1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Gs Convertible 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Stirling Moss-crashed 1956 Maserati 450S to be auctioned in Monaco

RM Auctions has some very special and expensive Italian sportscars of the 50s and 60s consigned for its auction in Monaco on May 10, but the one that currently carries the highest estimated value at between 4 and 5.5 million euros ($5.5 - $7.5 million) is a 1956 Maserati 450S with some very interesting provenance.
The Maserati started its life as a six-cylinder 350S that Stirling Moss drove in the 1956 Mille Miglia race. Unfortunately, the brakes failed, and it crashed into a tree and nearly into a ravine. Moss and his co-driver weren't injured, but the car was kaputt.
Maserati repaired it and used the chassis as a test mule for its new 5.7-liter V8 racecar called the 450S. It featured an extended wheelbase to fit the larger engine and a new body with a single seat. The racer hit the track again at the hands of Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1000 KM but retired with transmission issues. Later that season, it crashed again at the 1957 Mille Miglia at the hands of driver Jean Behra. After that, the car sat around the workshop until it was sold without an engine in 1965.

New Maserati Ghibli, Levante F Tributo special editions honor a legend

Maserati is harkening back to its racing heritage with two special edition models: the Ghibli F Tributo and Levante F Tributo. Maserati had its Formula One debut in 1954 in the legendary 250F driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. Maserati says the F Tributo honors Fangio, who was a five-time World Champion, the first F1 driver to achieve that feat. Fangio originally drove for Maserati in 1952-54. He returned to Maserati in 1957 and won his career-defining fifth World Championship in a Maserati 250F. The special edition cars are available in two colors: Azzurro Tributo (bright blue) and Rosso Tributo (bright red). Bright blue represents Maserati's home city of Modena, while bright red is the traditional racing color of Italy. The cars' yellow brake calipers and wheel accents are a reference to the red-and-yellow livery of Fangio's Maserati 250F. Red and yellow also are used inside, where buyers can choose either as the contrast stitching for the black "Pieno Fiore" leather. Outside, 21-inch black wheels, black badges, and a body-color trident logo complete the look. The Maserati Ghibli and Levante F Tributo were unveiled at Auto Shanghai. Maserati will offer the two Fangio specials in the U.S. market, and a total of 345 will be produced worldwide. The Ghibli F Tributo is based on the S GranSport ($88,035) or the Q4 GranSport ($90,535), both of which feature a 424-hp turbocharged V6. The Levante F Tributo also is based on the S GranSport trim level ($95,385) with the same engine. Pricing of the F Tributo will be available closer to the North American on-sale date of June 2021. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Maserati GranTurismo successor to be smaller, fight Porsche 911

The Chevrolet Corvette, Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911 all belong to a club that shuns the Maserati GranTurismo as an outsider. You see, those three key sports cars all measure within an inch of one another in length - 176 to 177 inches and change - while the Maserati comes in at over 192 inches. Naturally, there's extra length between its wheels, as well.
While those extra inches would seemingly pay dividends in interior roominess and storage space, those are not exactly the most important attributes in the segment, which values proper proportions and proper driving feel over all else. All of this is why it comes as little surprise that Maserati is working on a smaller version of its two-door sports car platform when the next generation is ready in roughly three years.
According to Motor Trend and echoing rumors we've heard in the past, the smaller model will be known as the Gran Sport while a larger model will still be called GranTurismo in coupe form and GranCabrio in convertible guise. We're told, again, to expect Maserati's new 404-horsepower supercharged V6 engine as standard, while the V8 would still be a possible option.