The Sydney Opera House was the venue for an exclusive invitation-only Australian preview of the new Maserati GranTurismo, the most eagerly awaited new car to arrive in Australia and Zealand this year. After an Italian-themed dinner at ‘Guillaume at Bennelong’, the guests, many of whom are among the more than 100 people who have already committed to the new Maserati, were taken to the front of the Opera House, where the GranTurismo made its first Australian appearance.

The event was hosted by actor, model and presenter, Erika Heynatz, and Edward Butler, the General Manager for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. “Maserati’s long and illustrious history is full of cars that have been amongst the most sort-after cars in the world,” says Mr Butler. “But none has drawn so much interest as the GranTurismo. Within days of the car first being revealed in Europe, we took our first orders and the interest has shown no sign of abating, indeed, as more information has become known, the pace of inquiry has increased.”

“Although deliveries do not start until after the public launch at October’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, so many people wish to see their new car that we have had one flown into Australia specifically for this event and there could be no better venue for this private preview than the Sydney Opera House.”

The Maserati GranTurismo builds on the success of the Quattroporte, the legendary Italian car maker’s luxury sports sedan which is already the most successful model in Maserati’s history. The GranTurismo complements the Quattroporte by providing a true grand touring car that bestows a unique blend of performance, style and exclusivity. Australian and New Zealand pricing and specification will be announced at the Australian International Motor Show in October, with deliveries starting in November.

Erika Heynatz

Few territories in the entertainment industry remain uncharted by the versatile and talented Erika Heynatz. A true star whose ambitious nature has seen her evolve from model to actor, television presenter, narrator and radio announcer, she has finally realised her dream to become a recording artist. With her first single due out mid-year on EMI/Ministry of Sound, Erika has devoted the first half of the year to songwriting. She has also been busy making a name for herself on the airwaves as a guest host on the ground-breaking national Right a Wrong promotion for MixFM. Her duties included live appearances on each of the MixFM breakfast shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide for a two-week period in April.

Between radio and songwriting sessions, Erika has been flexing her fashion muscle with fellow style guru Alex Perry as co-host of the David Jones Fashions on the Field during the Royal Randwick Easter Carnival. She also stole the show with her live operatic performance at the Prix de marie claire Awards before a notoriously fickle audience of Australia’s top fashion designers and industry identities. Accompanied by the Sydney International Orchestra, Erika’s duet with David Hobson was nothing short of spine-tingling. This year is set to deliver even greater victory than Erika’s enormously successful 2006.