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Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima First (and Final) Drive Review: Arrivederci V8

BORMIO, Italy – Maserati has sold more than 100,000 cars with a V8 engine. Its smallest V8s had 3.2 liters of displacement; its biggest were 4.9-liter units. Its first V8 powered the rare, short-lived V8RI race car released in 1935; its final V8s will be built in December 2023 for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante. After that, the curtains come down. Officially, the Italian brand explains its new, 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 (a brilliant engine thatÂ’s twin-turbocharged to 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque in the MC20) leaves nothing to be desired in terms of performance. Privately, insiders also cite looming emissions regulations in key markets as a reason for finally hopping on the downsizing train. Will the V8 ever come back? “Never say never,” IÂ’m told, though a return isnÂ’t planned as of this writing. To hell with heritage; the cost of summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators around the world outweighs whatever benefits Maserati would reap by saving the V8 in the name of tradition. ItÂ’s the end of the V8 era, then, and Maserati is commemorating it with two limited-edition models called Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante V8 Ultima, respectively. The Quattroporte is available with a V8 as well, but a special-edition version of the big sedan isnÂ’t in the pipeline because Maserati wanted to focus on its better-selling models. In both cases, the Italian company has saved the best for last. The Ghibli 334 Ultima stands out with an edition-specific color called Persia Blu, 21-inch Orione wheels, Pirelli P-Zero tires made using a stickier compound, and several carbon fiber bits (such as the door mirror caps) that save about 55 pounds. The Rubino Red “334” logo painted on each fender denotes the new top speed: 334 kilometers per hour, which represents about 207 miles per hour and makes the 334 faster than the Trofeo itÂ’s based on by 5 mph — itÂ’s also the fastest sedan on the market. The previous title holder, BentleyÂ’s Continental Flying Spur, tops out at 333 kph, which also converts to about 207 mph, but Maserati is Italian and uses the metric system to measure its bragging rights. The sedanÂ’s 0-to-62-mph time drops from 4.3 to 3.9 seconds, but the engine remains the same: ItÂ’s the tried-and-true 3.8 rated at 572 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Inside, the 334 Ultima comes with two-tone Pale Terracotta and black upholstery that echoes some of MaseratiÂ’s classic models without going full-on retro.

Maserati MC12 GT1 looks, sounds great storming VIR

Maserati has been celebrating its 100th anniversary all year, but recent visitors to Virginia International Raceway might have gotten to see one of the coolest highlights of the whole centenary. The brand took its already amazing MC12 GT1 racer and painted it up to commemorate its 100th birthday, dubbing the model Maserati MC12 GT1 Centenario. That would be neat enough, but the spectators at VIR actually got to watch and listen to this special edition racecar lap the track with its spectacular exhaust note singing a fantastic tune.
It's rather rare to see these beastly V12 racers on track in the US these days, but they were quite successful in FIA GT1 competition in Europe several years ago. The sound that they make perfectly matches those purposeful, low-slung looks. Switch this video into HD and turn up the speakers to experience a look at this fantastic racecar.

Maserati teases MC20 Cielo debut for May 25

A while back, Maserati's product roadmap penciled in an MC20 Spider to hit the market this year. In December 2021, the Modena automaker teased frontal views of the droptop supercar wearing camouflage full of fluffy clouds. In a series of Instagram posts over the last week, Maserati posted photos from the point of view of someone with an uninterrupted view skyward — the same kind of view one would experience in a convertible, say. One of the captions was, "You will admire the sky in a new way on Wednesday 25 May." That will be the reveal date for what the automaker is now calling the Maserati MC20 Cielo, with that last word being Italian for "sky." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Since we got no views of the rear of the camouflaged car, we have no idea what design changes we'll see in a little more than a week. Looking closely at the photos of the camouflaged prototype, it's clear there's are temporary panels between behind the B-pillar all the way to the decklid spoiler. An odd feature on the prototype is a trio of ribs running from the A-pillar to the rear of the car, with the middle protrusion looking like a papered-over roof scoop. That seems like a lot of work to hide a form we're already familiar with, and a convertible mechanism we don't expect to hold any surprises, so we'll see what we see on May 25. Maserati's usual Spider formula hasn't traditionally altered a car's underpinnings, so the same carbon fiber monocoque should come bolted to the same 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 making 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. The skylight does traditionally jack up the price, so expect to pay more than the coupe's $210,000 MSRP. We figure the model will arrive in showrooms late this year at the earliest, an appearance in the U.S. likely in 2023. After this, we know there's an even more powerful electric version on the way that will be the flagship of the range. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Maserati MC20 supercar plays in the snow