Maserati Spider Gt 16k Miles Ferrari Lamborghini Quality For Less No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Maserati GT2 turns the MC20 into a real race car

Maserati previewed a racing version of the MC20 super car last year, and now it's finally showing the real thing. The car has dropped the MC20 name altogether, becoming just the Maserati GT2. That's a bit odd, considering it's still an MC20 at its core, but regardless, the race car is still pretty sweet. Significant exterior changes have been made to become a GT2 race car. Vents, louvres and intakes are all over and much larger. It's all in service of increased downforce, as well as increased cooling. And besides adding more holes, the GT2 features a flat undercarriage, bigger diffuser and a giant adjustable rear wing. The carbon fiber chassis is the same as the MC20, and it continues to use double-wishbone suspension front and rear. But geometry has been updated, and it uses unique shocks, springs and anti-roll bars. And of course, they're all adjustable. Stopping power is provided by six-piston front calipers, four-piston rears, and ventilated steel rotors. The engine is also pretty much what you would expect in a regular MC20, and Maserati even quotes the same 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. But the output of the twin-turbo Nettuno V6 can be adjusted based on balance of performance needs for races. It also is capable of greater overall boost pressure and reduced back pressure in the opened-up exhaust. It does ditch the eight-speed automatic in favor of a six-speed sequential manual transmission, plus a competition-ready limited-slip differential. The interior is expectedly gutted. In place of the more luxurious MC20 cockpit, the GT2 gets race-spec seats, a multifunction steering wheel and control stack and a screen for instruments. It also has a roll cage and six-point racing harness. While many niceties are gone, the GT2 does still have air conditioning. Maserati will be offering the GT2 to professional racing teams for regular competition and private owners for track and occasional racing use. The company expects the car to start appearing in the Fanatec GT2 European Series this year, with full-year competition starting next year. Related Video:

Maserati Ghibli pricing announced for UK

Maserati's newest car, Ghibli, is a stunningly well-proportioned luxury sedan mixing the styling of the larger Quattroporte sedan and the GranTurismo coupe. We found it plenty good to in our First Drive review, and now we know how much it will cost (in the UK, at least).
Ghibli pricing announced at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is for customers in the UK, but based on current exchange rates and prices of other Maseratis sold here in the US, we can estimate its MSRP for our market. The base Ghibli, with a twin-turbocharged V6 making 325 horsepower, will cost 52,275 pounds for the Bits, making $75,000 a good guess for American buyers. If that number holds true, however, the Ghibli would be in a price category above its main competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Take a step up to the Ghibli S, sporting a naturally aspirated V8 producing 404 hp, and you'll have to fork out 63,415 pounds or an estimated $91,000 here.
Just for kicks, the Europe-only Ghibli Diesel, which makes 270 hp and 420 pound-feet of torque with its diesel V6, is the least-expensive Maserati 48,830 pounds. Running an estimated $70k for us, we'd really like to have that one, too. After all, the sparkplug-less engine is the same one found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel.

Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA

Audi has swapped trademarks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to snare the rights to the Q2 and Q4 badges for upcoming crossover SUVs. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed at the Detroit Motor Show that the automaker had finally persuaded FCA to release the two names that would let Audi lock up the Q1 to Q9 badges for its growing SUV family. Audi already plans to drop the Q2 name onto its MQB-based city crossover five-door this year, while the Q4 badge will slot onto the rump of a coupe-like version of the next Q3. It will also reserve the Q1 badge for a 2018 baby crossover, based around the architecture of the next A1 hatch. The A1 will share a lot of its engineering with Volkswagen's Polo-based soft-roader, dubbed T-Cross in concept form. The German company has also pounced on the naming rights for SQ versions of all of its Q-cars, along with F-Tron to cover the day when it pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars into production. Stadler insisted that no money had changed hands in order to pry the two badges off FCA, admitting that they had "each found something we needed." "We promised each other we wouldn't disclose what it cost, but it was not something they were willing to sell," Stadler said. "We tried to get it years ago and they said 'No, never,' but there is never 'never' in business. ... This year I went back to them with a proposal and we talked and there were some negotiations and then we agreed to it." Those negotiations are believed to have centered on a trademark swap with a Volkswagen Group name that FCA desperately (evidently) wants to use on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge or Maserati. Asked if Audi had given FCA a trademark in return for Q2 and Q4, Stadler replied, "Something very much like that, yes." Audi has used Italian names on past concept cars that FCA could be interested in, such as the 2001 Avantissimo concept and the 2003 Nuvolari coupe. The latter was named after legendary pre-war racer Tazio, who won grands prix for both Alfa Romeo and Audi's forerunner, Auto Union. Both are unlikely trade chips, with laws in Europe preventing the trademarking of the names of actual people. There is always "quattro" (Italian for "four"), but after investing nearly four decades locking it in as an Audi all-wheel-drive name, it's just not anything like trade bait.