2008 Maserati Granturismo Base Coupe 2-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Maserati Bora turns 50. It was 'the thinking man's exotic'

The Maserati Bora made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1971, meaning the V8-powered supercar from Modena has just turned 50 years old. It arrived at a time when the Italian sports car manufacturers were undergoing a paradigm shift to the mid-engined layout that defines the modern supercar. The Bora (not to be confused with the VW sedan we knew as the fourth-generation Jetta) was named after a winter wind that blows from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Though it holds the distinction of being the first Maserati to employ the mid-engine configuration, it was a bit of a latecomer, following on the heels of Lamborghini's 1966 Miura, De Tomaso's 1964 Vallelunga and Ferrari's 1967 Dino 206 GT. However, it was a dramatic departure from the curvaceous designs of the 1960s. Skinned in an avant-garde wedge penned by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Bora was like a concept car come to life. Its most distinguishing characteristic, the unpainted A-pillars and roof, were polished stainless steel, a preview of Giugiaro's DeLorean that would not arrive for another decade. Any resemblance to De Tomaso's Mangusta was probably a coincidence (or the fact that it too was a Giugiaro design). The Bora's massive rear glass area showed off its aluminum twin-cam V8, nestled in a racecar-like steel-tube subframe. Motors came as either a high-revving 4.7-liter unit good for 310 horsepower and 325 pound-feet, or a torquier 4.9-liter producing 320 hp and 355 lb-ft. Delivered through a smooth-shifting ZF five-speed, it carried the car from 0-60 in a reported 6.6 seconds, and onward to a top speed of 174 mph. The Bora modernized Maserati, offering a four-wheel independent suspension for the first time behind the Trident badge. The Bora was considered more liveable than a Countach, thanks to features like double-paned glass between the cabin and engine compartment, a carpeted engine cover, and adjustable pedal box. Though overshadowed by its contemporaries from Maranello and Sant'Agata Bolognese, the Bora was considered the thinking man's exotic. As evidence of its decidedly un-basic following it was even cited in 1984's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, describing the evil Dr. Emilio Lizardo's escape from imprisonment: "Last night he kills a guard, breaks out of Trenton Home for the Criminally Insane. Ten minutes later, he cops a Maserati Bora.

Maserati likely delays Alfieri, new GranTurismo coming first

The Maserati Alfieri won't be the next vehicle from the Trident-badged brand to hit the market after the Levante crossover. Instead, replacements for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio will arrive first. For now, Maserati CEO Harald Wester won't even speculate about when the production Alfieri will debut. At the Geneva Motor Show, Motoring tried to pin Wester down about the Alfieri's future, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about the 2+2 sports car. The boss said he didn't know if the model was still on schedule and gave a terse "no comment" response about a possible launch next year. He did confirm Maserati's upcoming product slate, though. "The next one will be substitution of GranTursimo, GranCabrio by successors. We already had discussion about Alfieri and I don't want to go into details," Wester told Motoring. A report late last year claimed Maserati had delayed the Alfieri due to the weakening market in China. As opposed to launching the niche sports car there, FCA, parent company of both Maserati and Alfa Romeo, allegedly refocused its plans on updating the Alfa Romeo Mito and Giulietta, which are more popular in Europe. Maserati debuted the Alfieri as a concept at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, and FCA's five-year plan that year slated a production version for 2016 and a convertible variant for 2017. A selection of V6 engines with 410-, 450-, and 520-horsepower outputs would hook up to the rear or all four wheels, depending on the model. The Italian company also scheduled a new GranTurismo with at least 560 hp to launch in 2018. Maserati's desire to reach an annual volume of 75,000 vehicles by 2018 also looks in doubt. The company's original figure assumes launching the Levante on time, Wester told Motoring. Because of the luxury crossover's delay, the company now expects to reach 50,000 units a year by 2017. Related Video:

Maserati announces the official end of its V8s

We all knew this was coming. Maserati announced it was going all-electric by 2030, so the end was definitely in sight for the V8. But now it's crystal clear. Maserati will end production of its V8s at the end of this year. The company says that there will still be some V8-powered models on sale into 2024. We're assuming that's based on inventory that may not have yet sold or been delivered by the end of 2023. Maserati will have a little something, though, to celebrate its road-going V8 history, which dates back to 1959 and its 5000 GT coupe. It will launch two special editions, the Ghibli 334 Ultima and the Levante V8 Ultima. These will be revealed in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Those models will join the existing Trofeo versions of the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte that are on sale now, all with V8s. Maserati didn't say anything about upgrades to the V8 itself. So presumably, it will remain the familiar twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 making 572 horsepower that is available in other trims now. Any additional changes to the special edition cars will probably be colors, trimmings and maybe handling tweaks. Even if Maserati wasn't going all-electric, the V8's days were probably numbered. The new top-dog engine is the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 used in the Grecale Trofeo and the MC20 supercar. In the MC20, it makes 620 horsepower; more than the V8. But of course, even that new V6's days are numbered. All of Maserati is going electric, and while the internal combustion models aren't being phased out just yet, every model has electric versions on the way under the Folgore name. That includes the mainstream models such as the new Grecale SUV as well as the sports cars including the new GranTurismo and the MC20. Those electric models aren't far away, either. Maserati's goal is to have electric versions of all its models by the end of 2025, and hybridization isn't part of the plan. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.