Designed as a more practical alternative to the British luxury automaker’s line-up, which otherwise consists only of two-door models, the truth is that the Rapide may be the one of the sexiest four-door models on sale, but it hasn’t managed to achieve the kind of sales Aston was hoping for.
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We've already told you about Alfa Romeo in a previous article (see here), so let's see what the future holds for Maserati.
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There are many conflicting reports about the incident circulating around the web, including that the Maserati driver was a valet and not the owner, but nothing that we can confirm.
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Even though the man was careful not to hit the door on the bus that was standing beside the car, he didn't figure that the truck driver would take off at an angle slamming the Maserati's door.
Watch how it happened in the video after the jump.
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Sure, the two models are not in the same league, but on the other hand, the Maser costs a fraction of the Ferrari's price and boasts equally fabulous looks as well as a Maranello-sourced V8 under its sculpted hood.
At the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, Maserati unveiled the latest version of the GranTurismo as well as its open top sibling, the GranCabrio with the Sport moniker. The Sport models replace the S variants and the changes are more than skin deep.
For starters, the 4.7-liter V8 engine now produces 453HP and 520Nm (383.5 lb-ft) of torque, up from the 440HP and 490Nm (361.4 lb-ft) of the GranTurismo S.
Power is still channeled to the rear wheels and buyers can choose between a “robotised manual”, i.e. semi-automatic, or a conventional manual gearbox.
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The new model, which replaces the GranTurismo S variant in the coupe's lineup, benefits from a more powerful engine and some select styling changes to its exterior and interior.
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Starting with Toyota, the Japanese carmaker has issued a recall on a total of 427 RAV4 vehicles manufactured from November 24, 2011, through December 19, 2011, because the curtain shield airbags may not deploy. Toyota said it would check the RAV4s and if necessary, replace the assemblies. The safety recall is expected to begin in early March.
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Famed German tuning house Novitec and its Tridente division, which specializes on Maserati models, decided to step in and offer owners of the GT MC Stradale an upgrade package that focuses on the performance aspect.
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This Sport pack is said to enhance the GranTurismo S Automatic's performance by adding the MC Auto Shift software that allows for faster gear changes and a revised exhaust system, which keeps its bypass valves fully open in Sport mode to provide what the company describes as "an even richer sound".
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Under the bonnet, the 4.7-liter V8 engine is boosted from 440-horses to 492HP via a software optimization program and a new custom exhaust system.
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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 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.
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.
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.
By far one of the most beatiful GT's in the market, the Maserati GranTurismo S is also one of the most potent cars ever manufactured by the Italian automaker. But for companies like Novitec, there's always room for perfection. The German boutique's latest pitch straps on a supercharger to the GranTurismo S' V8 boosting output from 440HP to 600HP while the mechanical upgrades are complemented by subtle aerodynamic package and 20 / 21-inch alloy wheels.
In detail, Novitec's Tridente arm fitted a newly developed supercharger to the GranTurismo S' 4.7-liter V8 while other changes include a water-to-air intercooler, a new intake system and larger injectors plus new mapping for the engine electronics. The conversion that is priced at €23,681 $31,800 boosts power from 440HP to 600HP while peak torque grows from 490 Nm to 588 Nm at 5,400 rpm.
The result is a sprint time of 4.5 seconds from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) and 14.6 seconds to 200km/h (124mph) that represent an improvement of 0.4 and 2.6 seconds respectively over the standard production car. Furthermore, top speed grows from 295 to 315 km/h (196mph).
Aside from the usual suspension tweaks, the German tuning house also offers a height adjustable suspension system that raises front and rear axle by 40 millimeters at the push of button to overcome everyday obstacles like speed bumps or parking ramps. If the suspension is not lowered by the driver it'll revert to the normal level automatically once the car reaches a speed of 80 km/h or 50mph.
Another aspect of Novitec's programm for the GranTurismo concerns the coupe's exterior that has been upgraded with a subtle bodykit that includes front spoiler lips, rocker panels and a boot lid spoiler. Optionally, Novitec offers all of the above the components with a clear-coated carbon-fiber finish. The coupe's looks are finished off with a three-piece alloy wheels available in various color combinations in size 9Jx20 in front and in size 12.5Jx21 on the rear axle. The alloys are shod in high-performance Pirelli tires in sizes 275/30 ZR 20 and 355/25 ZR 21.
