Day three of the Autodelta European Tour marked a special visit to the Maserati factory in that most legendary of automotive towns, Modena.

Waking up early to a fresh and sunny morning, the participants gave their cars a well-earned wash in the hotel car park. Then it was off to the Maserati factory for a VIP tour at 09:30 with Maserati's chief press officer, Andrea Cittadini.

Welcoming the Autodelta team in the new factory showroom, the factory tour started with the display of the current Maserati range: the Coupe, Spyder, GranSport, Quattroporte and MC12. These cars were displayed on and around a wooden and carbon fibre ramp, painted in Maserati Reparto Corse blue. Also on display was the Frank Costin designed 450S Zagato Coupe, an aerodynamically flawed yet beautiful Le Mans racing car from 1957. Although originally painted in traditional Italian racing red, this car is now resplendent in a glossy black finish.

The factory tour then headed off to the production line of the three main Maserati models: the Coupe, Spyder and GranSport. The Maserati factory is basically an assembly point for these mainstream models, with the bodies being produced at an outside location while the engines come from Ferrari.

The assembly process is very much a hands-on affair, with hardly any automisation involved at all. Maserati's generously large workforce builds about 32 cars per day. Cars such as the MC12 and the Trofeo Coupes are constructed at Maserati Reparto Corse which is located elsewhere in Modena.
 

Each Maserati V8 engine is bench tested for 1.5 hours before being fitted to the drivetrain. After completion each Maserati is thoroughly inspected for quality before being covered in plastic for protection during delivery, which is normally by enclosed transportation.

After the interesting tour around the factory, the Autodelta team headed off for their final destination: Rimini. Arriving in good time, the team prepared the 3.2 V6 GT Super before it was maneuvered into position on the Ragazzon stand within the impressive halls of the Rimini Fiera.

This marked the realisation of one of the aims of the trip, to deliver a car to a motorshow by driving it thousands of kilometers across some of Europe's most stunning landscape. The enjoyment involved in the trip represents what grand touring is all about; not only should cars look good, but they should also be driven and enjoyed at the same time.

The Autodelta tour will continue through the weekend, with more outings to historical Italian locations planned on the exciting agenda.

by James Granger & Edd Ellison in Rimini