2012 Maseratis Show Off New 4.7 Liter V8

Maserati has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle in the past decade. Too sporty to be an ueber-luxury car and too luxurious to be an all-out sports car, Maseratis exist for a very small niche. That does not mean that Maserati has been resting on its laurels. For 2012, it has updated nearly all of its models both mechanically and inside. 

The big news from Maserati for 2012 is the new GranCabrio Sport. Meant to nuzzle in between the GranCabrio and GranTurismo, the GranCabrio Sport gets a 4.7 liter V8 that produces 331kW/450hp and 510Nm of torque. It comes exclusively with a six-speed, automatic transmission. It also gets a the latest version of Maserati's Skyhook active suspension that is tuned towards more aggressive handling. It also has a baffled exhaust that opens when the car is in Sport car to give it a meaner exhaust note. 

The exterior of the GranCabrio Sport is basically the same as the GranCabrio, but the Sport gets a black grill with red accents, redesigned side skirts and 20in wheels. It is also the car on which Maserati is debuting its newest color -- Rosso Trionfale. The red color is inspired by the Italian racing red of the 1950s, which is a little darker than the traditional red. 

Maserati is using the redesigned 4.7l V8 in other models too. The GranTurismo S also gets the engine, and it boosts power by 8kW/10hp over last year to 331kW/450hp. However, fuel consumption is down 6% with the new engine to 10/7l/100km in the Extra Urban cycle. 

The GranTursimo S Automatic also gets the new engine but power is 323kW/440hp and fuel consumption is 9.8l/100km. 

The GranTurismo MC Stradale also has the new engine, but it has been tweaked  just a little to produce 20 extra Newton meters of torque up to 510Nm.

The GranTurismo cars also get the new Rosso Trionfale red as a color option.

Finally, the new engine is also available on the Quattroporte Sport GT S making 323kW/440hp.