“As would be expected from a company with the sporting history of Maserati, everything on the Maserati stand at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show is performance,” says Glen Sealey, General Manager of Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. “With so few coming to Australia and the car offering so much performance, the Motor Show is probably the only place it will be possible to see a Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale standing still! For those who like fresh air with their high performance, the show will see the first public appearance in Australia of the Maserati GranCabrio Sport, the new performance version of the award-winning GranCabrio.”

Not to be out done by the two newest models in the Maserati line-up, the luxurious Maserati Quattroporte will be on show in its freshly launched and range topping Sport GTS MC Sportline variation, while MC Stadale with be joined by its GranTurismo automatic sibling.

“The Australian International Motor Show has never seen a Maserati presentation such as it will see in 2011 when the doors to the show open at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on 1 July,” says Mr Sealey. “Maserati will offer for the crowd’s delectation a car never seen before in Australia, another just arrived and available in very small numbers and two models in their latest guises. It is display that clearly demonstrates in the most emphatic way Maseratis continuing and strengthening position in the Australian market.”

According to figures from VFACTS the Italian car maker recorded a 17.5 per cent rise in sales last year, well ahead of the total market increase of 10.5 per cent.

It’s a position that is set not to change in 2011, with, for example, Maserati Quattroporte sales this year showing a 90 per cent rise over the same period in 2010. Maserati’s sales success in 2010 was built on the on-going success of the Quattroporte, which saw a new variant, the Quattroporte Sport GTS MC-Sportline make its world debut at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show, and the launch of the award-winning Maserati GranCabrio, the marque’s first full four seat soft top sports car.

“Maserati’s continuing success is built on the core principles that have made it a legend, those of style, performance, exclusivity and, now, the ability to tailor a Maserati to the individual requirements of each customer,” notes Mr Sealey. “The arrival of the MC Stradale and GranCabrio Sport both confirms and enhances the unique position that Maserati holds in the market place and in the hearts of motoring enthusiasts the world over.”

MASERATI GRANCABRIO SPORT

Having made its World debut just a few months ago at the Geneva International Motor Show, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrives at the Melbourne International Motor Show boasting not just more power and torque but also a cut in fuel consumption to go with its aggressive new looks. Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder-edged model to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the GranCabrio Sport uses a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati’s, all-alloy 4.7-litre V8, coupled with the MC Auto Shift variant of its ZF six-speed automatic transmission.

This naturally aspirated engine produces in this configuration 331 kW (up from 323 kW) and has 510 Nm (up from 490 Nm) at the peak of its rich, thick torque curve. Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program has made the GranCabrio Sport’s engine react more quickly to driver demands and cut fuel consumption by six per cent. The top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is 285 kmh. The acclaimed super-fast MC Auto Shift software developed for the Quattroporte Sport GTS is fitted to the GranCabrio Sport and provides optimised gearshift response resulting in an even-greater driver engagement.

The handling has received attention, too, with an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system – now with a more aggressive tuning – and the adoption of ventilated and cross drilled dual-cast brake discs for more powerful braking during sustained high speed use.

Visually, the GranCabrio Sport is distinguished by a more pronounced dynamic look. This look begins at the GranCabrio’s unique nose with a black grille and a Trident with red accents. The headlights now have a black look with white edges, while front corner splitters and the redesigned side skirts are both body coloured. The GranCabrio Sport also debuts a new body colour for Maserati: Rosso Trionfale inspired by the red Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis. In 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth F1 World Title at the wheel of a Maserati 250F in this shade of red.

Following its debut at the Melbourne International Motor Show deliveries of the GranCabrio Sport will start in Australia and New Zealand in early 2012, when local prices and specifications will be announced.

THE MASERATI GRANTURISMO MC STRADALE

Powered by a new variant of the Maserati 4.7 litre V8 engine that pumps out 331 kW and 510 Nm of torque, the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale demolishes the dash to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds before hitting, where legally permitted, a top speed of 301 kmh. Yet, at the same time, it is 13 per cent more economical than the normal Maserati GranTurismo S above which it sits in the Maserati line-up. Changes have been made throughout the Maserati GranTurismo S to transform it into the MC Stradale. Its race-bred heritage is highlighted by a 110 kg weight reduction from the GranTurismo S, with its dry weight down to 1670 kg. It mirrors the advantages Maserati has in racing by retaining the optimal 48%/52% weight distribution to ensure handling balance and even tyre wear.

The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale uses advanced electronics to slash gear-shift times from the upgraded MC Race Shift electro-actuated transaxle gearbox to just 60 milliseconds. It is also the first Maserati in history to have a dedicated Race mode to add to its upgraded Automatic and Sport modes in a simplified dash layout. It produces more aerodynamic down force without producing more aerodynamic drag, it produces more power without using more fuel and it is more agile. The GranTurismo has long been praised for its refinement and while extensive changes have been made to the suspension, which is lower and fitted with larger anti-roll bars; this has been done without sacrificing the GranTurismo S’s highly praised ride quality.

With the removal of the rear seats, it is the first two-seat Maserati since the MC12 and has also benefited from new Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, custom-developed Pirelli tyres, a unique suspension layout and carbon-fibre, race-inspired seats.

Visually, the GranTurismo MC Stradale has changes made to the front and rear bumpers, the front guards, the bonnet and the boot lid, aimed at boosting down force and aiding engine and brake cooling. Inside materials derived from the racing variants, in the shape of carbon fibre and Alcantara, are used extensively. Carbon fibre racing seats are standard and the instrument pack has been changed to allow for the changes to the car’s dynamic systems.

The result of these changes is to produce a car with three distinct characters. In race mode, the MC Stradale is poised and ready for track days or the most demanding roads with every response and element of the car finessed to the highest level for instant response. In Sport mode the epic performance is fully available but delivered in a more subtle manner, making it suitable for everyday use, with the responses of a thoroughbred sports car and the comfort of a continent-swallowing grand touring car. Auto mode is, to all extents and purposes, stealth mode, with the performance and ability available but hiding behind a veil of relaxed comfort, quietness and refinement.

Only set to be available in Australia in limited numbers, deliveries of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale have now begun with a recommended retail price of A$364,900, excluding statutory charges, on road costs and dealer delivery charges.