2008 Maserati Gran Turismo - Met. Black/black - 20" Factory Wheels - 16k Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ferrari, Maseratis trashed in Chinese off-road adventure

Ready to cringe? A group of Chinese motorists drove the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in a fleet of Italian cars, fording streams and hopping rocky terrain as they went. Well, they attempted to drive it, anyway. Only five of the cars managed to survive the truly unnecessary ordeal. The trip was reportedly the idea of a wealthy Chinese businessman named Ni Haishan. Haishan was driving the red Ferrari F12, with his employees following in what appear to be 10 Maserati Ghibli sedans. The Maseratis were gifts to his employees, which makes the loss of six of them along the way only slightly easier to stomach. Even the cars that made it to the finish line in Lhasa, Tibet, arrived with some serious damage. The unsurprising fallout included several wheels and tires on the Ferrari, including one wheel that took the studs it was attached to with it. As you can see above, the "highway" route was not exactly suited to these particular cars. There is some precedent for a car from Maranello driving to Lhasa, however. In 2005, Ferrari sent two 612 Scagliettis on a tour of China called "Ferrari 15,000 Red Miles" with various journalists at the wheel. That journey started and ended in Shanghai and took the cars all over the vast country, including two crossings of the Gobi Desert, along the Great Wall, and on some of Marco Polo's route. Of course, it also involved a lot of planning, a huge support team, and at least a modicum of common sense. All of this was supposedly Haishan's way of showing the world that business is good for him and that customers should trust their money with him. We might conclude otherwise based on the results. If you absolutely have to run this road in something Italian and expensive, may we suggest a Maserati Levante next time? Related Video: Image Credit: news.163.com Auto News Ferrari Maserati Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan ferrari f12 berlinetta maserati ghibli

2017 Maserati GranTurismo will only come with a hard hat

If you've been waiting for the next generation of the Maserati GranTurismo to come along before you place your order for a four-seat convertible, you'd better change your plans and act fast. Because the latest report coming in from across the pond confirms what we long suspected: that the next GranTurismo will be offered in coupe form only. The news comes from Auto Express, which quotes Peter Denton – Maserati's manager for Northern Europe – as saying that "The GranTurismo will be replaced at the end of 2017, but as a coupe only." That coupe will also be smaller than the current model, but the timeframe means that by the time it's phased out, the current GT will have been on the market for a staggering ten years – based on architecture dating back to 2003, if not earlier. That doesn't mean that Maserati won't offer a convertible altogether, though. By the time the new GranTurismo arrives, the Trident marque will have introduced the Alfieri, which (like the outgoing GranTurismo) will be offered as both a coupe and a convertible. The trend seems to follow a larger industry direction away from four-seat convertibles – particularly under the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles umbrella. Chrysler discontinued the 200 Convertible, and unlike Ford and Chevy that offer convertible versions of the Mustang and Camaro, Dodge does not offer a convertible Challenger. Aside from the fated GranTurismo Convertible (known as the GranCabrio overseas) and the Jeep Wrangler, the only droptop in the entire sprawling group with more than two seats is the Ferrari California – a model whose presence may have factored in to the decision to discontinue the Maser cabriolet as well. The news will undoubtedly come as welcome to competitors like Aston Martin and Bentley, which between them offer several four-seat convertibles including the DB9 Volante, Vanquish Volante and Continental GTC. It remains to be seen, however, whether Jaguar will offer a convertible version of the next XK to stand alongside the smaller F-Type roadster.

Alfa Romeo 8C, Maserati Quattroporte and Granturismo models recalled over rust fears

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced Maserati and Alfa Romeo are recalling certain Quattroporte, Granturismo and 8C models over potentially faulty tie rod ends. According to NHTSA, 2005-2008 Quattroporte, 2008 Granturismo and 2008 8C units may have been assembled with tie rod ends that have insufficient corrosion protection. As such, the components may rust, weaken and potentially fail. If that happens, the driver could lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident.
Maserati and Alfa Romeo will contact owners and replace the tie rod end assemblies once the recall gets underway in June. All told, 7,438 vehicles are impacted by the recall. You can read the full NHTSA notice below for more information.