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Maserati returns to Indianapolis to commemorate historic win

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, folks, and you know what that means: racing. There was the Monaco Grand Prix for Formula One fans, and back Stateside there was the Indianapolis 500. You might expect to see a name like Maserati pop up at the former more than the latter, but that wasn't always the case.
These days its all about Dallara chassis powered by Chevy or Honda, but over the course of a century there have been plenty of foreign automakers that have won the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. McLaren won it twice in the 1970s, Mercedes and Peugoet won during the race's pre-WWI infancy, and in between them Boyle Racing won it two years in a row with a Maserati chassis and engine.
The car was the Maserati 8CTF "Boyle Special," and its first win came 75 years ago. So to mark the occasion (as well as Maserati's 100th anniversary), the car was brought back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a revival lap. Unfortunately Wilbur Shaw, who won the Indy 500 three times (twice in the Maserati) and went on to be president of the speedway, died in a plane crash the day before his 52nd birthday in 1954. So in his place fellow three-time winner Johnny Rutherford took the wheel of the 8CTF in front of the gathered crowds.

Maserati ends GranTurismo production with one-off Zeda model

MODENA, Italy — Maserati celebrated the end of the GranTurismo's 12-year production run by building a one-off example called Zeda, which is the name of the letter Z in the Modenese dialect. The Italian firm unveiled the milestone car in the historic Modena, Italy, factory it's preparing to re-tool for a new addition to its range due out in early 2020. The Zeda is not the last GranTurismo off the production line; Autoblog visited the Modena factory minutes before the car's unveiling and spotted the last dozen or so cars behind it, but a company spokesperson explained all of the unfinished models have already been spoken for. The commemorative coupe is the last GranTurismo that hasn't been sold yet. It stands out from the roughly 40,000 examples made since the model broke cover during the 2007 Geneva Motor Show with an eye-catching paint job that starts with a deep blue applied to the front part of the car and ends with a light satin finish. The rear almost looks like bare metal in person. Edition-specific emblems on the front fenders add a finishing touch to the look.  rg-maserati-granturismo-zeda-2 View 12 Photos There are no changes under the hood. The Zeda is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 engine developed with input from former sister company Ferrari and tuned to deliver 460 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 383 pound-feet of torque at 4,740 rpm. The eight-cylinder spins the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission that can be left in drive or shifted manually using paddles. Maserati hasn't decided what it will do with the GranTurismo Zeda yet. It might keep the car in its private collection, or it could sell it to a collector. Either way, the coupe will remain a one-of-a-kind example, one that marks the start of a new era for the 105-year old Italian automaker. The plant that currently builds the GranTurismo (and the Alfa Romeo 4C, which is also being phased out) will begin manufacturing a sports car that Maserati will unveil during the 2020 Geneva auto show. It's expected to arrive as a two-seater that will draw inspiration from the Alfieri concept introduced during the 2014 edition of the event. It will be a sharper, more driver-focused model than the GranTurismo, which is a grand tourer by definition. Its rivals will include the Porsche 911 and the Jaguar F-Type.

Maserati MC20 Icona and Leggenda special editions channel the MC12

Maserati is celebrating 20 years since the introduction of its legendary MC12 launched and took to the circuit with a couple of special edition MC20 supercars. Named the MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda, each takes after a specific look originally applied to MC12s. The MC20 Icona uses the MC12 Stradale’s best-known look with the white and blue two-tone on the exterior. Maserati says it consists of Bianco Audace Matte and Blu Stradale on this MC20. YouÂ’ll also notice the Maserati Fuoriserie logo in Bianco Audace on the side of the car and the Italian flag just behind the front wheels, reminiscent of where it sits on the MC12. Maserati matched the wheel finish of the MC12 with a silver look on the MC20, and the blue-painted calipers really pop behind said wheels. As for the interior, Maserati equips both cars with the optional lightweight four-way racing seats. The Icona specifically enjoys a black and blue two-tone interior colorway with “Icona” embroidered onto the headrests. As for the Leggenda (directly above), this MC20 takes after the Vitaphone Racing teamÂ’s livery for its MC12 GT1 race car. ItÂ’s finished in Nero Essenza and Digital Mint Matte. Interestingly, Maserati throws a splash of yellow at the Leggenda with yellow trident logos on the doors, grille and C-pillars. The trident wheels are then done in Nero Lucido with Digital Mint accents, and the calipers are painted in black to complete the package. Inside, you get a black and silver two-tone interior with “Leggenda” embroidered on the headrests. Maserati is only making 20 of each special edition model, called out by “UNA DI 20” on a badge in the engine bay. All of them are specÂ’d with a number of options such as the carbon fiber interior package, electronic limited-slip differential, nose lift, carbon fiber engine cover, Sonus Faber sound system, blind-spot monitoring and premium carpets. Related video: