Page 1 of 1 The latest addition to the Maserati range is the Maserati GranSport. It is a new model celebrating the concept of sportiness at the heart of all of the Trident's Grand Tourers, due to be unveiled to the world for the first time at Geneva's International Motor Show. The new car, which joins the Coupé and Spyder in the Maserati range, goes on sale next summer. The GranSport's name alone suggests its eager thoroughbred GT spirit, the kind of spirit that can provide plenty of fun on demand for the driver. The GranSport name also has a special symbolic significance for the Trident as it was first used in the 1950s for an elegant two-litre coupé designed by the Carozzeria Frua on the base of the famous A6 G.
The new GranSport, however, is designed to offer an exciting alternative to the current Coupé, and as such, has been treated to series of new enhancements that give it a very powerful temperament indeed. The Maserati GranSport's harmonious volumes are beautifully combined with more muscular, aerodynamic forms. This is the fruit of much testing in the wind tunnel aimed at improving the Cx value and achieving a balanced division of the vertical loads (Cz) between the front and rear axles.
The result is that the Maserati GranSport has a Cx of 0.33, one of the very best in its category. An almost total absence of oversteer and improved front-wheel drivability and precision make it very easy to handle too and ensure that drivers will be able to really put it and themselves through their paces in complete safety. Work on the new model's aerodynamics has led to the addition of new fenders. The front one, in fact, has a very pronounced lower spoiler with side bars elegantly integrated into the body itself, while the luggage compartment has been given a discreet yet equally efficient nolder.
The new aerodynamic features associated with the fact that the set-up is now 10 mm lower, result in a two point improvement in the Cx value and translate into clear benefits for the driver. In fact, the Maserati GranSport offers a truly blistering drive, thanks to its direct, precise steering and excellent stability at high speeds. The traditional Trident elegance is there too in the classic chrome grille reminiscent of the Quattroporte's. The grilles over the air vents on the rear fender are chrome too. The Maserati GranSport's sporty look is completed by new 19 inch wheels inspired by the ones sported by the cars in the Maserati Trofeo Championship, with spokes forming a very attractive Trident.
The Maserati GranSport's normally aspirated 4,244 cm3 V8 has all the structure of the most advanced racing engines with dry sump lubrication and twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank with four valves per cylinder hydraulic tappets. The intake cams also feature variable phase timing. Its maximum power delivery has been upped from the original 390 hp to 400 hp too, thanks to special development work to reduce internal attrition and careful work on the intake manifolds and valve seats. The engine has been combined with a sports exhaust system that is instantly recognisable, thanks to the unusual design of its twin chrome exhausts and was designed to give enthusiasts that instantly recognisable deep, full-bodied rumble. Thanks to an electronically controlled pneumatic valve system, even more can be made of the exhaust by pressing the 'Sport' button on the central console too. Page 1 of 1
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V8 GranSport
The latest addition to the Maserati range is the Maserati GranSport. It is a new model celebrating the concept of sportiness at the heart of all of the Trident's Grand Tourers, due to be unveiled to the world for the first time at Geneva's International Motor Show. The new car, which joins the Coupé and Spyder in the Maserati range, goes on sale next summer. The GranSport's name alone suggests its eager thoroughbred GT spirit, the kind of spirit that can provide plenty of fun on demand for the driver. The GranSport name also has a special symbolic significance for the Trident as it was first used in the 1950s for an elegant two-litre coupé designed by the Carozzeria Frua on the base of the famous A6 G.