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Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima First (and Final) Drive Review: Arrivederci V8

BORMIO, Italy – Maserati has sold more than 100,000 cars with a V8 engine. Its smallest V8s had 3.2 liters of displacement; its biggest were 4.9-liter units. Its first V8 powered the rare, short-lived V8RI race car released in 1935; its final V8s will be built in December 2023 for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante. After that, the curtains come down. Officially, the Italian brand explains its new, 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 (a brilliant engine thatÂ’s twin-turbocharged to 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque in the MC20) leaves nothing to be desired in terms of performance. Privately, insiders also cite looming emissions regulations in key markets as a reason for finally hopping on the downsizing train. Will the V8 ever come back? “Never say never,” IÂ’m told, though a return isnÂ’t planned as of this writing. To hell with heritage; the cost of summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators around the world outweighs whatever benefits Maserati would reap by saving the V8 in the name of tradition. ItÂ’s the end of the V8 era, then, and Maserati is commemorating it with two limited-edition models called Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante V8 Ultima, respectively. The Quattroporte is available with a V8 as well, but a special-edition version of the big sedan isnÂ’t in the pipeline because Maserati wanted to focus on its better-selling models. In both cases, the Italian company has saved the best for last. The Ghibli 334 Ultima stands out with an edition-specific color called Persia Blu, 21-inch Orione wheels, Pirelli P-Zero tires made using a stickier compound, and several carbon fiber bits (such as the door mirror caps) that save about 55 pounds. The Rubino Red “334” logo painted on each fender denotes the new top speed: 334 kilometers per hour, which represents about 207 miles per hour and makes the 334 faster than the Trofeo itÂ’s based on by 5 mph — itÂ’s also the fastest sedan on the market. The previous title holder, BentleyÂ’s Continental Flying Spur, tops out at 333 kph, which also converts to about 207 mph, but Maserati is Italian and uses the metric system to measure its bragging rights. The sedanÂ’s 0-to-62-mph time drops from 4.3 to 3.9 seconds, but the engine remains the same: ItÂ’s the tried-and-true 3.8 rated at 572 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Inside, the 334 Ultima comes with two-tone Pale Terracotta and black upholstery that echoes some of MaseratiÂ’s classic models without going full-on retro.

Driving the Maserati MC20 and BMW i7 | Autoblog Podcast #802

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They're amped up about the BMW i7 and Maserati MC 20 they've all been driving. They also opine about the BMW M3 CS and 2024 Ford Mustang. The Japan Mobility Show (formerly Tokyo Motor Show) is coming up, and there have been some interesting reveals and teasers, including the Nissan Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure concepts, some neat kei car concepts from Daihatsu, a Miata-inspired EV concept from Mazda and an electric sports coupe concept from Subaru. Finally, they discuss the wild situation surround last weekend's Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #802 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2023 BMW i7 2023 Maserati MC20 2024 BMW M3 CS 2024 Ford Mustang GT Japan Mobility Show preview Nissan Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure concepts Daihatsu kei car concepts Possible next-gen Mazda Miata Subaru electric sports car Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix recap Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Green Motorsports Podcasts Tokyo Motor Show BMW Ford Maserati Mazda Nissan Subaru

Maserati orders triple on strength of Quattroporte demand in China

Considering Maserati sold all of 6,300 cars globally in 2012, its goal of selling 50,000 by 2015 seemed like a bit of a stretch to say the least, but it turns the Fiat-owned automaker was on to something. Reuters is reporting that Maserati has already received about 17,000 orders for cars this year, with help from the new 2014 Quattroporte and strong demand in China.
The US continues to be the top market for Maserati sales, but the report quotes Harald Wester, brand chief executive, as saying that China is now the top market for Quattroporte. As big of an improvement as this is it bears mentioning that the Ghibli isn't even on sale yet and the Levante SUV, a redesigned GranTurismo and a new 911-fighting coupe are still waiting in the pipeline.