Geneva Preshow: Maserati's Go-Faster GrandCabrio Sport

It's been a year-and-a-half since Maserati lifted the wraps off a drop-top version of its GranTurismo coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, and now the Italians are getting ready to expand the range of the GranCabrio with the presentation of a sportier variant at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

The new GranCabrio Sport follows in the footsteps of its hardtop sibling offering an improved chassis, more horse power and optimized gearshift response. The convertible is motivated by a more potent and fuel-efficient version of the firm's all-alloy 4.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 churning out 450HP and 510 Nm or 376.2 lb-ft of peak torque, an increase of 10HP and 20Nm respectively over the standard GranCabrio. The top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is 285km/h or 177mph.

The company said the engine benefits from what it describes as "Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program", without providing any specific details, but claims a 6% reduction in fuel consumption.

The V8 is coupled to an upgraded ZF six-speed automatic transmission equipped with the MC Auto Shift software from the Quattroporte Sport GT S, which promises faster shift times. Maserati's engineers also revised the car's Skyhook active-suspension system and added grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.

On the outside, the GranCabrio Sport receives some mild tweaks in the form of a black grille, smoked headlamps with white sidemarks, new front corner splitters and redesigned side skirts. There's also a new shade of red called Rosso Trionfale, said to have been inspired by the red Italian national colors used on 1950s racing Maseratis.

Sales of the GranCabrio Sport will start from summer 2011.

Geneva Preshow: Maserati's Go-Faster GrandCabrio Sport

It's been a year-and-a-half since Maserati lifted the wraps off a drop-top version of its GranTurismo coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, and now the Italians are getting ready to expand the range of the GranCabrio with the presentation of a sportier variant at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

The new GranCabrio Sport follows in the footsteps of its hardtop sibling offering an improved chassis, more horse power and optimized gearshift response. The convertible is motivated by a more potent and fuel-efficient version of the firm's all-alloy 4.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 churning out 450HP and 510 Nm or 376.2 lb-ft of peak torque, an increase of 10HP and 20Nm respectively over the standard GranCabrio. The top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is 285km/h or 177mph.

The company said the engine benefits from what it describes as "Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program", without providing any specific details, but claims a 6% reduction in fuel consumption.

The V8 is coupled to an upgraded ZF six-speed automatic transmission equipped with the MC Auto Shift software from the Quattroporte Sport GT S, which promises faster shift times. Maserati's engineers also revised the car's Skyhook active-suspension system and added grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.

On the outside, the GranCabrio Sport receives some mild tweaks in the form of a black grille, smoked headlamps with white sidemarks, new front corner splitters and redesigned side skirts. There's also a new shade of red called Rosso Trionfale, said to have been inspired by the red Italian national colors used on 1950s racing Maseratis.

Sales of the GranCabrio Sport will start from summer 2011.

Maserati Quattroporte 2030: A 1970s Concept...from the Future

The Maserati Quattroporte 2030 Concept is Yaroslav Chumachenko's vision of where Maserati's large sedan could be design-wise should we end up in the world of Minority Report and Tom Cruise is knocking at your door for that crime you're about to commit.

Chumachenko, a 25-year old Ukrainian designer, drew inspiration from dinosaur skeletons, zeppelins, and the Maserati Birdcage to create a car that is futuristic and unique: its modular platform would allow engineers to replace the car's various systems as they evolve and the panels would be uniquely customizable for each customer (in theory).

Its curvaceous exterior body panels use "Stereolithography additive manufacturing technology", the benefits of which are a quick formation process and the ability to adapt to any customer's request, while the four doors - larger front units and smaller rears - can actually fuse magnetically to become two larger doors (or, conversely, simply open as smaller front doors and leave the rear doors in position).

Beneath its body panels, the Quattroporte 2030 has a backbone consisting of the engine and transmission (its "vertebrae"), around which is a rib cage that functions as structural reinforcement and protective bracing.

This is definitely a concept that would most definitely be welcome on the show circuit, hearkening back to the long overhang-wearing pods of the 70's. Something like this would be much more entertaining to view than these "concepts" companies release purely as a means of gauging public reaction to a production car.

By Phil Alex

Images: Yaroslav Chumachenko , Via: CBD

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Maserati Quattroporte 2030: A 1970s Concept...from the Future

The Maserati Quattroporte 2030 Concept is Yaroslav Chumachenko's vision of where Maserati's large sedan could be design-wise should we end up in the world of Minority Report and Tom Cruise is knocking at your door for that crime you're about to commit.

Chumachenko, a 25-year old Ukrainian designer, drew inspiration from dinosaur skeletons, zeppelins, and the Maserati Birdcage to create a car that is futuristic and unique: its modular platform would allow engineers to replace the car's various systems as they evolve and the panels would be uniquely customizable for each customer (in theory).

Its curvaceous exterior body panels use "Stereolithography additive manufacturing technology", the benefits of which are a quick formation process and the ability to adapt to any customer's request, while the four doors - larger front units and smaller rears - can actually fuse magnetically to become two larger doors (or, conversely, simply open as smaller front doors and leave the rear doors in position).

Beneath its body panels, the Quattroporte 2030 has a backbone consisting of the engine and transmission (its "vertebrae"), around which is a rib cage that functions as structural reinforcement and protective bracing.

This is definitely a concept that would most definitely be welcome on the show circuit, hearkening back to the long overhang-wearing pods of the 70's. Something like this would be much more entertaining to view than these "concepts" companies release purely as a means of gauging public reaction to a production car.

By Phil Alex

Images: Yaroslav Chumachenko , Via: CBD

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Paris Show: Maserati's 300+ km/h GranTurismo MC Stradale

As we told you in our previous post, the GranTurismo MC Stradale is a racier, sportier version of Maser's big coupe (think the GT3, but from Maserati). According to the Italian sports / luxury carmaker, the MC Stradale didn't budge an inch when it came to comprises in return for performance; it handles better without losing ride quality (that has yet to be tested), it's more powerful without sacrificing fuel economy, and it plants itself harder without adding any drag.

Under the hood is a Ferrari-sourced 4.7-liter V8 that develops 450 horsepower and 510 Nm / 376 lb ft of torque. The GT racer was also put on a diet, shedding 110 kilograms in the process (it now weigh 1,770 kg and keeps its 48/52 weight distribution).

According to the Italians, the MC Stradale is the first normal-production, road-going Maserati to break the 300km/h [186 mph] barrier.

The car routs power through an "electro-actuated" transmission that shifts in a scant 60 milliseconds; launched optimally, the car should hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.

Inside, the car gets a "simplified" dash layout, loses the rear seats, and picks up some racing buckets (as well as an optional roll cage and 4-point harnesses). Also, besides having an "Auto" and "Sport" mode, there's the first-ever "Race" mode found in a road-going Maserati.

Back on the outside, there are a bunch of new little add-ons for performance, weight reduction, and just plain good looks. All-new parts included in the exterior modifications are: a new front splitter, front and rear bumpers, front guard panels, side sills, hood, and exhaust tips.

As long as you don't live in the US, Canada, or Korea, you might be able to spot one on the road after it goes on sale next February.

By Phil Alex

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