2017 Maserati Ghibli Sport on 2040-cars

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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.

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

Maserati GranTurismo Folgore teases itself around Monterrey

Maserati began teasing the GranTurismo Folgore toward the end of Car Week on Twitter and Instagram with a caption that read, "A rose gold wrap suited to the Golden Coast. Impossible to keep it secret. We’re touring California with the new GranTurismo Folgore and an audacious Italian-American entertainer. The air is electric. Keep following us down this road." Maserati seems to have meant the line about not keeping secrets more literally than one would expect, because it nonchalantly parked an uncamouflaged car in the same rose gold wrap at a charging station on the Monterey peninsula before the teases began. It had been thought that the automaker might debut the coupe over the weekend, which could have happened. Autocar says the Italians hosted a private preview for potential customers — that, apparently, was the secret.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Maserati teased a different prototype draped in a blue wrap earlier this year before the Formula E grand prix in Rome. This version, with its Homeric rosy hue and quasi-three-spoke wheels is what we've been waiting for. We like what we see. Yes, it's highly reminiscent of the GranTurismo that went off the market in 2019. Why should that bother us? That coupe is still beautiful. From what we can tell of the Folgore, the updated lines should make the coming EV even more so. Guests at that putative private event might know what powers the 2+2, but we don't. We know the battery-electric Grecale crossover will get an EV powertrain with 590 horsepower, the much more expensive GranTurismo should handily outdo that even if it doesn't touch the 1,200-hp figure some believe possible. We expect to get that info when the official debut happens in the coming months. The official GranTurismo Folgore launch is scheduled for next year, probably joined sometime in the year by its droptop sibling, the GranCabrio Folgore. It's thought there will be an ICE-powered version for the two-door as well, maybe offering the choice of an unaided 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 or a hybrid centered around the V6 or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Certain markets sell the Ghibli sedan with a 2.0-liter hybrid; however, that option is viewed as a long shot for the new GranTurismo.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.