cars-trend: Maserati GranCabrio

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Maserati GranCabrio

For the first time in the company's history, Maserati has built a four-seat convertible. To accomplish such a feat, the Italian team removed the roof of the popular GranTurismo four-seat coupe and replaced it with a power soft-top to create the GranCabrio.
Where other automakers might have simply eliminated the back seats to make space for the convertible top and even shortened the car to preserve proportions, Maserati would have none of that. Eschewing a folding hard top for a more conventional rag top, the Maserati crew was able to find enough space behind the rear seats to stash the retracted top. While we don't know yet how that will impact trunk space, we expect it to be diminished.
When the GranCabrio was originally confirmed by our sources at Maserati, there was a debate over which powerplant would be appropriate. Maserati finally settled on the 433-hp 4.7L V-8 from the GranTurismo S despite earlier concerns that it might be too racy for the drop-top. While the engine might be over-the-top on its own, the extra power will likely be offset somewhat by the added weight of the convertible top and frame bracing.
Deliveries are expected to begin next spring and the sticker will likely top that of the hard top coupe, which starts at roughly $114,000 for the base model. While Maserati has done a commendable job of preserving the GranTurismo's elegant lines on the GranCabrio, we haven't yet seen the car with the top up, so we can't say for certain that Maserati has kept the GranTurismo's striking lines intact. That, along with pricing, will have to wait until the car's debut in Frankfurt.