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Remember the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale that was introduced last year at the Paris Auto Show? The Italian sportscar maker has brought a ‘softer’ version of the MC to the States that drops the “Stradale” word from its name. That is because the GranTurismo MC has a full automatic gearbox instead of the original Race Shift transmission and two extra seats in the back instead of a roll cage. Even so, the Granturismo MC is the fastest series production model Maserati has ever sold in America. Read more »

BMW’s M division has one, and so does McLaren, Audi and even German tuning firm Lumma Design introduced a bicycle bearing its name in 2009. Therefore, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that Italian sports car maker Maserati has presented a two-wheel creation.

To be precise, Maserati joined forces with Sicilian bicycle maker Montante Cicli for the development and production of the 8CTF that borrows its name from the Italian automaker’s famous racing car that won 500 miles of Indianapolis in both 1939 and 1940. The Montante for Maserati 8CTF will be produced in a limited run of just 200 individually numbered units, with all bicycles to be custom made to fit the rider.

Designed by Italy's Pininfarina design firm, the rear-wheel-drive Maserati Quattroporte is available as a standard luxury model or as a sport model.

The 4.2-liter continues in the base Quattroporte, while the Quattroporte S and Sport GT S get a 4.7-liter V-8 with varying outputs. Mechanical features includeCall it the 2011 Maserati Quattroporte, however, and suddenly it doesn't sound so plain.

The 2011 Maserati Quattroporte delivers a smooth and quiet ride that rivals that of cars from any other luxury brand, along with that certain little Italian ingredient -- passion. This car's handling is also noteworthy, even in its base-model configuration.
The 2011 Maserati Quattroporte is a performance luxury sedan offered in base, S and Sport GT S trims.

Standard equipment on the base Quattroporte includes 18-inch wheels, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, foglamps, power-folding and heated outside mirrors, a power-actuated trunk lid, power-assisted doors, rear parking sensors, a sunroof, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column, auto-dimming mirrors, leather upholstery, wood interior trim, 14-way power-adjustable front seats with driver memory, a refrigerated storage compartment in the front armrest, dual-zone automatic climate control and a power rear sunshade. The S model adds the 4.7-liter V8, 19-inch wheels, larger brakes, adjustable "Skyhook" suspension dampers and polished Wenge wood interior trim. Also offered is the Plus Pack, which includes all of the Base Pack's features plus front parking sensors, ventilated front seats with massage functions, heated rear seats and a wood and leather steering wheel. Additionally, buyers can add tinted glass, four-way power-adjustable and heated rear outboard seats, window blinds, rear-seat climate controls, fold-down trays in the front seatbacks and a rear-seat entertainment system.

The base 2011 Maserati Quattroporte is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 that produces 400 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. Maserati estimates 0-60-mph acceleration at 5.6 seconds for the base model and 5.4 seconds for the S. Standard safety features for all 2011 Quattroportes include antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

The base model Quattroporte delivers a luxurious and tranquil highway ride.
The smoothly sculpted roofline tapers into an elegant tail, marking a high point in the perpetual compromise between a sporty stance and elegant sedan bodywork. Unlike the bigger German sedan rivals, the Quattroporte is more like a four-door sports car. A 425-hp Quattroporte Sport GT S model can hit the same mark in about 5.0 seconds. The Quattroporte's cozy interior suffers from limited head room in back, but the front seats have ample room surrounding them. There aren’t any independent crash-test results for the Quattroporte, but with seat-mounted side airbags up front and head-protecting curtain bags covering the front and rear, the car at least covers the bases. Anti-lock brakes and stability control are standard, as are great bi-xenon HID headlamps.

Enough is never enough for vehicle tuning houses like Novitec Tridente, which has presented its latest line of enhancements for the Maserati GranCabrio. Bone stock, the drop-top variant of the GT gets a 4.7-liter V8 engine that cranks out 440HP at 7,000 rpm and 490Nm (362 lb-ft) of torque at 4,750 rpm.

The installation of a supercharger system along with a watercooled intercooler and a modified ECU, help boost output to an impressive 590HP at 7,300 rpm and 572Nm (421.9 lb-ft), consequentially allowing for a new 0-100km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.5 seconds.

How’s this for a dream job? Britain’s Repairacar is seeking a very special someone who can drive supercars from a customer’s address to one of their repair shops and back. It’s all very glamorous – the opportunity to drive supercars as diverse as Aston Martins, Ferraris and even the occasional Zonda or Bugatti Veyron – though it does include some taking of public transport.

A company spokesperson explains:“[The successful applicant] will also be expected to make their own way back to base from any corner of the UK and Europe – using public transport.”

So what they’re offering are a couple of hours on a bus or train in return for the chance to drive a selection of the world’s greatest supercars? Who could say no? Well, Repairacar, for one. You see, they’re not just looking for any Tom, Dick or Harry:

Back in 2008, Italy’s revived Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera presented a station-wagon version of the Maserati Quattroporte with a fastback-like silhouette called the Bellagio. The stylish Italian family hauler was more than just a pure design exercise as Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera actually produced the car, albeit upon customer request.

We’re not sure how many Maserati Bellagio Fastbacks have been built, but it’s safe to assume that it’s an extremely rare car. That said, we were quite surprised to find one up for grabs in the used car market, and more specifically, by a Dutch dealer.

The blue-colored Bellagio Fastback was built to order in 2008 and according to the seller, has a mere 1,546 km or 961 miles on the odometer. The asking price is €165,000, equal to about $233,300. Photo gallery follows after the jump.

GENEVA — Maserati will introduce its latest performance model, the GranCabrio Sport, next week at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. The car will arrive this August at U.S. dealers, rebadged as the Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport.

For the U.S. market, the 2012 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible Sport gets a more powerful engine and tauter suspension tuning.

The 2012 GranTurismo Convertible Sport features a black grille with red accents, as well as body-color side skirts and front corner splitters.

Maserati has official shown their latest addition to the line-up of sports cars, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport at the 81st International Auto Salon in Geneva.
The upgraded four-seater luxury convertible comes with a refreshed black grill with integrated Maserati logo.

Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder edge, the GranCabrio Sport takes up its rightful spot alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S. Visually, it’s distinguished from the “regular” GranCabrio by black grille with a red-accented trident and a new colour – Rosso Trionfale, inspired by the red national colours of 1950s’ racing Maseratis (most notably, the 1957 Maserati 250F of F1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio).

Handling is improved through tuning revisions to the Skyhook active suspension system. The GranCabrio Sport is expected on sale in all markets in summer 2011.

It's been a year-and-a-half since Maserati lifted the wraps off a drop-top version of its GranTurismo coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, and now the Italians are getting ready to expand the range of the GranCabrio with the presentation of a sportier variant at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

In today's world of motorsports, much to the delight of fans, it's the norm to have one or more cameras fitted in the car or even in the driver's helmet. But that wasn't the case back in the 1950's, so we were quite surprised to discover such a video featuring the five-time Formula 1 World Champion and one of the greatest pilots of all time, Juan Manuel Fangio. A moment of coolness follows in the film after the break, with Fangio driving the Maserati 250F racecar at the Modena Aero-Autodrome.

Launched in June, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has enjoyed a massive success, as sales last month were up 291% compared to October 2009. So it comes to no surprise that Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, is considering the use of the Grand Cherokee's architecture on a variety of new models including Fiat, Maserati and Alfa Romeo SUVs, and possibly for a future Chrysler variant.

The Maserati Quattroporte 2030 Concept is Yaroslav Chumachenko's vision of where Maserati's large sedan could be design-wise should we end up in the world of Minority Report and Tom Cruise is knocking at your door for that crime you're about to commit.

As we told you in our previous post, the GranTurismo MC Stradale is a racier, sportier version of Maser's big coupe (think the GT3, but from Maserati). According to the Italian sports / luxury carmaker, the MC Stradale didn't budge an inch when it came to comprises in return for performance; it handles better without losing ride quality (that has yet to be tested), it's more powerful without sacrificing fuel economy, and it plants itself harder without adding any drag.

Someone has turned Maserati's lovely Quattroporte sedan into a tall, bulky hearse, and there's video of it on a trailer below. Regardless of how it looks, it sure puts the Cadillacs used in America to shame. Unlike Ferrari, who has issues with anyone doing anything heinous to their cars (like making a 360 limousine), Maserati apparently doesn't mind too much.

After the standard 404HP GranTurismo, the sportier 'S' with 440HP in both manual and automatic flavors and more recently the limited edition 'S MC Sport Line', Maserati is once again expanding its coupe's lineup with the introduction of a new model.

Set to make its world premiere at this month's Paris motorshow, the more hardcore GranTurismo MC Stradale is claimed to be "the fastest, lightest and most powerful car in the Maserati range" when it goes on sale in the first quarter of 2011.

For the man who has everything except taste, there is Mansory. The Bavarian automobile tuner has now turned their attention to the Maserati GranTurismo coupe and its more powerful 'S' brethren.

The Mansory GT and GTS features a new front spoiler, radiator grille, bonnet, deeper door sills, rear spoiler, exhaust inlay, rear apron and rear diffuser. All of these add-ons are carbon fibre and made in-house by Mansory.

Two years ago, the Maserati GranTurismo replaced the GranSport model. The standard 2010 Maserati GranTurismo comes equipped with a 405-horsepower 4.2-liter V-8, while the sportier GranTurismo S gets a 4.7-liter engine with 433 horsepower on tap. The GranTurismo Convertible also gets the more powerful 4.7-liter V-8. Standard across the GranTurismo range is a six-speed ZF automatic transmission. The 0-60 mph run now takes just 5.1 seconds in the GranTurismo, while the GranTurismo S gets there in 4.5 seconds. Top speeds are 177 mph and 183 mph, respectively.

Maserati’s new GranTurismo Convertible is a beautiful addition to the family of powerful sporting cars designed for the true enthusiast. The guidance of former Formula 1 racer Ivan Capelli is helpful in getting us out of the dense Roman traffic and into the countryside, where we find a delightful winding road with elevation changes, switchbacks and challenging corners to test the Convertible.

Beneath the broad sloping hood lies the excellent Maserati GranTurismo 4.7-liter V-8 engine boasting 440 bhp and 361 lb.-ft. f torque. Out on the open winding road, the Maserati GranTurismo Convertible really struts its stuff--with excellent handling, sharp acceleration, super braking feel and a level of confidence that makes driving this car a joy. The Maserati GranTurismo Convertible (called the GranCabrio in the home market) goes on sale in the U.S. this spring, priced at $139,700.

2008 Maserati is preparing a large coupe based on the Quattroporte saloon and meant to compete against luxury GTs such as the Mercedes Benz CLS or Bentley Continental GT. Spy photographers have caught in tests at Nurburgring a large Maserati coupe very similar to the Quattroporte. Overall proportions and visible design details clearly point that this future coupe is closely based on the Maserati sedan.
We can then guess that Maserati has chosen to diversify their offer by producing a large size classic coupe, a true granturismo to compete against the Merc CL-Class, BMW 6 Series, Aston Martin DB9 & Co.

The spec sheet is rife with fodder: Relative to its Porsche 911-fighting Coupe/Gran Sport predecessor, Maserati's new GranTurismo is over 14 inches longer, an inch wider, nearly two inches taller, and-mamma mia!-550 pounds heavier! Supersizing to the Quattroporte sedan architecture afforded Pininfarina room to package a roomier rear seat under a sleeker fastback roof with classic long-hood, short-deck, flying-wedge proportions. The headlamps and the optional 20-inch Trident-spoke wheels riff on Pininfarina's Birdcage concept car. Mechanically, the car is a Quattroporte automatic with 4.8 inches sawed out of the wheelbase and 2.6 inches off the tail. The drivetrain and "Skyhook" adaptive suspension are tailored to the GranTurismo's sportier mission. Press the dash button marked "Sport" and throttle responsiveness increases 20 percent, the dampers stiffen to curtail body roll and float, and the transmission shift logic becomes more aggressive. A separate "Ice" setting blocks first-gear launches and forces upshifts at 3000 rpm.
Outside there's a choice of 19 body colors and two wheel designs in three finishes.

The Quattroporte comes in three trims: Executive GT, Sport GT, and Sport GT S. Rear-wheel drive comes standard.