The Maserati GranTurismo made its Australian public debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney last October, launched to the media during an extravagant display.

The Australian-specification Maserati GranTurismo will make its debut at the Brisbane International Motor Show on Friday 1 February 2008, providing the more than 150 people who have put them name down for the most eagerly anticipated car of 2008 with their first opportunity to see their new car.

“No Maserati has sold as quickly as the GranTurismo,” explains Edward Butler, General Manager at Maserati Australia and New Zealand. “So the arrival of the first right hand drive, Australian-specification GranTurismo is a highly significant moment for Maserati in Australia. Indeed, the significance of the GranTurismo is clearly indicated by the fact that our waiting list for the GranTurismo is greater than our entire sales last year!

Joining the Maserati GranTurismo at the Brisbane International Motor Show will be the car that has initiated the re-birth of the legendary Maserati name, the Quattroporte. This epitome of a luxury performance sedan further enhanced Maserati’s reputation in 2007 when it gained a sophisticated automatic gearbox, tuned to maintain Maserati’s aggressive performance edge, but at the same time offering a new level of convenience and ease of use.

The prowess of the Quattroporte, its exclusivity and the technology that supports its stylish design provided the ideal platform for the launch of the GranTurismo at the Geneva International Motor Show last year. “The acclaim for the Maserati GranTurismo started as soon as the wraps came off it in Geneva,” says Mr Butler. “This was immediately followed by people wishing to be the first to own the car in Australia and New Zealand. The impetus for this demand was initiated by the reputation of the Maserati Quattroporte, from which the unique drivetrain for the GranTurismo was developed. This ensures that the new car is a true performance car. But it is the outstanding design of the GranTurismo, inside and out, allied to allure of true heritage and exclusivity, which has set the seal of success on our newest model.”

The new Maserati GranTurismo makes the most of the experience gained with the Quattroporte in the luxury model segment, interpreting in an absolutely unique manner those concepts that have made the Quattroporte such a success in all markets. Added to this, the new Maserati GranTurismo is able to offer top performance and a style that is unique within the automotive industry, and can thrill and attract the attention of the market and new potential customers with renewed vigour and urgency.

The car’s concept appears evident from its name: the new Maserati GranTurismo is actually a performance sports car, enjoyable to drive, that makes no compromises when it comes to on-board functionality and comfort.

The heart of the Maserati GranTurismo is the 4,244 cc 90° V8 which belongs to the new generation of Maserati power units, designed for its first application early in 2007 on the Maserati Quattroporte’s automatic gearbox versions. The V8 adopted for the Maserati GranTurismo has been especially fine-tuned from the engine fitted to the Quattroporte’s automatic versions in order to enhance its responsiveness to the throttle controls. In this configuration it delivers maximum power of 298 kW at 7,100 revs (specific power of 96.4 HP/Litre) and maximum torque of 460 Nm at 4,750 revs, of which 75% is available at 2,500 revs. The lubrication system features a wet sump where the engine oil is collected in a sump integral with the crankcase and circulated by a single oil bath pump. This solution replaces the dry sump fitted on the previous family of engines, reducing the number of pumps and resulting in a significant reduction in operating noise to the benefit of acoustic comfort on board.

The new six-speed automatic transmission, the ZF 6HP26 unit, has been designed and developed specifically for Maserati to offer smooth and easy driving, without changing the performance behaviour of the Maserati V8. The new hydraulic transmission allows the full performance of the Maserati V8 in the low/medium range, and does not limit the power at high revs, allowing really sporty gear changes up to 7,200 revs, a limit not achieved by the other cars in the target segment. The ratios have been chosen so as to allow the Maserati GranTurismo to obtain excellent acceleration times (0-100 Km/h in 5.2 seconds) and at the same time to reduce fuel consumption and interior noise levels at high speeds. The automatic transmission is fitted with auto-adaptive control which adapts the type of change to driving style and driving conditions. The driver can at any time change from using the lever to the steering wheel paddles (leaving the gear lever in the “+”/”-“ track). The electronic kick-down may be activated at any time by pressing the throttle right down either in Auto or Manual mode so that it is always possible to easily disengage in situations requiring maximum engine response.

What makes the Maserati GranTurismo so much fun to drive, responsive to commands and safe in every driving condition is a balanced weight distribution with a slightly greater load on the rear axle (49% front - 51% rear). The dynamic performance of the Maserati GranTurismo is assisted by the Maserati Stability Program (MSP), specially developed by Maserati to optimize driving dynamics and safety.

The standard sporty 20” alloy wheels increase agility and responsiveness to steering manoeuvres due to a reduced drift angle. It also sports a look inspired by the wheels on the Birdcage 75th emphasizing the power of the mechanics. The already highly effective dual-xenon lights are enhanced by the steerable function which improves illumination of the road and surrounding areas and hence improves driving safety whilst travelling at night on very twisty routes.

The interior of the Maserati GranTurismo offers those sitting both in the front and in the rear maximum comfort, thanks to the spaciousness, which is greater than the average for the segment. The Maserati GranTurismo guarantees to all four passengers maximum comfort also on long journeys. The basic material used for the interior of the Maserati GranTurismo is Poltrona Frau® leather, a true expression of Italian craftsmanship, both in regard to the rich quality of the raw material used and the traditional processing techniques adopted. Given that the range of leathers spans ten shades, the customer can select the preferred colour combination for the seats, dashboard/rear shelf and steering wheel/gear lever knob, which can be matched to the colour of the stitching, mats and cabin roof.

The three slots behind the front wheels, which today distinguish the side of the GranTurismo, are a clear indication of the real heritage of the GranTurismo. It was 1947 when Maserati presented its first road vehicle at the Geneva Auto Show, the A6 1500 Gran Turismo with coachwork by Pininfarina. Built on the A6 Type chassis, innovative in terms of its tubular structure and round-section elements, it fascinated the public with the beauty of its simple and elegant style — its rounded forms were actually a year ahead of those of the Cisitalia D202.

Many of the aesthetic solutions were highly original for the time. The concealed headlamps, the Plexiglas sunroof and long straight ribbing around the wheelhouse, topped by the three air vent portholes, make the A6 1500 Gran Turismo prototype, which would give way to 58 production vehicles, unmistakable.

A new chapter had begun in the history of Maserati, a company born in 1914 as a maker of racing cars. Real series production started however only ten years later, with the arrival of the new Maserati 3500 GT coupé in 1957. These were the years of post-war economic recovery and its launch coincided with strong demand, particularly from foreign markets, for beautiful, fast and powerful Italian granturismos with luxury finishes. The 3500 GT, whose spacious four-seater bodyshell was built by Touring with the Superlight method, was bought by international celebrities such as Prince Rainier III of Monaco, opera tenor Giuseppe di Stefano, actors Alberto Sordi, Tony Curtis, Stewart Granger, Rock Hudson and Anthony Quinn. A total of 1,983 units were built in seven years.

During the half-century following the unveiling of the 3500 GT, Maserati confirmed its vocation as a producer of exclusive granturismos. Some on a small scale only, like the 5000 GT built between 1959 and 1966, the most famous example of which was fitted especially for the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi. In the golden years of special-production vehicles, all the major coachbuilders of the time worked for Maserati: not only Pininfarina and Touring, but also Bertone, Frua, Ghia, Monterosa, Allemano, Vignale with designs by Giovanni Michelotti. The cars created include the Sebring, Mistral, Mexico, Indy, and Ghibli, the latter styled in 1967 by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro who a year later would leave Ghia to set up his own company, Italdesign. As an independent designer, Giugiaro created other historic granturismos for Maserati, ranging from the Bora to the Merak, and the 3200 GT which in 1998 signaled the return to softer and more sinuous lines, reprised in 2001 in today’s Coupé. The Maserati GranTurismo has a recommended retail price of AUS$292,800.