Sports Car Modification

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S 2008

The new Quattroporte Sport GT S will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motorshow for its worldwide preview (the Maserati press conference will take place at 11.30 on stand A06, in Hall 6.0). The Quattroporte Sport GT S is the ultimate expression of Maserati’s saloon sportiness.

Exclusively for those looking for an even stronger sporting edge in a luxury saloon, the Quattroporte Sport GT S, equipped with an automatic 6-speed gearbox, stands out for its exceptional dynamic behaviour and uncompromised handling.

This result was obtained with the introduction of new suspension layout, featuring single rate dampers and a “racing” set up. The Quattroporte Sport GT S sits 10mm lower at the front and 25mm at the rear compared to other versions of the Quattroporte, and also features new, stiffer springs and dampers.

The Quattroporte Sport GT S boasts a unique braking system developed in collaboration with Brembo. This innovative technology uses dual-cast brake discs, and this is the first time such a set up has been employed on a road car.

Unlike traditional cast iron discs, dual-cast discs are made of two materials, cast iron and aluminium, to ensure optimised braking, improving performance in the most extreme conditions and providing greater resistance to fade even at the highest temperatures. The Quattroporte Sport GT S’s new braking system also benefits from new mono-block, six-piston callipers at the front and tyres developed especially for this car (front 245/35-R20 and rear 295/30-R20). The increased size of the rear tyres allows optimum use of the Maserati’s V8 power, whilst the new tyre compound helps the brakes and set-up to guarantee a superior level of handling and driving emotion.

The Quattroporte Sport GT S’s exterior is distinguished by a more aggressive look. Along with the black-chrome mesh front grille, a characteristic element of sporty Maseratis, the side window trims and the two double exhaust pipes are also in black, whilst door handles are in the same colour as the body of the car.

The Quattroporte Sport GT S is fitted with eye-catching dark-chrome 20", seven spoke alloy wheels.

The choice of material for the interior of the Quattroporte Sport GT S reflects the car's sporty character. Traditional Poltrona Frau leather has been combined with Alcantara, which covers the central zone of the seats, the interior door panels and the steering wheel. Maserati has previously used Alcantara for the interior of the Trofeo cars and the MC12.

The dashboard is finished in new carbon fibre with aluminium treads, whilst front seats are characterised by a new, more cosseting sporty shape.

The Races have always been the most demanding test-bed for all cars. Traditionally, reliablity and performance are checked on the circuit. It is in races that new technologies and materials are tried out. And it is on the circuit that Maserati has decided to raise the much praised sporty verve of its Maserati GranTurmismo S to even higher levels to create the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept.


The changes the designers of the Maserati Centre have made to the GranTurismo S to create the racing model have improved its performance and above all its aerodynamic efficiency, without disturbing to its elegant, curvaceous line. The radiator grille of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept features two large air intakes - designed to increase the air flow to the engine and brakes - and an aerodynamic bottom trim. The front mudguards, with increased track, are also new, as is the engine hood with a dynamic air inlet and two additional air vents.

The car's profile has also been the subject of in-depth aerodynamic analysis, leading to the introduction of unusual side air vents, linked to the new miniskirts. What's more, the rear of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept has fenders to accommodate the air vents and centrally located tailpipes. Last but not least, the spoiler is larger in size to increase the down force generated by the profile, thus compensating for the aerodynamic effect of the front spoiler.

Development
The Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept has been developed on the basis of the Maserati GranTurismo S, launched at the Geneva Motor Show on 6th of March 2008. The Maserati Racing Department engineers have made major improvements to reduce the car's weight while also engancing its performance. The mapping of the engine installed on the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept has been revised to further increase performance without impairing reliability: the unit is now generating 330.9 kW (450 hp), with torque of 510 Nm at 4,750 rpm. The intake and exhaust systems have also been revised through the installation of a high-performance conical air filter combined with an exhaust system fitted with racing-type catalytic converters and silencers.

The suspension setting of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept, together with improved weight distribution and new single-string racing dumpers, plus new 12"x18" fron and 13"x18" rear wheels and slick tires, guarantee a striking increase in the car's dynamic performance compared to the Maserati GrantTurismo S.

The brake system has received an upgrade to withstand the stress typical of use on a track, whit adoption of larger discs and monobloc racing calipers.

The chassis has been significantly lightened and stiffened thanks to application of an integral welded roll cage, as required by the FIA regulations.

Partially modified to meet new technical requirements, is in composite materials. The specific electrical system, the dedicated instrumentation including an integral data acquisition system, and the indispensable safety devices, complete the equipment of the Maserati Gran Turismo MC Concept.

Technical specifications
* Engine: V8
* Displacement: 4,691 cc
* Max. Power: 450 hp (330.9 kW)
* Max. Torque: 510 Nm @ 4,750 rpm
* Weight / power ratio: <3.1kg/hp>

Maserati GranTurismo S

A year after the unveiling of the GranTurismo, Maserati will be back at the Geneva International Motorshow with yet another world premiere, the Maserati GranTurismo S. The ultimate expression of the Trident coupé's sportiness shifts the emphasis onto performance and driving enjoyment.

The Two main novelties are at the heart of the new Maserati: the 440 hp V8 4.7 engine and the electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift arranged in the transaxle layout typical of high-performance sports cars that represents the technological DNA of all Maseratis.


The Maserati GranTurismo S makes use of the high-performance brake system developed in collaboration with Brembo and introduced for the first time in the automotive field on the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. The system features front brake discs made with dual-cast technology - a dual casting of cast iron and aluminium, paired with aluminium mono-bloc 6-piston brake callipers, ensuring optimised braking performance.

On the exterior the Maserati GranTurismo S is characterised by a number of aesthetic modifications that, although discrete, are highly effective and make the car body appear sportier without abandoning the sleekness of the lines masterfully designed by Pininfarina.


The interior upholstered in Poltrona Frau leather and Alcantara reflects the sporty flair of the Maserati GranTurismo S; the figure-hugging front and rear seats are distinguished by their new dynamic design with horizontal piping on the seats and seatbacks.

The Maserati GranCabrio will make its debut on September 15 at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. The Maserati GranCabrio is a four-seat convertible that promises to offer enough space for all its occupants, completes Maserati’s product line-up that now consists of three different families of models: Quattroporte, GranTurismo, GranCabrio.

The open-top Maserati GranCabrio is pure Maserati. It is a Maserati in the truest sense, with an unmistakable Pininfarina design, spacious interior, handcrafted details, driving pleasure and high performances. The Maserati GranCabrio touches all five senses in an open-air experience that retains all the typical comfort and performance brio. Like all Maserati's open-top models, the Maserati GranCabrio is a special car intended for true connoisseurs.

The Maserati GranCabrio continues in the footsteps of the Maserati tradition in open-top models, and adds to a line-up of models that has made the history of the Modena manufacturer, such as the 1950 A6G Frua Spyder, the 3500GT Vignale Spyder (1960), the Mistral Spyder (1964), the Ghibli Spyder (1968) and the 2001 Maserati Spyder, the car Maserati chose for his comeback to the United States.

True to its tradition, the Maserati GranCabrio yet opens a new chapter, because never before have four-seater top-down models been produced at the Viale Ciro Menotti Maserati factory in Modena. There are four proper seats are provided, so that the rear passengers are not merely supporting actors, but co-stars of the journey.

The Maserati GranCabrio is powered by a 4.7 liter V8 engine paired with the fluid 6-speed automatic transmission. In Sport mode, the V8 gives the driver and passengers the full power of its 323kW, with a thrilling roar that becomes even more exciting with the top down, as it becomes one with its surroundings.

The Maserati Tramontane Concept is a luxury electric supercar with a futuristic design characterized by flowing elements that form different layers and interconnect the exterior and the interior. The author is Czech design student Ondrej Jirec.

The Maserati Tramontane is a lightweight electric luxury supercar with an original design focused on the reduction of the total number of body parts and the simplification of the production process by combining exterior and interior elements.

Aside from the slippery, aerodynamic overall shape, the most eye-catching aspect of the concept's design is the number of components and body panels which flow from the interior to the exterior. These body parts have different functions, color, material and characteristics which are designed to add different dimensions and effect the overall feel of the vehicle.

It was created by Czech student Ondrej Jirec for his Alias class at the Art Center College of Design. Among the distinctive features of the Maserati Tramontane's design are the components and body panels which flow from the interior to the exterior. These parts have different function, color, material and characteristics and create layers that add different "dimensions" and define an original design language.

The first layer is the main glass exterior surface that essentially envelops the entire car. It is supported by a black frame which attaches to the chassis.

The second layer is composed of the headlamps and the dashboard. This single piece carries the LED headlights and flows smoothly back into the interior where it protects the speakers and interior air vents.

The third layer of the Tramontane creates the lower sections of the seats and, as it reaches the exterior, also carries the taillights. This particular part possesses very high resistance to impact. In case of side impact the seat and chassis work together to protect the occupants. But in the event of a rear collision, this part contains a crumple zone that will collapse, so the seats remain protected.

The fourth layer, placed in the front, serves as a housing for the electric motor and also as a dashboard. This element is attached to the chassis and hides the motor, frame, and all the electronics.

Having its length at 4,250mm, Tramontane is just 50mm shorter in length to Lamborghini Gallardo. Its height is 1,170mm which is almost the same as that of Gallardo’s. Its front wheels are driven by an electric motor, whereas the rear ones have an electric motor for each.

The most striking facet of its design is the number of components and body panels that smoothly move from interior to the exterior. Its parts have different functions, color, material and characteristics that aid more to the overall feel of the vehicle.

The proposed drivetrain for the concept is an all-electric setup. The front wheels are driven by one electric motor, while the rear wheels each get their own motor.