Maserati sharpens the GranCabrio

Maserati have launched a new, louder and more exciting version of the Gran Cabrio to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GTS as the performance flagships in their ranges.

Publicly unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the new GranCabrio Sport is  more powerful and more aggressively styled. It also has a new gearbox with faster gear changes and longer paddles from the Trofeo race car for easier shifting.

The 4.7 litre V8 now has 450 hp and this endows the GranCabrio Sport with a 285 km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds. New Skyhook suspension has been fitted to deal with the new found performance along with the adoption of a more powerful brake package.

The aggressive styling has not merely been a vanity exercise. Maserati have wind tunnel tested the new panels extensively, to the point that drag has been reduced and fuel consumption (now 14.5 litres/100km) has improved. New 20” Astro-design wheels replete with black, oval exhaust tips complete the effect.

The handling of the first GranCabrio was met with some disapproval therefore it is not surprising that the chassis has received some attention. Further to the Skyhook active suspension system Maserati have upgraded the springs and anti-roll bars.