Maserati has pitched up in Geneva with its offering headlined by a limited-edition model based around the Quattroporte Sport GT S which reflects the 56 awards that the car has received during its almost seven year life cycle from prestigious automotive and lifestyle publications. The brand was introduced at the 80th Geneva Motor Show by Trident CEO Harald J. Wester who has a very busy opening day in Switzerland combining his key job as Fiat Group Chief Technical Officer with his roles as CEO of Maserati, Abarth and most recently Alfa Romeo.

Six years after its birth, the car which created the luxury sport sedan segment continues to receive accolades from the general public, automobile enthusiasts and media worldwide. Maserati has decided to celebrate its success with a superlative version, which blends the elegance and sporting stylishness of the brand’s flagship, thanks to the combination of highly refined details, handcrafted finishes and features with a decidedly sporty flair. During its six years of life, the Maserati Quattroporte has received 56 awards from the most prestigious automotive and lifestyle publications in 14 countries over four continents: a global recognition for a car that has known how to recreate itself over the years, never yet failing to maintain the appeal of the lines and purity of the forms created by Pininfarina, which immediately turned it into an instant classic.

The Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition”, based on the Quattroporte Sport GT S, aims to combine in one car all the features that have made the Maserati flagship a benchmark for its segment: the unique and elegant styling, mixed with a hint of sporting flair due to the eye-catching features adopted on both the exterior and interior fittings; driving enjoyment, because the “Awards Edition” is based on the Quattroporte Sport GT S, which boasts top-class performance and excellent handling; and the craftsmanship of the hand-finished details which make each car unique.

The new Quarzo fuso exterior colour – a pearlescent metallic grey with a golden hue - exclusive to this model, makes the exterior immediately recognisable and highlights the body’s elegant lines. The burnished treatment used on the exterior chromed parts, as well as on the side air vents and radiator surround, also blends with the 20’’ Multi Trident dark grey rims with satin finish.

The brake system, which replicates the system fitted to the Quattroporte Sport GT S and uses dual-cast technology, is further enhanced by the hand-polished calipers both at the front and rear. With the Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition”, Maserati and Brembo are introducing on the market for the first time polished callipers. Treated with high precision mechanical processes these callipers feature a hand finish which gives them a special mirror-like appearance and enhances their sporty credentials at the same time.

The interior also bears witness to the combination of sporting flair and craftsmanship that has always characterised the Maserati flagship sedan. The Poltrona Frau leather of the seats is combined with perforated Alcantara with a new undulated pattern; the headlining is also in Alcantara. Completing the cabin finishes are the special brushed aluminium door sills and Piano Black satin-finish wood mouldings. The boot is finished in black trim and features chromed details and a leather side pocket. The attention to detail extends even further, to the mats: they are made of an even richer and softer material. A special exterior “Awards Edition” series plate located on the B-pillar completes the car’s look and makes an already unique car even more unmistakable.

THE MASERATI GRANCABRIO AVAILABLE FROM TODAY IN DEALERSHIPS

As of today the Maserati GranCabrio, which made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009, will be available from Maserati dealerships throughout Europe. It’s not long now before the first lucky clients will be able to sit behind the wheel of Maserati’s open-top masterpiece, the first four-seater convertible to be produced at the Modena plant in Viale Ciro Menotti. A convertible which, just a few months after its debut, has already received a wide approval from the general public and from the journalists who drove it just a few days ago, during the International Media Launch.

The GranCabrio represents the very essence of Maserati in terms of open-top cars and, as the first and unique model of its kind, follows in the footsteps of cars which have outlined the history of the marque: the 1950 A6G Frua Spyder, the 1960 3500GT Vignale Spyder, the 1964 Mistral Spyder, the 1968 Ghibli Spyder, the 2001 Spyder and the 2004 GranSport Spyder. It is a Maserati in the truest sense thanks to its unmistakable Pininfarina design. It also offers thousands of customisation options, a spacious interior, handcrafted details, driving pleasure and high performance capability.

The Maserati GranCabrio’s body has been completely re-engineered to ensure maximum driving enjoyment and performance at the top of its segment. Despite the absence of an upper structure and a top-of-the-category wheelbase (2.942mm: longer than its direct competitors) the Maserati GranCabrio boasts class-leading structural rigidity. This has enhanced the car’s handling, safety and comfort qualities so that the powerful and efficient mechanics can be exploited in full (440 HP 4.7 l engine coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission).

Like all Maseratis, the GranCabrio’s weight balance is slightly biased towards the rear, ensuring excellent driving dynamics and a higher level of safety in combination with active and passive safety systems. All these features, together with the newly introduced HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), help the vehicle’s dynamic behaviour in emergency situations: all protection systems are instantly activated, should the vehicle be involved in a crash or about to overturn.

The soft-top is the real added value of the Maserati GranCabrio: available in six colours, it blends perfectly with the car’s design and was tested in every climate condition. Whether the car is used in the most torrid heat or in the biting cold, thanks to the special material adopted for the soft top, thermal and acoustic insulation are guaranteed. The ultralight aluminium and triple-layer canvas structure weighs only 60kg and folds back into its compartment in just 20 seconds (28 seconds including the time needed for the four independent windows to move).

THREE NEW “MATT” COLOURS TO FURTHER ENHANCE MASERATI’S PERSONALISATION OPTIONS

Maserati has further enhanced its personalisation options by introducing at the Geneva Auto Show three new matt exterior colours, in addition to the extensive range of metallic, pastel and pearlescent colours already available: Matt Bianco Fuji, a colour that is both light and supple at the same time; Matt Blu Mediterraneo, sporty and vivacious; and Matt Grigio Granito, elegant and understated.

These shades, thanks to their metallic particles, show surprising depth in the sun, creating a stunning volume effect whilst maintaining a lightness of form at the same time. Maserati has always been synonymous with high levels of personalisation and craftsmanship, two values that are expressed even more clearly by these new colours, created by experienced hands through the skilful application of several layers of colour, following a long and complex hand-crafted process. The matt Bianco Fuji colour applied to the body of the GranTurismo S MC Sport Line can be seen on the Maserati stand in Geneva.

LAUNCH OF THE NEW TROFEO MASERATI GRANTURISMO MC

After dominating the FIA GT Championship with the MC12 from 2005 to the present day, Maserati makes a welcome return to the world of single-make championships. Following on from the success of the previous editions, which took place from 2003 to 2006 featuring racing versions based on the Coupé and GranSport models, Maserati launches today its Trofeo Championship, aimed at its gentleman-driver clients. When the GranTurismo was launched, Maserati Corse (Maserati’s own Racing Department) started developing this special racing version. As testing was completed, Maserati decided to launch a European championship featuring seven events on the main European circuits, in conjunction with the WTCC and the GT Italian Championship.

The Trofeo Championship is aimed at gentleman-drivers, including those Maserati clients who love motorsport and want to give vent to their passion by driving the racing version of the very same car they own and use every day on the road. This type of competition, in fact, maintains the closest links with production cars. Indeed the car that will compete in the single-make championship is the GranTurismo MC Trofeo, the racing version of the GranTurismo S, which leads the market in the luxury coupé segment. Just like the road model, its racing sibling is produced on the same assembly lines of the plant at Viale Ciro Menotti 322 in Modena and features a 4.7 litre engine and an electro-actuated transmission with levers mounted behind the steering wheel.

In detail, the calendar envisages the debut of the series in Monza, on May 23, followed by races in Zolder (B) – June 20, Brands Hatch (GB) – July 18, Brno (CZ) – August 1, Oschersleben (D) – September 5, Valencia (E) -September 19 and the final event in Mugello, scheduled on October 10. In addition to the GranTurismo MC Trofeo cars, fielded directly by Maserati Corse, the GranTurismo MC GT4 purchased by private teams will also be able to take part in the championship: these will have a special classification, separate from the Trofeo classification.

The formula includes two free practice sessions on the Friday (40 minutes), two qualifying sessions on the Saturday (20 minutes) and two races (38 minutes + 1 lap) on the Sunday. The cost of taking part in the Trofeo Maserati Championship is 162,000.00€ + VAT for the entire season (168,000.00€ + VAT for a team with two drivers who will take turns in driving), whilst GranTurismo GT4 owners may take part at a cost of 45,000.00€ + VAT.

FOUR MC12S READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE

Maserati’s origins are those of an automobile marque born to build racing cars. It is in motor racing that Maserati has achieved numerous successes and written some of the most beautiful pages of its history. The first Maserati produced, the Tipo 26, won in its category at its debut in the Targa Florio. In 1929 Baconin Borzacchini set the world speed record over 10 km in Cremona, Italy, with a Tipo V4. In 1939 and 1940 Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 with Wilbur Shaw driving an 8CTF "Boyle Special", whilst Juan Manuel Fangio won two Formula 1 World Championships in 1954 and 1957 in a Maserati 250F. The last Formula 1 victory was with Pedro Rodriguez in 1967, in a Cooper-Maserati.

After a long period of absence from the race tracks, in 2004 Maserati presented the MC12 at the launch of the FIA GT International Championship. From 2005 to the present day this car has won 12 titles, thus earning an absolutely prime position in the history of motorsport: four Driver titles, five Team titles, two Constructors’ Cups and one Citation Cup, as well as three victories in the Spa 24 Hours.

This season the FIA GT Championship has changed its name to GT1 World and will officially acquire the status of a World Championship recognised by the FIA, changing also its technical regulations. This Championship will consist of ten races, four of which are outside Europe, starting on April 17 in Abu Dhabi and ending in Argentina on December 5. The new series is restricted to six constructors, competing with four cars. This means that the two green and black Maserati MC12s of the Vitaphone Racing Team, current champions with Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels at the wheel, will be competing against another two GTs lined up by the Hegersport Triple H Team.

THE NEW MASERATI STORE IS NOW ONLINE

The Geneva Show will see the new Maserati store website go live. It will feature a new shop window and new content, dedicated to merchandising products sold under the prestigious Maserati brand name. A renewed graphic interface in line with the brand’s style and values makes it even easier and more intuitive to consult the online catalogue in order to select and buy products. By visiting www.maseratistore.com, web users can obtain information on the new Maserati products, identify the latest offers and promotions, receive useful advice on the latest gift ideas and simply and easily make a purchase.