07 Maserati Quattroporte Sport Gt White On Black 60k Miles Suede on 2040-cars

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The new Lotus Evora GT430 Sport is quicker with an automatic

Few automakers exploit platform variants as much as lotus. The company has four models, one of which is essentially a hardtop version of another. The Lotus Evora 400 sits atop the range, and since its debut last year we've seen the Evora 410, Evora 410 GP Edition and the Evora GT430. Today, the British automaker announced the Evora GT430 Sport, essentially a less hardcore but nearly as capable version of the GT430. The two biggest differences are the non-limited availability and the available six-speed automatic transmission. All 60 examples of the GT430 were only available with a manual. Both cars use the same 3.5-liter V6 topped with an Edelbrock supercharger that's good for 430 horsepower. Manual models make 325 lb-ft of torque, while automatic-equipped cars make 332 lb-ft. Despite a 24-pound penalty, the GT430 Sport automatic hits 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, a tenth quicker than the manual. While gearing in the automatic limits top speed to 170 mph, manual models can reach 196 mph. That makes this the fastest road-going Lotus ever. No matter which one you choose, the GT430 comes with Ohlins TTX two-way adjustable dampers, slotted and ventilated brake discs with AP Racing four-piston calipers, a Torsen-type limited slip differential and an adjustable traction control system. The front and rear bumpers, front access panel, roof panel, rear quarter panels and one-piece louvered tailgate and spoiler are all made of carbon fiber. The non-Sport GT430 adds a carbon fiber front splitter, rear wing, louvered wheel arches and a wider set of wheels and tires. The carbon fiber theme continues inside. The seats, door sills and parts of the instrument cluster are all made of the lightweight material. Most of the rest of the interior is trimmed in leather and black Alcantara. At $136,000, the new GT430 Sport undercuts the limited-run model by about $11,000. There's no word on if the car will make it here to the U.S. Hopefully Lotus' new parent company will keep the ball rolling. Related Video:

1955 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato Coupe Beauty-Roll

For those of you paying attention, we've really ramped up the old Autoblog video game these days. Our new series Car Club USA joins Translogic and The List, and there are more Daily Drivers and Short Cuts than ever. But sometimes, all you care about is the car. The Autoblog Beauty-Roll video series has one goal: bring you glossy video images of cars, and nothing but. We're collecting moving pictures of all the cars we test, inside and out. Each episode comes with a hit of engine sound – start-up and with a few revs – to round out the package. As you can tell, today's lovely subject is of a slightly older vintage than is typical of our Beauty-Roll fare. We shot a number of striking vehicles at this year's Pebble Beach party and will be rolling them out over the coming days and weeks. Set your resolution to max, kick it into full-screen, turn up the sound, and enjoy today's subject, the 1955 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato Coupe. Oh, and if you'd like more Beauty-Roll, click here to see the back catalog.

Maserati returns to Indianapolis to commemorate historic win

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, folks, and you know what that means: racing. There was the Monaco Grand Prix for Formula One fans, and back Stateside there was the Indianapolis 500. You might expect to see a name like Maserati pop up at the former more than the latter, but that wasn't always the case.
These days its all about Dallara chassis powered by Chevy or Honda, but over the course of a century there have been plenty of foreign automakers that have won the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. McLaren won it twice in the 1970s, Mercedes and Peugoet won during the race's pre-WWI infancy, and in between them Boyle Racing won it two years in a row with a Maserati chassis and engine.
The car was the Maserati 8CTF "Boyle Special," and its first win came 75 years ago. So to mark the occasion (as well as Maserati's 100th anniversary), the car was brought back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a revival lap. Unfortunately Wilbur Shaw, who won the Indy 500 three times (twice in the Maserati) and went on to be president of the speedway, died in a plane crash the day before his 52nd birthday in 1954. So in his place fellow three-time winner Johnny Rutherford took the wheel of the 8CTF in front of the gathered crowds.