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The latest addition to the Maserati range is the Maserati GranSport, a new
model celebrating the concept of sportiness at the heart of all of the Trident’s
Grand Tourers. The Maserati Gransport will make it’s Southern Hemisphere debut
at The Australian Motorshow on October 7. The new car, which joins the
Quattroporte, Coupé and Spyder in the Maserati range, will be priced from
$242,500 plus on-road costs.
The GranSport’s name alone suggests its eager thoroughbred GT spirit, the
kind of spirit that can provide plenty of fun on demand for the driver. The
GranSport name also has a special symbolic significance for the Trident as it
was first used in the 1950s for an elegant two-litre coupe designed by the
Carozzeria Frua on the base of the famous A6 G.
The new GranSport, however, is designed to offer an exciting alternative to
the current Coupé, and as such, has been treated to series of new enhancements
that give it a very powerful temperament indeed.
AN AERODYNAMIC THOROUGHBRED
The Maserati GranSport’s harmonious
volumes are beautifully combined with more muscular, aerodynamic forms, the
fruit of much testing in the wind tunnel aimed at improving the Cx value and
achieving a balanced division of the vertical loads (Cz) between the front and
rear axles. The result is that the Maserati GranSport has a Cx of 0.33, one of
the very best in its category. An almost total absence of over-steer and
improved front-wheel drivability and precision make it very easy to handle too
and ensure that drivers will be able to really put it and themselves through
their paces in complete safety. Work on the new model’s aerodynamics has led to
the addition of new bumpers. The front one, in fact, has a very pronounced lower
spoiler with side bars elegantly integrated into the body itself, while the
luggage compartment deck has been given a discreet yet equally efficient spoiler
lip. The new aerodynamic features associated with the fact that the set-up is
now 10 mm lower, result in a two-point improvement in the Cx value and translate
into clear benefits for the driver. In fact, the Maserati GranSport offers a
truly blistering drive, thanks to its direct, precise steering and excellent
stability at high speeds.
The traditional Trident elegance is there too in the classic chrome grille
reminiscent of the Quattroporte’s. The grilles over the air vents on the rear
bumper are chrome too. The Maserati GranSport’s sporty look is completed by new
19” wheels inspired by the ones sported by the cars in the Maserati Trofeo
Championship, with spokes forming a very attractive Trident.
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