The 150,000 spectators at
the Goodwood Festival of Speed were treated to an
amazing sight as an extraordinary array of over 30
supercars kicked off the 2010 Goodwood Festival of
Speed. Amongst them were the Trident Marque’s two latest
additions: the GranTurismo S MC Sport Line and the
convertible version of the GranTurismo coupé, the
GranCabrio.The
GranCabrio represents the very essence of Maserati in
terms of open-top cars. It’s a Maserati in the purest
sense of the word and a car with a high emotional
appeal: from its luscious looks and Pininfarina styling
to its thrilling sound and amazing performance. Powered
by a 4.7 litre V8 delivering 440 HP, the GranCabrio
features a ZF automatic six-speed gearbox and is the
convertible with the longest wheelbase in its class
(2,492mm). It reaches 100 km/h (62 mph) from dstill in
5.4 seconds and has a top speed of 175 mph.
James Martin, a car
collector and apparently a UK "Celebrity Chef" closed
the Supercars hillclimb run behind the wheel of the
Maserati GranTurismo S MC Sport Line on Sunday
afternoon. The Maserati GranTurismo S features a 4.7
litre V8 which develops 440HP, 490Nm of torque and
reaches 62mph from standstill in 4.9 seconds flat.
Meanwhile the Trident
played a starring role in the Cartier Style et Luxe
paddock where the hotly-contested top concours honours
went to the stunning 1954 Maserati A6GCS Berlinetta that
was entered by Franco Lombardi of Genoa. It was on
display in Class 3: The Riviera Set - Genesis of the
Modern GT, 1950-1960.
The story of this
exceptional sports car goes back to the Mille Miglia of
1952, a particularly rain-soaked edition that prompted
customers to request a closed-roof coupé for the next
year. Pininfarina, at the height of its powers, came up
with a very low-slung shape that was still able to
accommodate six-foot passengers in comfort. Just four
cars were created and the stunning shape was described
as "absolutely the most beautiful customer car built on
this chassis" when it was shown at the Turin Motor Show
in 1954. It was a car the proved masterful on the race
track and just at ease winning concours. Powered by a
racing-derived dry-sump, twin-plug, twin-cam, all-alloy
straight-six engine, it developed 170 bhp, with a top
speed nudging 150 mph. Lombardi's example, which drew an
incessant crowd of admirers all weekend, was
painstakingly restored over a period of twenty years.
