Maserati GranCabrio

Maserati GranCabrio

The Maserati GranCabrio, the first four-seater convertible in the Trident carmaker’s history, will make its world wide debut on September 15, 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The introduction of the Maserati GranCabrio – the Trident’s third prong – completes Maserati’s product line-up that now consists of three different families of models: Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio.

The Maserati GranCabrio represents the very essence of Maserati in terms of open-top cars. It’s a Maserati in the purest sense of the word: from the unmistakable style by Pininfarina to the spacious interior, from the craftsmanship of each detail to the driving pleasure and performance. The Maserati GranCabrio enriches all five senses in a shared open-air experience, without sacrificing comfort and performance. A dream car designed and built for men and women who love to live life in an understated – though sophisticated – manner. Like all the made in Maserati open-top convertibles: special cars aimed at refined connoisseurs.

In fact the Maserati GranCabrio is continuing the Maserati tradition in open-top cars, joining models that have played such an important part in the Modena carmaker’s history such as the 1950 A6G Frua Spyder, 1960 3500GT Vignale Spyder, 1964 Mistral Spyder, 1968 Ghibli Spyder and 2001 Maserati Spyder designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the car that marked Maserati’s return to the United States. In the footsteps of tradition, the Maserati GranCabrio opens a new chapter, because never before have four-seater top-down models ever been produced at the Viale Ciro Menotti Maserati factory. Four proper seats, so that the rear passengers are not merely supporting actors, but co-stars of the journey.

The Maserati GranCabrio is powered by a 4.7 litre V8, 323 kW engine and is the convertible with the longest wheelbase on the market. The GranCabrio’s roof is strictly canvas-made, emphasizing the link with the Maserati tradition.

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Maserati-Quattroporte_Sport_GT_S

The new Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S sets yet another milestone in terms of sportiness in the high performance luxury saloon segment of the automotive market. Conceived and developed as “a real driving machine in the guise of a luxury saloon”, the Quattroporte Sport GT S is the ultimate expression of Maserati’s sportiness in the Quattroporte range.

The technical changes to the new Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S in respect to the Quattroporte S concern four areas:

• the mapping of the V8 4.7 litre engine, with power increased to 323kW;
• the gearshift management software, with new features designed to increase driving enjoyment;
• the front and rear suspension system featuring single-rate dampers, stiffer springs and lower ride height;
• the sports exhaust controlled by pneumatic valves for a deep, throaty and captivating sound.

The sportier and more aggressive look is also evident due to the interior and exterior stylistic choices:

• the new black grille with concave vertical fins featuring the Trident logo with red accents, typical of the sportier versions of Maserati models;
• the new headlights, in metallic titanium finish;
• the side and rear “shadow line”, which includes black finishing around the doors, body-coloured door handles and black twin oval exhaust pipes;
• the new M-design seats with perforated Alcantara® and leather upholstery;
• the standard trim in Titantex, a “titanium coloured” composite material.

Maserati launches the GranTurismo S Automatic

Italian-based sports car maker Maserati, has added another variant to the GranTurismo line up here in Singapore. Called the GranTurismo S Automatic, this gorgeous coupe with the ‘Trident’ insignia allows it’s owners to enjoy all 440HP in a smoother fashion thanks to a 6 speed ZF automatic transmission, instead of making do with a slightly aggressive Ferrari-sourced semi automatic tranny, called the MC-Shift.

With the ZF transmission, gear changes are of course slightly slower, but much smoother, allowing the driver and passengers to enjoy a smoother ride during upshift and downshifts, and lets face it, there are a large number of owners out there who would find the aggressiveness of the semi-automatic rather unnecessary, hence the standard automatic is introduced.

The Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic shares the same powerplant found in the GranTurismo S, which is a 4.7 liter V8 (4691 cc V90° engine) that is capable of 440HP at 7,000 revs and 490Nm of torque at 4,750 revs. With the auto tranny, the coupe is able to hit 295 km/h in terms of top speed, and can accelerate to 100 km/h in a respectable 5.0 seconds flat.

With the automatic tranny, gear changes can be made at up 7,200 revs. It also comes with four function modes, including Auto Normal for comfortable cruising, Auto Sport for those who would like a sportier ride, Auto ICE for low grip conditions and then there is also a Manual mode. In manual, it is the driver who chooses when to change gear via the steering wheel paddles.

The GranTurismo S with the semi-automatic tranny delivers the same top speed, but with a 0-100 km/h sprint of 4.9 seconds, just 0.1 seconds quicker. According to the auto maker, the S Automatic returns 100 kilometers of driving range with 15.23 liters of fuel, based an combined cycle. On Urban cycle consumption, it does the same with 25.8 liters of fuel (ouch!), but who cares? With a car like that, I am sure you wouldn’t mind if it consumes 30 liters!

With a weight distribution of 49:51, the GranTurismo S Automatic comes with the Skyhook suspension system as standard. This technology uses shock absorbers with an aluminium body to continually adjust the damping. Skyhook automatically selects the optimal level of damping and integrates with the MSP safety system and the calibration of the car’s automatic gearbox. The result is that the car is able to adapt to the characteristics of each driver.

So what is the damage? Well it starts from S$ 465,000 with COE, which is both S$ 30,000 cheaper than a GranTurismo S, and more than a standard GranTurismo. Continue reading to view more images of the Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic. There is also a 2 minute 38 second-long promotional video of the 440HP beauty, enjoy!

2010 Maserati Spyder Review and Prices

After decades of red ink and pricey mediocrity, Maserati is solidly in the black with cars that many regard as the best this marque has ever built. In particular, the two-year-old Quattroporte (“four door”) sedan, the latest in a line stretching back to the 1960s, has been a big image and sales booster for the Italian performance icon. That’s just as well, because the Quattroporte is the starting point for Maserati’s newest hopefuls, the 2008 GranTurismo coupe and a companion 2010 Spyder convertible. The latter, sources say, will have a retractable hardtop, the first open-air Maserati to have one.

Folding roof aside, the 2010 Maserati Spyder will share most essentials with the GranTurismo coupe (slated to start sale in summer 2008). Both use a shortened version of the Quattroporte platform with its four-wheel double-wishbone suspension, big disc brakes, and an aluminum 4.2-liter twincam V8 engine, all designed with help from corporate stablemate Ferrari. The sedan also donates a six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel shift paddles, though an automated manual is expected to be available by the time the Spyder arrives. Styling, penned by renowned Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, is unique to the two-door models. An oval concave grille and peaked front fenders with Buick-style “portholes” refer to Maserati’s first road car, the 1946 A6 1500 GT, itself a Pininfarina creation. But these are the only retro elements in a package that’s thoroughly modern both aesthetically and technically.