THE last time Maserati had a GranTurismo in the showrooms was in 2019, and then production of the model stopped after some 40,000 cars had been sold worldwide.
At that time, the carmaker didn’t say it was the end of the line but rather that it was focussing on factory renovation.
It also said that it would develop a new “Made in Italy” high-performance sportscar which would undoubtedly continue the iconic model line that began 75 years ago with the Pinin Farina-designed A6 1500 of 1947.
The all-new GranTurismo must be nearing launch as it has now been revealed in public without camouflage.
With “a selected number of employees from the Maserati Family in the driving sea”’ and travelling many kilometres, prototypes must be undergoing final real-world testing.
This is the time when pictures start to appear on social media so the company has probably decided that it’s more practical to simply allow the car to be seen uncamouflaged.
Maserati has not released much information about the latest descendant of the model line but mentioned that the prototypes (in Modena and Trofeo versions) are powered by the V6 Nettuno engine.
This engine is already being used in the MC20, so its technical details are known. It was developed in-house and is made at Maserati’s own factory.
With technology derived from Formula 1, the 6-cylinder powerplant has a 90° vee configuration with a 3-litre displacement and a dry sump. For the MC20, it has two turbochargers and an output of 630ps/730 Nm.
Although Maserati has highlighted the Nettuno engine for the new GranTurismo, the company has also said that the new model will be the first of the brand’s six cars to adopt “a 100% electric solution”.
In June last year, it issued some pictures of a camouflaged car “photographed in the streets of Modena”, adding that prototypes were running around on the circuit as well.
In April this year, Carlos Tavares, CEO of the Stellantis Group (which Maserati is a part of), gave a sneak preview of a prototype GranTurismo with an electric powertrain when he drove it around during promotional activity for the 2022 Formula E Rome E-Prix.
Folgore (Italian for lightning) will be used to identify the line of Maserati EVs to be launched over the next three years.
Maserati will be the first among the Italian luxury car brands to produce full-electric models, with the aim also to be the first to complete its electric line-up by 2025.
Details about the electric powertrain – to be developed and made in Italy – are limited. However, Maserati has said that it will have three electric motors (two at the rear, one in front) and generate up to 1,200ps so hypercar performance can be expected.
The company has given assurance that while exhaust emissions will fall to zero, one iconic element of the cars with the Trident will still be present: the distinctive growl.
Of course, the equivalent for electric motors would usually be a high-pitched whine so it will be interesting to see how the engineers incorporate that familiar adrenalin-pulsing roar.
