Geneva Preview : GranTurismo S confirmed

Here are some official details and images regarding Maserati’s new GranTurismo S, which is expected to be unveiled in Geneva next week. The S version features the same 4.7-liter 440hp V8 engine which Maserati developed especially for the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

Maserati GranTurismo S

This engine seems to be mated to an electro-actuated MC-Shift gearbox mounted on the rear transaxle for optimized weight distribution and faster shifting times. The Brembo braking system keeps the extra power which was first used on the Quattroporte Sport GT S, featuring front brakes with dual-cast iron/aluminum discs and six-pot aluminum calipers.

As you can notice from the official images, the GranTurismo S also sports a subtle visual tweaks including new wheels and a leather & Alcantara-trimmed interior with sport buckets.

Maserati GranTurismo S Maserati GranTurismo S Maserati GranTurismo S

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Maserati Quattroporte

Maserati Quattroporte

As we slowly maneuver a silver Maserati Quattroporte out of our Florentine hotel’s parking lot, a horde of motor scooters appears from nowhere. Millimeters away, the riders seem oblivious to their vehicles’ mass relative to our executive limo. Judged by their lane “discipline,” you imagine these guys play a lot of the old Frogger video game. We ease off the throttle. “After you, Antonio…”

Uncharacteristically, the scooters don’t buzz into the distance. One rider points animatedly toward our car, and we’re about to raise a hand in the international sign of apology (we’re sure we’ve broken some unwritten Italian road rule) when we spy a smile beneath his white helmet. With a warm nod of native approval, he and his two-stroke crew hit the gas and speed away.

The locals’ reaction conjures up memories of the previous day. We first saw the Quattroporte at its 2003 Frankfurt auto salon debut and in Detroit, but were less than stunned. Chalk it up to the usual auto show sensory overload and the parking garage atmosphere of fluorescent lights and low ceilings. But this time, as we walked toward Maserati’s Modena headquarters, we stopped short of the large glass doors and exhaled deeply. Outside sat two Quattroportes, black and silver paint glinting in the early morning sun. Away from the video screens and crowds of public relations riffraff, the sedan exudes a stately elegance and raw beauty missed in most of today’s European luxury flagships.

Credit the sexiness to Pininfarina, which joins Frua, Bertone, Giugiaro and Gandini on the Quattroporte designers’ roll. It’s Pininfarina’s first Maserati in more than 50 years; the original collaboration ceased when the iconic styling house/coachworks turned its attention to Enzo Ferrari, who would never allow his preferred partner to work with his local rival. Ironically, with Ferrari’s relatively newfound command of Maserati, Pininfarina returns with Maranello’s blessing-if not at its behest. While we couldn’t pry a full-fledged confirmation out of the on-hand corporate contingent, expect Maserati’s next Coupe and Spyder to carry the Pininfarina badge, not Italdesign-Giugiaro’s, on their flanks.

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