2011 Maserati GranCabrio Sport
Maserati GranTurismo has always been criticized for being too soft and rolly-polly, and the situation is doubly bad with the GranCabrio, the soft-top version of the car.
This year Maserati wants to address that with the GranCabrio Sport, a harder more aggressive version of the GranCabrio with a bit more power and subtle styling changes. It will be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
The GranCabrio Sport gets firmer suspension and improved handling. It’s 4.7 liter V8 is also a bit more powerful and delivers 450 hp and 510 Nm of torque. It comes with a new ZF automatic gearbox that is fine-tuned to deliver good performance while making the car more fuel efficient. It has a 285 km/h which is not bad for a four-seater Cabrio.
As for the looks, the car is discreetly styled with semi smoked lights, a front air splitter, black grille, new side skirts, and a new fancy color called the Rosso Trionfale.
Press Release:
The new Maserati that will debut at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show will offer more driving enjoyment thanks to an improved overall vehicle dynamics, more horse power, a more responsive and efficient engine and optimised gearshift response.
Modena, February 21, 2011. After stunning the world with the GranCabrio at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Maserati will use the 2011 Geneva Motor Show to take its grand-touring convertible to a new level of performance and handling with the GranCabrio Sport.
Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder-edged model to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the GranCabrio Sport uses a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati’s, all-alloy 4.7-litre V8, coupled with the ZF six-speed automatic transmission.
This naturally aspirated engine produces in this configuration 331 kW (450 horsepower) and has 510 Nm at the peak of its rich, thick torque curve. Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program has made the GranCabrio Sport’s engine more reactive to the driver’s most-nuanced inputs, while reaching a 6% reduction in fuel consumption. The top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is 285 km/h.
This six-speed transmission is equipped with the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and has been developed for the GranCabrio Sport directly from the transmission in the Quattroporte Sport GT S. The MC Auto Shift provides optimised gearshift response resulting in an even-greater engagement.
The handling has received attention, too, with an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system – now with a sportier tuning – and the adoption of grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.
Visually, the GranCabrio Sport is characterised by a more-pronounced dynamic look. This look begins at the GranCabrio’s distinctive nose with a black grille and a Trident with red accents. The headlights now have a black look with white sidemarks, while front corner splitters and the redesigned side skirts are both body coloured. The GranCabrio Sport also debuts a new body colour for Maserati: Rosso Trionfale inspired by the red Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis – in 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth F1 World Title at the wheel of a red Maserati 250F.
The GranCabrio Sport will be on sale in all of Maserati’s 62 markets starting from summer 2011.
