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The Maserati GranTurismo exhibits superb handling dynamics, jaw-dropping body style, and a luxurious interior. Still, reviewers contend that for its class and price range, it should offer a more in terms of performance, comfort and convenience features. Overall, it ranks near the bottom of its class.


The 2008 Maserati GranTurismo's most impressive characteristics are its sleek design and smooth handling dynamics. It's a car that people buy, not because they fall in love with its performance numbers, but because they fall in love with its style. 

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE SPORT GT

Few car companies can get away with inviting journalists to fly halfway around the world to spend a couple of days driving what is essentially a tarted-up two-year-old model. But when the car company’s name ends in “i” and the invitation is to visit Modena, Italy, well, you go.

But first, some background. Maserati introduced its top-of-the-line Quattroporte to much critical acclaim nearly two years ago (“Four the Italian Way,” March 29, 2004). The elegant four-door (hence the name Quattroporte) shape from Pininfarina exudes the sexiness one expects from a car with an Italian lineage. Beneath the hood beats a 4.2-liter V8 built at the Ferrari shop down the road in Maranello. So as far as Italian street creds go, the Quattroporte is loaded.


But a lot has changed for Maserati since the car’s launch. Maserati was joined at the hip with Ferrari when the Quattroporte was introduced. While the company still has a strong relationship with the Prancing Horse, Maserati is now functioning on its own beneath the large umbrella of the Fiat group. Two years ago Maserati had a technology-sharing agreement with Audi, but that has gone by the wayside, too. Maserati is now working closely with Fiat sibling Alfa Romeo.


A new leader has taken over at Maserati—Karl Heinz Kalbfell, the man BMW tapped to relaunch the venerable Rolls-Royce marque, is now in charge.

MASERATI MC12 CORSA

The MC12 is a two-door coupe with a targa top roof, although the detached roof cannot be stored in the car.The mid-rear layout (engine between the axles but behind the cabin) keeps the centre of gravity in the middle of the car, which increases stability and improves the car's cornering ability. The standing weight distribution is 41% front: 59% rear; at speed however, the downforce provided by the rear spoiler affects this such that at 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph), the effective weight distribution is 34% front: 66% rear.


Interior
Even though the car is designed as a homologation vehicle and is a modification of a racing car, the interior is intended to be luxurious. The interior is a mix of gel-coated carbon fibre, blue leather and silver "Brightex": a synthetic material which was found to be "too expensive for the fashion industry."The centre console features the characteristic Maserati oval analogue clock and a blue ignition button, but it has been criticised for lacking a radio, car stereo or a place to install an aftermarket sound system.

MASERATI GRANSPORT MC VICTORY

The latest addition to the Maserati range is the Maserati GranSport.


It is a new model celebrating the concept of sportiness at the heart of all of the Trident's Grand Tourers. The GranSport was unveiled to the world for the first time at Geneva's International Motor Show in March 2004.

The new car, which joins the Coupé and Spyder in the Maserati range, goes on sale next summer. The GranSport's name alone suggests its eager thoroughbred GT spirit, the kind of spirit that can provide plenty of fun on demand for the driver. The GranSport name also has a special symbolic significance for the Trident as it was first used in the 1950s for an elegant two-litre coupe designed by the Carozzeria Frua on the base of the famous A6 G.


The new GranSport, however, is designed to offer an exciting alternative to the current Coupé, and as such, has been treated to series of new enhancements that give it a very powerful temperament indeed.

MASERATI COUPE

What makes Maserati Coupe out from the crowd is a heady mix of unique abilities with class-leading performance in cosseted luxury. 

Capable of encompassing the very best in refined racing technology and vet and in a classic, ageless style, Maserati Coupe combines the perfection in lines and the elegance of the Italian styling and cutting.


Design
At the heart of the Coupe’s design is the front-engine tradition of which Maserati has historically been one of the most authentic and authoritative proponents.


This marque culture produces distinctive, highly individual cars that transcend fashion and is perfectly expressed in the elegant lines and muscular stance of the all-Italian design developed by Italdesign Giugiaro.

MASERATI SPYDER

The Spyder is the first new Maserati model whose development was entirely supervised by Ferrari, and it was styled by Italdesign-Giugiaro. It boasts a new 4.2 litre V8 engine and is the first example of Maserati’s new Cambiocorsa gearbox and “Skyhook” active suspension setup. In comparison to the Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Tiptronic Convertible and Jaguar XKR 4.0 Convertible – the Spyder’s nearest rivals – the new Maserati has the highest power output and most impressive top speed.


Gearbox
The Spyder transfers its power from the front-mounted powerhouse to its rear wheels in two different ways. The first option, fitted to the GT version, is a standard 6-speed manual gearbox. The Cambiocorsa, however, is equipped with electronically controlled, hydraulic, six-ratio transmission.


As a result, the Cambiocorsa does not have a clutch pedal, but employs Fomrula 1 paddles for gear shifting, and a clutch which is controlled electronically. The gearshift can be set in four different modes according to the road conditions and the driver’s requirements: “Normal”, “Low Grip”, “Auto” and “Sport”.

MASERATI PININFARINA 75TH BIRDCAGE CONCEPT

With the Birdcage 75th, based on the Maserati heritage and on its most advanced mechanicals and realized in collaboration with Motorola, Pininfarina revives the storied theme of the true dream car now proposed in a synthesis of the vision of the three companies: exclusive design, sports DNA and technological innovation. Pininfarina’s prosperous collaboration with Maserati, marked by the great international success of the Quattroporte, is celebrated with this rolling hi-tech sculpture that evokes a new future context, imaginary but possible, while simultaneously paying homage to the strong and distinctive brand characteristics of the Tridente.


In celebration of Pininfarina’s 75th anniversary, Birdcage 75th returns to the storied tradition of extreme sports prototypes which highlighted the Italian renaissance of car design, born in the Fifties and prolonged in the Sixties and early Seventies. This period of optimism and boundless creativity produced some of the world’s most astounding and beautiful automobiles. Never before had our love affair with speed and beauty been so abundantly expressed. Boldly challenging our aesthetic ideals, these prototypes were exercises in creativity and passion, unconstrained by the regulations and the limitations of today’s context and considerations. They were true dream cars that evoked images and sentiments of a utopian future.


Beginning with the Maserati A6 GCS of 1954, whose clean-lined design and harmonious proportions made it one of the most memorable projects from that period, Pininfarina embarked on a prolific period of extreme sports prototypes based on the era’s state of the art racing car mechanicals. In 1965 the stunning Ferrari Dino Berlinetta Speciale made its debut, while in 1967 the Dino competizione combined voluptuous beauty with some of the world’s first studies on moveable aero devices. The following year brought about the aero study of the Alfa Romeo 33 and the sensual Ferrari P5, which demonstrated a future vision of Le Mans prototypes. 1969 bore three radically different prototypes, the Abarth 2000, the sinuous Alfa Romeo 33 Prototipo Speciale and the extreme wedge study of the 512s which stood less than 1 meter tall. Finally, in 1970 arrived what many consider the preeminent dream car of the era, the audacious Ferrari Modulo. A radical research vehicle which abandoned traditional styling and construction techniques in favor of extreme geometric simplicity. Originally shown at Geneva, Turin and the Osaka World Fair, the excited and shocked public was forced to question its very context. How and where did this vehicle come about? Where would this vehicle take us? Effectively, the Modulo represented the ultimate manifestation of the dream car spirit, for it succeeded in transporting its viewer to another time and place. 

MASERATI MC12

Maserati has designed a new road-going Grand Tourer known as the MC12 from which a GT racing version has also been developed. The result is that 37 long years after its last victory in an international championship (1967, Cooper Maserati F1, South African Grand Prix), the Trident is returning to the track.

The Ferrari Maserati Group's wealth of knowledge and technological excellence have been poured into the design of the new car. In addition to this, its styling was developed in the wind tunnel from a Giugiaro idea by the Maserati technicians with the fundamental contribution of Frank Stephenson, the Ferrari Maserati Group's own Director of Concept Design and Development. The European type-approved version of the new car goes on sale after the summer.


Designed for high level road use, it can exceed 330 km/h at full throttle, sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Although easy and pleasant to drive on the road, the MC12 is also a brilliantly dynamic car. It handles very sweetly and fluidly yet the driver can still feel all the power of a genuinely sporty thoroughbred under the surface. The new model adds the definitive flourish to Maserati's return to the racing circuits after the recent and highly successful debut in the Daytona 24 Hour Race, of the Trofeo Light, inspired by the equally impressive single-series protagonist. Under the guidance of engineer Giorgio Ascanelli, Maserati's Racing Division is currently developing the new car to meet the rules of the major international championships.