13 Nero 458 4.5l V8 F-1 Spider *rosso Leather Seats With Stitched Horse *mi:2k on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2018 Maserati GranTurismo First Drive | Better with age?

There are not many rational reasons for owning a Maserati GranTurismo (or GranCabrio convertible, for that matter). Even Maserati admits this. The short list occupies a single paragraph. Firstly, the GranTurismo is not German. Don't laugh. For some people, that's enough. Secondly, it has rear-seat space and comfort that remains the class benchmark. Thirdly, its cabin is the place where art and craftsmanship meet. There are far more rational reasons to not buy one. Let's tick them off, since we're in the mood. Firstly, it's already had its tenth birthday. It's not jeepers-fast by today's standards and neither is it remotely frugal. It drives the back wheels through a six-speed transmission, so it has 50 percent fewer gear ratios than AMG. Also, the only thing light about it is the weight of its driver-assistance systems. The 4.7-liter GranTurismo and its roofless GranCabrio sibling prospered in the plus-minus ledgers early in their careers, but they now operate outside them, in the sketchbooks of translated emotion. The Pininfarina-designed body is still stunning, a decade on, from any angle. It's had some tickles on the front and rear bumpers to make the grille more like the one on the Alfieri concept car, there are new headlights in the same space and the aerodynamics have been cleaned up so it can streak beyond 186 mph. When we say "streak" we really mean "creep" because it tops out at 187 mph. It has air vents behind the front wheels now, but they're not functional, and neither are the three signature vents high up on the front fenders. Maserati's aero guys tested German cars with working air vents and found their aero contributions were minimal. The air inlet on the MC's is, though, and so are the twin hot-air outlets that give the carbon-fiber hood its exaggerated contours. The big news from the Powertrain Department is that it's been busy eliminating stuff, rather than doing new things. It simplified its life by killing off the entry-level 4.2-liter V8, so the only engine in the entire range now is the Ferrari-built 4.7-liter, 90-degree V8. Don't think of bolting in the torque-rich twin-turbo V6 motor from the Ghibli, Quattroporte or Levante – or the twin-turbo V8, either – since neither are available. The V8 also comes in just the 453 horsepower version, regardless of whether you like the standard GranTurismo Sport or shell out another $17,745 for the $150,570 GranTurismo MC.

2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain

Maserati's first new model of the 2020s, the MC20, strays from the path that's leading carmakers towards electrified and connected vehicles. The brand is nonetheless headed in this direction, and Autoblog can reveal it's planning to release a range of battery-powered cars called Folgore, a name which means "lightning" in Italian. Developed in-house, the 800-volt Folgore powertrain consists of one electric motor mounted over the front axle, and two electric motors installed over the rear axle. Sandro Bernardini, the man responsible for the second-generation GranTurismo, told us this configuration is not going to be reserved for high-performance, high-end cars. It will be the norm. And, although the rear motors are bolted into a single unit that's about the size of a modern four-cylinder engine, there is no mechanical connection between them, meaning Maserati's electric models will benefit from true torque vectoring. Ditching gasoline isn't an excuse to stop chasing performance. As we've previously reported, Maserati's first series-produced battery-powered model will be the next GranTurismo, which is tentatively due out in 2021. Motorists who don't want or need an electric car will be able to order the coupe with a version of the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine that powers the recently-unveiled MC20. Speaking of, the mid-engined coupe will become a mid-motored, zero-emissions coupe a little bit later in its production run. It was developed with both electricity and gasoline in mind from the get-go. Bernardini couldn't share concrete technical specifications, but he noted his team is designing the powertrain to achieve maximum range. Engineers notably went to significant lengths to make the motors smaller, lighter, and more efficient, we're told, and the technology will be compatible with 300-kilowatt fast-charging. While performance details are also under wraps, Autoblog learned the electric version of the MC20 will "absolutely be more powerful" than its 621-horsepower gasoline-burning counterpart. It will be heavier, too, but the power hike will more than make up for the weight gain, and its handling won't be adversely affected. Chassis mock-ups confirm the MC20 Folgore will share its basic underpinnings (including its carbon fiber tub and its subframes) with the gasoline-powered model. Its front motor will occupy the space normally reserved for the frunk, while its rear motor will slot neatly between the two wheels.

Maserati will field a Formula E team in 2023

Some Italian flair is coming to the Formula E grid. Maserati plans to field a team in the electric motor racing series in 2023, becoming the first brand from the country to do so. The automaker is returning to single-seater competition for the first time in more than six decades. Maserati ran a successful Formula 1 team in the 1950s and its two-seater MC12 took 14 titles in the FIA GT sports car series between 2004 and 2010. Maserati plans to take what it learns on Formula E tracks and feed that back into its Folgore EV lineup. “Beyond this piece of history, Maserati Formula E will be our technological laboratory to accelerate the development of high-efficiency electrified powertrains and intelligent software for our road sports cars," Stellantis Motorsport senior VP Jean-Marc Finot said. The automaker will enter Formula E as the series shifts to the Gen3 car, its lightest and fastest vehicle to date. Formula E and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) said the Gen3 will be the planet's most efficient race car. They claim the EV will produce at least 40 percent of energy used in a race via regenerative braking.