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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.

Maserati MC20 gets the Mansory treatment and a 720-hp V6

German tuner Mansory has added the Maserati MC20 to its range of heavily-modified exotic cars. Called First Edition, the coupe receives a body kit made largely of carbon fiber to keep weight in check, a completely redesigned interior, and a generous 99-horsepower bump. Power comes from an evolution of the regular-production MC20's excellent Nettuno engine. The twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 develops 720 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, up from 621 and 528, respectively, in the stock MC20. Mansory made several software changes and fitted a high-performance exhaust system developed in-house to achieve the increase. The mid-mounted V6 spins the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. It sends the coupe from zero to 62 mph in 2.7 seconds and on to a 205-mph top speed. Odds are you can hear the First Edition coming before you see it, and once it comes into sight it's impossible to ignore. The tuner fitted a body kit that includes wider front air intakes, an aggressive-looking front splitter, vents integrated into the fenders, a new engine cover with a scoop that gives the V6 additional cooling air, a massive rear wing, and a wide air diffuser. Some of the carbon fiber parts are left unpainted to give the First Edition an even more striking design, while 21-inch front and 22-inch rear wheels add a finishing touch to the custom look. Inside, nearly every component and surface has been redesigned to some extent. The seats, dashboard, door panels, and even the footwells are lined with what Mansory calls "glove-soft" leather upholstery. Most of it is yellow, which was chosen to echo some of the exterior trim, but the tuner added white accents for contrast and Italian flag-colored stripes to both seats and the two massive shift paddles.  Mansory hasn't released pricing details but nothing suggests the MC20 First Edition is cheap; the standard car carries a base price of about $220,000. Looking ahead, the firm plans to release a full range of modified MC20s including at least one based on the Cielo convertible.

2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 [w/video]

For one reason or another, this is a car people stare at. They might be drawn to its curvaceous shape riding on immense wheels. They could be intrigued by its gaping, blacked-out grille which houses an equally outsized trident logo, or doing quick calculations about the last time they saw a car wearing the name Maserati. It may be its sports-car-like proportions mixed with achingly long, four-door bodywork that draws their eye.
Or, and I urge you to consider this theory carefully, the people taking notice of this Maserati Ghibli S Q4 might simply be newly alert after hearing the sound of its exhaust ricocheting off any solid thing nearby as I drive past grinning like a certified asshat. Did you hear an Italianate engine song careening through your Ann Arbor, MI neighborhood, in the black of the early morning, just a few weeks previous? Sorry, guy, that was probably me.
I spent a week hammering this all-wheel-drive Ghibli as hard as I dared in the last truly miserable stretch of the God Awful Winter of 2014. I can honestly say that I enjoyed myself, shocked at both the frank way this new challenger luxury car went down the road as well as the attention it garnered in the process.