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Fresh spy
photographs of the 2005 Maserati GT Spider, recently taken in
Germany, expose details of the car’s new body design for the
very first time.
Two GT prototypes were captured on film, one of which
is an older GT Coupé mule, based on a shortened Maserati
Quattroporte. The GT Coupé is visually identifiable
from its slightly longer wheelbase.
Maserati initially assigned both Pininfarina and Italdesign
Giugiaro to deliver design proposals for the new GT project,
with Pininfarina eventually being chosen for the bodywork
design.
Both of the famous Italian design houses have however
collaborated on the interior, under the supervision of
Maserati.
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Two GT
Maserati prototypes were recently captured on
film. In the foreground is an older Coupé mule based on
the Quattroporte saloon. A Spider prototype
sporting its final bodywork is seen for the first
time. |
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Pininfarina have a rich history when it comes to Maserati’s,
and as a result, it is unsurprising that they managed to
create the winning body design.
Heavily inspired
by the voluptuous lines of the 1954 Maserati A6 GCS
Berlinetta, perhaps the most beautiful Maserati of all
times, the GT has a strong presence. Certain details
have also been taken from the Maserati 3500, and 5000 GT.
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The
voluptuous lines of the 1954 Maserati A6 GCS
Berlinetta, perhaps the most beautiful Maserati of
all times, were penned by Pininfarina |
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Fresh
spy photographs of the 2006 Maserati GT Spider, taken
while testing in Germany, expose details of the
car’s new body design for the first time |
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The Maserati GT Coupé is based on the Quattroporte M139
platform, which has been shortened by approximately 20cm, to
a length of about 475cm. Prototypes of the GT Coupé are
still based on modified Quattroporte bodies. The final
design, scheduled to hit the road for testing later in
2005 will visually differ slightly from the Spider.
Two models will be available, a 5000GT with a 470bhp
5.0-litre V8 costing about the same as the Alfa Romeo 8C,
whilst a 4300GT with 400bhp will be offered for slightly
less. Unlike the two-seater Alfa Romeo 8C, however, the
Maserati GT Coupé will be a 2+2.
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Another
Maserati to feature Pininfarina coachwork & another
inspiration for the current crop of the firm's
designers: the 1948 Maserati A6 1500 Cabriolet |
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The Spider version will be launched in 2005, at Frankfurt,
six months before the Coupé debut, and will have a shorter length of
approximately 450 cm.
Rumours about the future engine line-up of the Maserati
Quattroporte model are also floating around. A 540bhp V12
engine sourced from the Ferrari 612 may be fitted, although
the model will first see an upgrade to a 470bhp 5.0-litre V8
towards the end of 2006.
A 4.0 V8 bi-turbo with 400bhp, derived from the modular VM
Alfa Romeo 3.0 V6, is also being considered. |
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by Paddy
Granger |
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