Paris Preshow: Maserati's More Hardcore GranTurismo MC Stradale

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.

The strictly two-seater model is inspired by the Trofeo GranTurismo MC and the race-winning GT4 motorsport models, and features a more powerful version of the Ferrari-sourced V8 producing 450HP.

Maserati said the car will boast "razor-sharp handling and will break the 300km/h [187mph] barrier", adding that the reworked body also produces more aerodynamic down force without producing more aerodynamic drag.

No other details were given on the car but the official photos show a raft of styling upgrades including the new front end with a lower spoiler and additional air ducts, chunkier side skirts, possibly larger front fenders with new air vents, a boot lid spoiler and a new rear bumper with a diffuser and twin central exhaust pipes plus unique alloy wheels.

Full details on the car will be release at the Paris auto show.

Mansory Takes on the Maserati GranTurismo Coupe

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.

Mansory has also tweaked the engine output by fitting the GT and GTS models with a new ECU, air filter and sports exhaust which increase performance by 30 hp and torque by 40 Nm on each model (435HP / 5000 Nm on the GT and 470HP / 530 Nm on the GTS).

he Italian coupe now rolls on 255/30 R 20 tires at the front and 305/30 R 21 tires at the back. These are painted to match the body color.

The interior is also customized (of course) with new seat fabrics, aluminium pedals and a supposedly sportier-looking steering wheel.

For styling sadomasochists, Mansory also has all sorts of packages for cars built by Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ford, Bugatti and Aston Martin.

By Tristan Hankins

Maserati GranTurismo S MC Sport Line: New Limited Production Version for Middle East and Italy

So how do you further improve the Maserati GranTurismo coupe? Well, for one you start off with the sportiest model of the range, the 440HP GranTurismo S. Then you begin upgrading it with a bunch of mechanical and styling parts from the company's newly launched "MC Sport Line" customization catalogue.

Maserati did not say which items from the lineup made their way onto the limited edition GranTurismo S MC Sport Line, but we do know that only 12 examples finished in a Matt White "ice" color will be built and sold exclusively to customers in the Middle East.

And if you're wondering why twelve cars, Maserati said it's because that's the number of world titles won by the firm's MC12 racer in the FIA GT International Championship since 2005, but also because twelve are the Middle East cities where Maserati is present with a dedicated showroom.

Each example of the GraTurismo S MC Sport Line will feature an internal plaque with the name of the city to which it is committed.

Later on, Maserati will produced a second run of 11 units of the car, this time finished in a Matt Bianco Fuji with pearlescent nuances, all of which will be destined for its home market in Italy.

Maserati Drops the Top on the new GranCabrio

At last, after countless spy shots and months of waiting, we can present the convertible version of Maserati's stunningly beautiful GranTurismo coupe, the GranCabrio - not the best choice of names in our book... It's the Italian automaker's first-ever four-seater convertible and it will make its worldwide debut on September 15 at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show with international sales set to start in the spring of 2010.

Even though most of the heavily disguised test mules of the GranCabrio featured a retractable hardtop, Maserati finally chose to offer the production model with an automatic canvas top, a decision that seems to have been dictated by 'mama' Fiat in order to differentiate it from the sportier Ferrari California.

Like the coupe variant, the convertible model has been styled by Italian design house Pininfarina and at least with the top down, we can say that the GranCabrio looks the part.

Maserati says that the GranCabrio has the longest wheelbase on the market of any convertible, promising to offer "proper seats" for all four passengers.

There are no changes under the hood as the GrandCabrio comes with the same powerhouse as the GrandTurismo S, which means 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. Power is sent to the rear wheels through the firm's dual-clutch, electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift arranged in the transaxle layout.

The Italian company did not disclose any performance figures but we expect the GranCabrio to be a tad slower the lighter GranTurismo which goes from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.9 sec and achieves a top speed of 295 Km/h or 184 mph.

Maserati Drops the Top on the new GranCabrio

At last, after countless spy shots and months of waiting, we can present the convertible version of Maserati's stunningly beautiful GranTurismo coupe, the GranCabrio - not the best choice of names in our book... It's the Italian automaker's first-ever four-seater convertible and it will make its worldwide debut on September 15 at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show with international sales set to start in the spring of 2010.

Even though most of the heavily disguised test mules of the GranCabrio featured a retractable hardtop, Maserati finally chose to offer the production model with an automatic canvas top, a decision that seems to have been dictated by 'mama' Fiat in order to differentiate it from the sportier Ferrari California.

Like the coupe variant, the convertible model has been styled by Italian design house Pininfarina and at least with the top down, we can say that the GranCabrio looks the part.

Maserati says that the GranCabrio has the longest wheelbase on the market of any convertible, promising to offer "proper seats" for all four passengers.

There are no changes under the hood as the GrandCabrio comes with the same powerhouse as the GrandTurismo S, which means 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. Power is sent to the rear wheels through the firm's dual-clutch, electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift arranged in the transaxle layout.

The Italian company did not disclose any performance figures but we expect the GranCabrio to be a tad slower the lighter GranTurismo which goes from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.9 sec and achieves a top speed of 295 Km/h or 184 mph.

New Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic - Live Photos from Geneva

The debate is still on here at Carscoop whether or not the GranTurismo is hotter than the brunette model that accompanied the show car, but while we try to come to a conclusion let us see the latest Maserati in detail. For the first time, the Italian automaker is offering an automatic transmission (6-speed) on the sportiest variant of the GranTurismo, the S, which comes with a 4.7-liter V8 making 440HP at 7000 rpm and 490Nm of torque at 4750 rpm.

Like the stick-shift GranTurismo S, the Automatic features some discreet stylistic changes which distinguish it from the 4.2-liter V8 model such as the new under-door mini-skirts featuring a prominent shape and new 20-inch wheel rims.