1957 Porsche 356 Vintage Speedster New Car 1915cc Disc Brakes Beautiful Must See on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2024 Maserati GranTurismo reveals its evolutionary, still-sybaritic interior

After our own Ronan Glon visited Maserati HQ in Modena, Italy to view the 2024 GranTurismo, he wrote, "I can't tell you much about the interior; I saw it, but I'm sworn to automotive omerta until early 2023. What I can say is that Maserati went to significant lengths to make the GranTurismo a true four-seater, and a pair of average-sized adults should be relatively comfortable in the rear seats." The Italians have finally released images of the new GranTurismo interior, and while we're still waiting to have a proper seat in the coupe, we can't detect that any lies have been told.  For those who found the new car's exterior much more evolutionary than one would have expected from not just a rebooted car, but a rebooted brand, the interior also retains familiar cues. The steering wheel is the biggest departure from the past, the new helm looking more like something out of a Mercedes-AMG product. There's a new screen beneath the infotainment display in the center console that appears to be devoted to HVAC controls. And there's no shift lever anymore; paddle shifters do the work of changing cogs in the eight-speed automatic transmission fitted to the ICE-powered trims. Otherwise, the Maserati clock assumes its usual place atop the dash between vent registers, the instrument panel lines create a strong sense of dual cockpits, and the leather looks as sumptuous as ever. The automaker only provided galleries for two of the three trims to be released, the Modena and Trofeo. Both get the 3.0-liter Nettuno V6, which makes 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in the Modena, 550 hp and 479 lb-ft in the Trofeo. The two variants are distinguished inside by details like different leather patterning on the instrument panel and seats, more vibrant cross-stitching in the Trofeo, and a black Start button in the Modena versus the blue Start button in the Trofeo. Outside, the Trofeo wears carbon fiber embellishments like the front intake surrounds, rocker panel extensions, and decklid spoiler. We don't have interior images of the battery-electric GranTurismo Folgore yet. It likely has other interior surprises for us. Maserati will begin delivering the new GranTurismo in the second quarter of 2023. Pricing will start at around $200,000.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Car designer Frank Stephenson wants to show you something ... smaller

Influential car designer Frank Stephenson has often thought small. Now he’s thinking smaller. Throughout the past three decades, he has shaped — literally — some of the most indelible designs in automotive history: the modern Mini, the Ferrari FXX track star, the Maserati Gran Sport, a range of stunning McLarens and down to the funky 21st-century version of the Fiat 500. Now heÂ’s turned his pen to fashioning watches. His Cosmos analog piece, made to mirror “a black hole in space” and detailed “with an orange pinstripe which simulates the supernova glow of a neutron star,” features a Japan-built quartz movement and was created in concert with the Time Concepts company. “ItÂ’s the age-old adage ‘car people are watch people,Â’ so it was a natural step for me to get creative with timepieces too,” Stephenson said in a statement. “The collection showcases the love I have for exceptional and emotionally charged design, just like what is required in designing world class cars.” While Stephenson, who is 64, may be best known publicly for his vision of “affordable style” with the Mini and the Fiat, his ethos also translated to the utilitarian. In the case of BMW in the mid-1990s, the company was hustling to market an SUV, and turned to him for inspiration. His team had six months to complete the project. The result was the high-end X5, which Stephenson sketched during a two-hour flight. In 2018, Stephenson established the independent design company, Frank Stephenson Design, based in London. Related video: Design/Style BMW Ferrari Fiat Maserati McLaren MINI Gadgets watch frank stephenson

Maserati teases us with its MC20 testing in the snow

It may be feeling spring-like here in parts of the United States, but there was still plenty of snowpack in Livigno, Italy, when Maserati took its forthcoming MC20 supercar out for a photo session during some cold-weather testing at Ghiacciodromo Livigno.  "During its cold-weather mission, the super sports car was tested to evaluate engine cold starting, the low-temperature performance of its elastic components and the car’s handling on cold and low-grip asphalt surfaces," said the accompanying release. "The test is also performed to verify correct functioning of the Climate Control System in cold conditions; tests were also conducted on the battery, suspensions and brakes." Just reading that, you'd think their trip was all business. Indeed, this is the latest stop on the MC20's worldwide durability testing tour, but from the playful scenes we see here, it's pretty obvious that the engineers had their share of fun giving the MC20's suspension and powertrain a workout in the low-grip environment.  2022 Maserati MC20 winter testing View 5 Photos The MC20 is a mid-engined, 621-horsepower, mid-engine super-coupe that was built with the race track in mind. Power comes from a new V6 that is the first in the company's new "Nettuno" (Neptune) engine series. The twin-turbocharged mill produces 210 horsepower/liter, making it one of the most power-dense engines in the world. It was designed, developed, and produced in-house by Maserati's engineers despite sharing some of its fundamental design with other performance engines in its corporate family.  Maserati has only unveiled the street-legal variant of the MC20 seen here so far, but we expect it won't be long before we hear more about its competition aspirations.