Maserati has taken the GranCabrio convertible to a new level of performance with the new Maserati GranCabrio Sport. With more power, a faster gearshift and a distinctively aggressive look, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport has given Maserati a harder-edged convertible to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S as the performance flagships of their respective ranges. Publically unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport combines an upgraded 4.7-litre V8 engine with a 10 horsepower increase to 450 hp and improved fuel economy with the faster MC Auto Shift transmission. With a 285km/h top speed and a 0-100km/h sprint of just 5.2 seconds, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport is brimming with performance and luxury refinements both inside the cabin and underneath its award-winning body panels. Its six-speed transmission includes a super-fast MC Auto Shift mode and has been developed for the Maserati GranCabrio Sport directly from the transmission in the Quattroporte Sport GT S. The handling has been enhanced for greater speed, too, with an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system and the adoption of a more-responsive brake package.
Interior Design
The more-aggressive look is carried over inside the open-topped cabin, with a new seat-face design and drilled aluminium pedals. The Maserati GranCabrio Sport introduces changes to the gear-shifting system, with Maserati's Active Shifting paddles now standard. The paddles, drawn from the Trofeo racing car, are longer than the standard steering column-mounted paddles and make shifting easier in enthusiastic driving. The Maserati GranCabrio Sport debuts two new interior colours in rich leather: Bianco Pregiato and Grigio Chrono. Bianco Pregiato is a more-pure white colour than the existing pearl colour and can be used everywhere except the top of the dashboard. Grigio Chrono is a darker grey, developed to complement the new Rosso Trionfale body colour. To differentiate it further from the standard GranCabrio, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport badge will be positioned on the dashboard in front of the passenger. While the front passenger seat matches the driver's seat by receiving adjustable lumbar support as standard, all four seats incorporate the new M-Design seat stitching.
Exterior Design
Maserati's design team worked to provide a more-aggressive look that sat in harmony with the GranCabrio's critically acclaimed styling. A series of relatively small upgrades in critical areas have created an integrated, dynamic design that immediately differentiates the Maserati GranCabrio Sport from the rest of the GranCabrio range and identifies it with both the Quattroporte Sport GT S and the GranTurismo S. It introduces a new colour, Rosso Trionfale - a classic red that pays tribute to the championship-winning Maserati racing cars of the 1950s. It's a colour that highlights the Maserati GranCabrio Sport's strong personality, yet maintains its elegant and slim look. The strong, distinctive GranCabrio grille receives even more character with a new black colour, while the grille's Maserati Trident receives the red accents that are reserved for the fastest car in each of Maserati's model ranges. These red accents are also found on the Quattroporte Sport GT S and the GranTurismo S. The headlights now have a black look with white reflectors, while front corner splitters and the redesigned side skirts are both body coloured. The Shadow line, with its dark look around the base of the window glass, stresses the dramatic look of the car, strengthening its personality and pointing out the sinous lines of the body.
Engine
The Maserati GranCabrio Sport uses the latest version of Maserati's sonorous, all-alloy 4.7-litre V8, taken straight from the high-performance GranTurismo MC Stradale. This naturally aspirated engine produces 450 horsepower (331kW) at 7000rpm: that is10hp more than the GranCabrio. It is also rich with torque, with a peak of 510Nm (20Nm more than the GranCabrio) arriving at 4750rpm. Eighty percent of its maximum torque is already available at just 2500rpm. The performance increases are a result of Maserati's Friction Reduction Program, which has made the Maserati GranCabrio Sport's engine more reactive to the driver's most-nuanced inputs. This program included a revision of the oil sump's fluid dynamics and the application of a Diamond-Like Coating to the tappets and the super-finished camshaft lobes. Besides added power, torque and responsiveness, the Friction Reduction Program has lowered the Maserati GranCabrio Sport's fuel consumption by six percent to a combined total of 14.5 litres/100km.
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