Maserati Granturismo 2008 News

Despite talk of a new Maserati sports car being in the works, the Italian brand’s flagship GranTurismo is here to stay and will be spawning a successor sometime in 2015. Not much is known about the new GranTurismo, though Maserati styling boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti has previously revealed that its size will be smaller than the current GranTurismo. This will mean that the four-seat layout of the current GranTurismo will shrink to a 2+2 arrangement, similar to that found in the Jaguar XK, allowing the new car to be more compact and dynamic. Edmunds, citing a company insider, is reporting that the new GranTurismo will also reveal a change in styling direction for the Maserati brand. A new GranTurismo GranCabrio convertible is also planned. Maserati’s new sports car, which is tipped to revive the GranSport name, will also be launched in 2015, though not until after the new GranTurismo is launched. The change in styling direction is a key step in Maserati’s overall plan to boost its sales from less than 7,000 units last year to as much as 50,000 within the next several years, as it will not only keep the lineup looking fresh going forward but also lay the groundwork for the launch of even more models by offering a more versatile design than Maserati’s current theme. www.motorauthority.com  

Maserati will launch a new sports car in 2015 to challenge the likes of the Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911; a car that could end up reviving the GranSport name. Unfortunately, apart from its 2015 launch, few details are known about it. A previous report suggested it will feature a mid-engine layout, possibly using a stretched version of the platform developed for the upcoming Alfa Romeo 4C, which, incidentally, will be produced in one of Maserati’s plants. Autocar is now reporting that the new Maserati sports car will offer the choice of V-6 and V-8 powerplants. Those engines are the same units produced by Ferrari for Maserati’s other models. In the latest 2014 Maserati Quattroporte, the V-6, a twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-liter mill, produces 410 horsepower, while the V-8 displaces 3.8-liters and develops 530 horsepower, also with the aid of turbocharging and direct-injection technologies. It’s likely that the new sports car will offer slightly higher outputs, reportedly up to 450 horsepower in V-6 trim and 550 horsepower with the V-8. It’s claimed that all-wheel drive may also be offered as an option to help boost the car’s popularity. An official document showed that the new sports car won’t be the flagship of the Maserati range. That role will remain with the GranTurismo, whose successor will also be launched in 2015. This means that we could see the new sports car launch with a pricetag of around $100k, which should make it competitive with its aforementioned rivals. With its Ferrari engine, mid-engine layout and expected $100k pricetag, the new Maserati sports car is starting to sound like a cut-priced 458 Italia. www.motorauthority.com  

It is accelerating development of an open-air conversion on its two-door GranTurismo coupe to create a car capable of going nose-to-nose with rivals including the Aston Martin DBS, Porsche 911 Cabrio and even the Bentley Continental. The new Maserati Spider was spotted at Europe's favourite test location, the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, earlier this week. The beautiful sister to the hardtop GT already looks good, despite a breadvan-style disguise on the tail end to protect details of the folding roof conversion. The Spider comes less than a year after Ferrari went topless with its California, a car that Italian sources insist was begun as a Maserati and then snitched to lead a revitalised red-car push into the USA. The difference is that the GT convertible has a folding hardtop roof and not a conventional canvas top like the California, a major change from earlier Maserati convertibles. The newcomer also looks likely to be built as a 2+2 open-top coupe, and not just a two-seat roadster, which moves it away from any potential rivalry with Ferrari as well as opening more sales opportunites. The Spider is expected to have the same engine and mechanical package as the GT coupe, which starts with a 4.2-litre V8 in Australia at $298,800 and is likely to be previewed at the 2009 Geneva Motor show next February.

... when the wraps come off the new Maserati Quattroporte and the range-topping high performance Maserati GranTurismo S at the 2008 Australian International Motor Show's Press Day on October 9. “The fact that we are launching two new models at the same motor show, both of which are central to the success of Maserati, is a clear sign of progress that Maserati has made over recent years in both Australia and around the world,” says Edward Butler, General Manager of Maserati Australia and New Zealand.“The Quattroporte redefined the high performance saloon and its success around the world has led other car makers to attempt their own imitations of its effortless blend of performance, style and exclusivity. The new Quattroporte will ensure that Maserati maintains its lead as the ultimate performance saloon.”“Maserati built its unique and legendary reputation on performance,” explains Mr Butler, “so the launch of new, range-topping high performance Maserati is extremely significant. The new GranTurismo S provides our unique coupe with a new level of performance, on-road ability and driving excitement. It is the epitome of a Maserati.”Setting a new all-time Australian record in 2007, Maserati sales rose to 134 cars, a 25 per cent increase over the 2006 total of 107, which was a record year in its own right. Yet, in 2008, Maserati has already delivered 151 cars to new owners in Australia, making this year a new all-time record year for Maserati in Australia with five months to spare!The new Quattroporte has a dual soul as a luxury saloon with sports-car performance and is fully responsive in all driving conditions whilst cosseting the driver in its luxurious and distinctive ‘Made in Italy’ interior. In its new S version, the new Quattroporte is equipped with a 4.7 litre V8 delivering a maximum power output of 430 bhp at 7,000 rpm, accelerates from 0 to 100 kmh in 5.4 seconds and has a maximum speed of 280 kmh where the law permits.The GranTurismo S is the ultimate expression of the performance edge. Its 440 bhp V8 4.7 litre engine, electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC Shift, transaxle layout, performance exhaust and dual-cast brakes make the GranTurismo S a true ambassador for Maserati’s sporting flair, with acceleration from 0 to 100 kmh in 4.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 295 kmh, the highest ever reached by a standard production Maserati.Official prices for Maserati’s latest models will be announced when they make their Australian and New Zealand debut at the show.

It's hard for me to believe this is real. The scenery, the language, the weather, the open raceway and especially the car. Down the straight, where the bitumen opens from a winding trail to stretch its width and give the driver some respite from intense concentration, I can glimpse the mountains. But only briefly. Every upchange in the Maserati GranTurismo also signals time for the engine to briefly draw breath, but only to pick up the next gear and pull harder towards the horizon. The end of the straight quickly comes into sight. Time for one more jab with the right fingers. Fifth. The corner is coming up fast on the left. Pull quickly on the broad, cold metal paddle on the left-side of the steering wheel and push the right foot deep within the illusionary depth of the brake pedal. Fourth gear comes up — I know that by the illuminated “4” between the gauges. The compression braking of the 4.7-litre V8 engine produces explosive barks from the exhaust. The noise, the assault of the senses as the car moves with the flow of the track and the location in northern Italy beside a wide, stone-bottomed river, are almost surreal. This is the privately owned track at Varano, 25km outside Parma, in mid-summer with the hills still bright green from the long winter. Last year, 15 Australian owners of new Maseratis travelled to Varano to do what I did: get up close and personal with one of Italy's icons. They weren't alone. Varano may be privately owned, but it is well known to the Fiat Group — Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Fiat — for testing each new model. More importantly, it is also known for customer driver training. Maserati alone sold 8000 vehicles last year and a portion of those owners, from California to Russia to China and New Zealand, came to learn to drive at the Parma track. At $5500 a person for the two-day course, it isn't cheap. Andrea Piccini heads the driving instructors. Despite his youth, he has raced at Le Mans and was an F1 test driver for Minardi. The other instructors have a similar background and have no trouble sitting beside the amateurs to involve themselves — occasionally loudly — in your driving. Later, when the computers in the pits plug into the car and extract electronic bytes that have been created from your three laps, there is another, more brutal assessment. “Neil, look here. What is this?” asks touring car racer Sandro Montani. I have no answer for something that, to me, is little more than diverging lines (blue of the ideal graph line of the instructor) and me (the more wriggled line in red ink) on a computer screen. “You are in understeer. Look! You have come into this corner at 69km/h and here, you see, the instructor is at 62km/h. So the car is going too fast to make it turn correctly and you have lost a lot of time.” I feel like a naughty schoolboy. I thought I did pretty well. “Now, go out and take it more slowly,” Sandro smiles. So I go out and slide into another Maserati, this time the luxury Quattroporte. I pull the automatic gearbox's trident-emblazoned gear lever back into its sequential mode, pull the right paddle back to ensure first gear, release the handbrake and, with the track clear, send myself out like a pardoned criminal on to a better path.  

Only 550 of the Brooklands model Bentleys are available worldwide."They are tailor-made to the exact specifications of each customer,” said Sue Young, the spokeswoman for Queensland Bentley.Ms Young said the Brisbane buyer wanted to remain anonymous, as did two other Queenslanders who have expressed an interest in getting one of the luxury coupes.She said all three currently own a Bentley Arnage T, worth about $545,000.Maserati's latest GranTurismo will be seen in Australia for the first time at the show, which opens at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre at noon on 1, February 2008.The sports car's appeal seems to have outweighed its $293,000 price tag, because 150 Australian orders have already been taken for the new model, including 20 from Queensland, according the company's Australian general manager, Edward Butler.No other Maserati has sold as quickly and the waiting list for the 2008 GranTurismo is greater than the firm's Australian and New Zealand sales last year, Mr Butler said.Luxury-car sellers say their models have become increasingly popular with younger professionals."The 20 to 35-year age group is taking a much bigger slice of the market share,” said Audi Centre Brisbane dealer principal Greg Willims. “There is no doubt the prosperity in Queensland is growing.”Adam O'Brien, of Brisbane Prestige Cars in Fortitude Valley, said manufacturers were working harder to attract young customers in a bid to keep them for life.Danny Singh, 31, of Brendale in Brisbane's northwest, recently bought a luxury H3 Hummer from Brisbane Prestige Cars for $70,000 then spent a further $15,000 on modifications.Also making their Australian debuts at the show will be new-look versions of cult street machines the Subaru WRX STi, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution — known as the Evo X to fans because it is the 10th in the series.Both are expected to be in the $60,000 bracket.Australia will be represented in the go-fast stakes by a Ford Performance Vehicles version of the Territory SUV, the yet-to-be-released F6 X all-wheel-drive wagon.Brisbane International Motor Show, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank, runs from Friday to February 10; Monday to Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-6pm. Adults $17.50, children $10.

Maserati has taken the formidable drivetrain from the Quattroporte model and created a new “performance sports car that is enjoyable to drive.”The Gran Turismo is a two-door hard-top coupe with Italian custom-crafted interior. New-car buyers will love the choices and mixtures of leather.And it's a four-seater. A great deal of trouble has been taken to make the rear two passengers not only comfortable but have convenient access.First examples of the new Grand Turismo are due to arrive in Australia about now but Maserati Australia reports the 130 allocated to Australia and New Zealand already have been spoken for, meaning a midyear delivery for new orders.The Gran Turismo uses Maserati's 4.2-litre V8 engine. Having twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank and four valves per cylinder, it's rated at 298kW power.That's enough to take the 1880kg car from zero to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds.A new, six-speed automatic transmission feeds power to the rear wheels. The transmission is programmed to allow gear changes up to 7200rpm.The driver can choose to become involved by using the paddle shifts.Inside, the range of leather covers 10 shades.A buyer can select his or her preferred colour combination for the seats, dashboard, rear shelf and steering wheel, plus gearshift handle. Even the trim's stitching, mats and roof lining can be custom ordered.Both front seats are electrically adjustable and have three heat settings. The driver's seat has a memory function.The steering column, too, is electrically adjusted and the steering wheel is a sporty 375mm diameter. The front seats move forward electrically to allow access to the rear.Two seats in the rear are separated by the centre console. Passengers there have an arm rest and climate control vents.The audio system has a Bose surround sound system as standard and uses six speakers.There's an electric park brake, tyre pressure monitoring and a hill-holder to aid uphill starts. 

About 20 car enthusiasts have already done just that.

The star of Lamborghini's stand; one of the most expensive cars on display at the Australian International Motor Show which opened yesterday, a Murcielago LP640 Versace and is the only one left.

This 92-year-old NSW No.6 plate is expected to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 at this year's Shannon's auction on the last day of the Australian International Motor Show.