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2021 Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo First Drive Review | For the Ferrari faithful

Maserati is fighting hard for relevance right now. Its car lineup is severely dated with both the Quattroporte and Ghibli. The Levante faces more accomplished competition. At least there is hope on the horizon in the form of the Alfa — ahem, Maserati — MC20 mid-engine supercar and high-tech Nettuno engine. Plus, with the Grecale crossover soon to come, there could be brighter days ahead. ThatÂ’s tomorrow, but today we still have the vanguards of the early 2010s. The current flagship, more or less by default, is the big Quattroporte, and Maserati is giving it the Trofeo treatment for 2021 in an effort to bring it back onto our radar. Previous to now, the Trofeo trim was limited to the Levante. In the Quattroporte, the Trofeo formula is similar. It plops in the unbridled version of the Ferrari-sourced 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine — red wrinkle paint and all — making 580 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. It is, without a doubt, the brightest and best part of this car. The most potent version previous to now was the Quattroporte GTS with its 530-horse version of the same Ferrari V8. Very little is done to the exterior to let you know this Quattroporte is the Trofeo apart from the script on the front fenders that are accentuated with red-painted side air ducts. Beyond this, the C-pillarÂ’s Maserati logo gets a red lightning bolt, and more carbon fiber trim is used throughout. It also comes with 21-inch forged aluminum wheels, a glossy black grille finish and the same restyled taillights applied throughout the 2021 Quattroporte lineup. Unlike “look-at-me” performance offerings from Mercedes-AMG or BMW's Alpina, MaseratiÂ’s Trofeo is notably subtle. This not only goes for the Trofeo extras, but the Quattroporte in general. The big trident in the grille announces its presence, but just as it's been from the beginning, the current-generation Quattroporte simply fades into the background in a parking lot. Our test car's beige paint certainly doesn't help. While most prefer their big luxury sedans to be restrained and tasteful, aren't Italian sedans supposed to have a certain degree of excitement and flare?  At least the Trofeo will be recognizable by the sound it makes. Even with a pair of turbochargers attached, the Ferrari engine and exhaust note are unmistakable. Although the V8 is the same basic engine as the Levante Trofeo's, the Quattroporte version gets new turbochargers, stronger internal components and new camshafts and valves.

Alfa Romeo to gun for Jag F-Type with 6C

It has taken Alfa Romeo years of promises to finally, truly return to the US with the 4C sports coupe and its initial 86-dealer network. We already know that the sporty Italian brand has more models on the way in near future, with a midsize sedan, crossovers and more headed our way according to the company's five-year plan. Now, the latest rumor from an unnamed source speaking to Auto Express, claims that Alfa has another, more powerful sports car on the slate to take on an even higher rung of performance vehicles, cars like the Jaguar F-Type. The so-called Alfa Romeo 6C would launch as a coupe with the twin-turbocharged V6 engine from Maserati Ghibli (which makes 404 horsepower in that application) and a convertible would join the lineup later. The Alfa's platform would come directly from the Maserati Alfieri, which is supposed to launch in 2016. In terms of styling, the insider describes the new coupe as closer to the earlier 8C Competizione than the 4C. That suggests a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, plenty of gorgeous curves and the brand's long-lived shield grille flanked by LED headlights up front. Auto Express' source claims a 2017 launch date for the new range, and that could fit in Alfa's already-announced product plan. In its five-year forecast, the company said a specialty car would join the ranks from 2016-2018. At the time, we assumed this would be the sibling to the next-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata. However, the Italian end of the project was more recently reported to be in doubt, with thoughts that the codeveloped model may end up wearing a Fiat badge. The 6C could be an interesting alternative if the project comes to fruition. Featured Gallery 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C: First Drive View 43 Photos News Source: Auto ExpressImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Seyth Miersma / AOL Design/Style Rumormill Alfa Romeo Maserati Coupe Performance

Alfa Romeo drops its Giorgio platform as it electrifies for the future

Alfa Romeo, a storied Italian automaker with a tremendous amount of goodwill from the automotive enthusiast crowd, is about to go through yet another major transformation. According to reports, including this one from Automotive News Europe, newly appointed Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told Italian journalists during a roundtable event that all future vehicles from the company would be electrified and built on a new platform known internally as the STLA large-vehicle architecture that will be shared across brands under the Stellantis umbrella. "We are working on the Large platform of Stellantis and we will no longer use the Giorgio,” Imparato said. “We must take advantage of the volumes to take all possible opportunities and bring an EV range to Alfa Romeo, but always with the touch of Alfa Romeo.” That means the well-regarded Giorgio platform that currently underpins Alfa Romeo's only two mainstream products, the Giulia sedan and the Stelvio crossover, will come to an inglorious end. That's a shame. The Giorgio platform didn't just cost Alfa's previous parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles millions of dollars to engineer, it also gave the company a duo of vehicles that arguably drive better than anything else in their segments. Forbes reports that the Giorgio platform won't be entirely abandoned, as it will reportedly be integrated into the rest of the Stellantis portfolio in some way. We don't know exactly what that means, but perhaps it lives on in heavily modified form as the basis of crossovers and SUVs like the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee, which Jeep calls a completely new platform but one we believe shares engineering with the Giorgio. We also think it will underpin the upcoming Maserati Grecale. As for the future of Alfa Romeo, the next model coming from the brand is the Tonale, which was delayed by Imparato in order to get its plug-in hybrid powertrain just right. Tonale will use a platform shared with current Jeeps. Rumors suggest an even smaller crossover called the Brennero is on the way, also using a hybrid drivetrain. Past that, we'll just have to wait and see — Imparato says new 5-year and 10-year plans are currently being finalized. In any case, we doubt there will be any significant updates to the Giulia or Stelvio as the brand moves all its resources to its electrified intentions. Related video: