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Watch Maserati prep this Quattroporte for Geneva by hammering on its sheetmetal

There are untold amounts of primping and set up that goes on in the days leading up to an international auto show. Of course, there are exhibits to erect, lights to hang and scripts to rehearse. There are also cars to prep. Usually the latter involves little more than removing finger prints and dusting, but in the case of Maserati the day before the Geneva Motor Show press days, the process apparently includes banging on the sheetmetal of one of your prized showcars like a crazed woodpecker.
We're not sure what caused a surface irregularity in the door skin of this 2014 Quattroporte - perhaps shipping damage - but it was interesting (and mildly painful) to watch, and hear, a show prepper attempt to repair this six-figure sedan with what looks like a jeweler's hammer, high-intensity light and soft cloth.
That'll buff right out.

No surprise here, the Maserati Alfieri has been delayed again

It happened again. Maserati has reportedly delay the gorgeous Alfieri coupe, the concept version of which made its debut way back at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. According to a report by Autocar, the 2+2 sports car has been put on the back-burner and is now expected to arrive in 2020 – at the earliest. Giulio Pastore, general manager of Maserati Europe, told Autocar that the Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio are more vital to the automaker's lineup than the smaller Alfieri. Once Maserati replaces those aging models, it will then shift its focus onto the Alfieri, Pastore says. After the Alfieri concept was unveiled in 2014, reports emerged that it got the green light for production and that a production model would hit the road as soon as 2016. Then the delays started happening, with China's weakening car market as the culprit. More recently, a report claimed that Maserati would have the Alfieri on the road in 2018. With that now pushed back a few years, and the chance for more delays, the car might need a redesign before it goes into production. Related Video: Featured Gallery Maserati Alfieri Concept: Monterey 2014 View 9 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / AOL Maserati Maserati Coupe Future Vehicles Luxury Performance maserati alfieri maserati grancabrio

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).