2010 Maserati Quattroporte S *1 Owner*showroom*suede*fresh Service* on 2040-cars

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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:

2019 Maserati Levante Trofeo / GTS First Drive Review | Yes, you want the Ferrari V8

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. — The wine glasses are rapidly draining. It's getting late, and Maserati design chief Klaus Busse appears to be fighting a cold. Yet he can't resist sketching something on a menu to illustrate his point. The A6GCS quickly takes shape. One of the most celebrated Maseratis ever, Busse uses this beacon to reconcile the Italian marque's transition to crossovers. It's how he explains and rationalizes the Levante, a stylish SUV aimed directly at the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe. The A6GCS, a rare, Pininfarina-built sports car, lives on in today's Maseratis, he argues. This includes the Levante, a handsome crossover aimed at suburban cruisers bored with the notion of German luxury. Can a brand with rich sporting heritage reconcile with evolving market trends? It must, even if the connection to a mythical 1950s racer is a bit tenuous. But a pair of Ferrari-powered V8 twins, the Levante GTS and Levante Trofeo, make that progression easier. Prodigious outputs of 550 and 590 horsepower help. They are the top-shelf Levantes. You buy them when the powerful twin-turbo V6 Levante and Levante S simply won't do. You're talking six-figure prices, decadent interiors and more than a bit of bling. Well-heeled professionals drive the Levante, which starts at $75,980 and packs 345 hp, or pony up $11,000 for the Levante S and its 424 horses. The V8 starts at $119,980 for the GTS, and the Trofeo comes in at a lofty $169,980. These buyers haven't just made it, they're likely set for life. "We're not in the boy racer clientele," Busse says. "There's a certain level of accomplishment that you feel in driving a Maserati." That's probably true. But should the Trofeo be associated with generational wealth? I'm pondering this as I pull a hard right, kick up some dirt and pull onto the Pacific Coast Highway. The ocean laps to my left as the eight cylinders unlimber and I find myself reaching 60 miles per hour with little effort. The quoted time is 3.7 seconds, which feels dead on. I cue up Corsa, the sportiest of the Levante's drive modes, one that's only available on the Trofeo. The road is winding. I fall into a rhythm as I make my way up the coast toward Big Sur. The car's selling point is the engine, but the Skyhook suspension with electronically controlled damping keeps this 4,784-pound SUV reasonably tied down and poised. The cabin is quiet, as expected for the segment, allowing for easy conversation.

Maserati confirms next Quattroporte, Levante will be EV-only

Maserati's lineup will look a lot different in the second half of the 2020s than it does in 2022. The company confirmed that the Levante and the Quattroporte will be replaced by electric models, and it announced that the Ghibli, its entry-level car, will retire without a successor. "What we see in the market is that there is a transition from sedans to SUVs. There is still a very clear demand for sport sedans, but we believe that we can serve customers even better by substituting the Ghibli and the Quattroporte with just one new sport sedan," explained Francesco Tonon, the Italian company's head of product planning, during a press conference. We don't know when the Ghibli will retire yet. Executives aren't worried about losing sales by axing the Ghibli. The long-awaited Grecale crossover scheduled to make its debut online on March 22 will likely become the best-selling Maserati model with relative ease due to its positioning, and it will neatly fill the void left by the sedan at the bottom of the company's range. And, the next generation of the Quattroporte will carry the sedan torch into the 2020s. "We strongly believe that there is a future for the sedan, but probably not for two sedans. One will be enough to meet demand," Tonon noted. It's too early to provide concrete details about the next-generation Levante and Quattroporte. Both are due out in 2025 at the earliest. However, what's already set in stone is that neither car will be available with a gasoline-burning engine. Both will be all electric, all the time. "We are focused on delivering the best EV and the best electric large SUV. There will be no ICE and no PHEVs; just electric," Tonon said.