Maserati has revealed an impressive video that shows their entire line-up in action. The GranTurismo MC Stradale, the GranCabrio, the GranTurismo, and the Quattroporte are all presented showing off their stuff and tempting all of us to choose their favorite Maserati model. We couldn’t make that decision, so we’ll leave it up to you to decide which model would be the best for a perfect summer drive.
We’re big fans of Maserati anyway, but now that the company has brought the GranTurismo MC to the American market, we have many more reasons to appreciate it. We have to remind you that the MC will be the fastest model ever offered by Maserati over in the States, so if you want a pretty cool car in your garage this might be the perfect time to start saving. And save that cash fast, as we’d bet money the car will only be offered in limited numbers.
When most companies go about creating their flagship sedan conservative feelings can prevail. Most of these companies (i.e. Mercedes, BMW, and Audi) have been building a large four-door sedan for decades. They tend to go with a don’t fix what’s not broken mantra when updating the look, design, and feel of the car lending to a sense of evolution rather than revolution when a new model appears.
Maserati had the luxury of not really having to please anyone when they decided to build their 4-door sedan, the Quattroporte. Designers and engineers wanted the sedan to evoke more emotion than others in its class and have accomplished just that. Looking at today’s 2011 Quattroporte, it’s hard to believe that essentially the same model has been in production for six years now. It is still stunning to look at and cannot really be compared to anything in terms of design except perhaps the new Aston Martin Rapide.
After winning a slough of awards throughout its production, the Quattroporte will enter 2011 with some updates, a baby brother, and the same Ferrari sourced V8 that we all enjoy so much.
Hit the jump for more details on the 2011 Maserati Quattroporte.
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The first rumors about a new Maserati sedan placed under the current Quattroporte appeared at the beginning of 2010, but after a couple of months of heating up the air waves, the new car fell by the wayside while everyone made room for the new Audis, Ferraris, and such. Now the official launch is creeping up on all of us and new details are being revealed.
The future model has recently been caught testing for the first time and although it may look like a Quattroporte, it features a shorter wheelbase, smaller front brakes, an ill-fitting windscreen, and one exhaust pipe on each side of the rear.
While there are no technical details on this new model, it is rumored to be offered in two versions: an entry level priced at about $68,000 and a top version more powerful and about 20% more expensive. The new sub-Quattroporte four-door saloon will arrive in 2012 as a competitor to the BMW M5, the Mercedes E63 AMG, and the Jaguar XFR.
UPDATE 08/25/2011: Check out our rendering of the future baby Quattroporte!
Hit the jump to read more about the future Maserati Baby Quattroporte.
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Maserati has been making headlines with its engine reduction, a sub-Quattroporte, and the Maserati of tomorrow, but the Australian International Auto Show saw the current side of Maserati as it unveiled its newest special edition.
The Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S MC Sportline (yeah, that’s a ridiculously long name) is basically the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS equipped with the MC Sportline package which was first unveiled for the GranTurismo S model. We haven’t heard exactly how many units of this special edition we are going to get, but the GranTurismo S only got 12 so we imagine this special edition will get the same treatment.
The Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS MC Sport Line replaces all the wood trim in the standard car with carbon fiber. This material can be seen across the dashboard, the front and rear center consoles, sections of the door panels, the gear knob, and around the switchgear. The area around the instrument pack and on the gearchange paddles will also be decked out in the stuff. Each of the door sills is fitted with carbon fiber trim panels embossed with the MC Sport Line logo and the MC logo is stamped into the aluminum brake pedal.
The engine remains unchanged, so we are still working with a 4.7 liter V8 mated to sequential manual auto transmission. The difference here is that the gearbox now has a Sport mode with faster shifting times. The power remains the same at 440 hp with a peak torque of 490 Nm with a top speed of 177mph.
Press release after the jump.
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Design inspiration can come from many different places and things. Some of them are quite odd, like the new Maserati Quattroporte 2030 concept. The vehicle was designed by Yaroslav Chumachenko, a 25-year old transportation design student at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin, Italy.
This is no ordinary design though, as this car can adopt minor design changes. It can be used as an SUV, sedan, or a rear-engine sports car. While that is astounding, what really got our attention was the designer’s inspiration. Chumachenko used a dinosaur as inspiration.
We can sort of see it, as the front of the car appears to have large fangs like a dinosaur, but were not sure about the rest. The car uses a skeletal-like platform to provide flexibility. The car can change shape by using Stereolithography additive manufacturing technology.
In the safety department, those ribs will provide a sturdy structure as they are attached to the longitudinal member. As crazy as this car might be, it sure does make us wonder if these cars will ever see the light of day.
