News February 22 2007

Maserati reveals new Granturismo

Maserati has taken the wraps of the GranTurismo, which will make its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March before arriving in Australia and New Zealand in early 2008.

Styled by Pininfarina, the Maserati GranTurismo will be the the top of the range model, sitting above the exisiting Maserati GranSport and Spyder sports cars and the Quattroporte.

The GranTurismo is a muscular, aggressive performance car which is designed to be a practical every day car. Maserati has designed its new chassis to provide a level of handling and roadholding they believe will make it a benchmark in its category. The GranTurismo - as would be expected for any Maserati - is also built with particular attention to comfort - with a choice of luxury materials for the interior. What's more it'll seat four.

The GranTurismo is equipped with a 4.2 litre V8 engine, delivering 405 bhp/303 kW, and a weight distribution of 49% at the front and 51% at the rear. It is fitted with an automatic gearbox and an adaptive control system which adjusts the gear-shifting mode to the driving style and conditions.

Maserati’s tradition of the Gran Turismo concept dates back to 1947 when the company bowed to pressure from its customers and unveiled its first Gran Turismo, the Pinin Farina designed A6, at the Geneva motor show of that year. It was the first Maserati road car and only 58 were made. The car was acclaimed by the automotive press for being technically advanced as well as for its avant-garde styling.

The new model name – Maserati GranTurismo – references Maserati's involvement with Pininfarina once again on this new model. The GranTurismo follows hot on the heels of the worldwide launch of the Quattroporte automatic at the 2007 Detroit motor show, which is expected down under next month (March).