Maserati's New GranTurismo Will Get Your Heartbeat Racing

TOKYO: Maserati does not claim to have invented the GranTurismo, but it sure is making a strong argument about perfecting it. The luxury Italian carmaker first unveiled the latest iteration of its two-door, four-seater sports car last year, but officially launched it for the Asia Pacific market at an exclusive event here at the Japanese capital in late November. 

Takayuki Kimura, the marque’s managing director for Asia Pacific, led the unveiling at the historic Tsukiji Honganji temple in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The new GranTurismo is all-wheel drive and comes in three variants. The base model Modena (named after the Italian town where Maserati’s headquarters are located) has a V6 engine churning out 490hp and 600Nm of torque and can go from zero to 100kph in 3.9 seconds. Top speed: 302 kph.

Maserati's Takayuki Kimura and Bojan Jankulovski

Photo by Maserati.

The Trofeo, meanwhile, kicks things up a notch with 550hp and 650Nm at 3,000 rpm, can race from zero to 100 kph in 3.5 seconds, and can go all the way up to 320 kph.

The third and arguably the most exciting variant is the upcoming Folgore, which is the first in Maserati’s lineup to carry a fully electric drivetrain. It’s also the most powerful of the three, with 760hp and 1,350 Nm. It can go from zero to 100 kph in 2.7 seconds and notches a top speed also of 320 kph.

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Inside, designers used materials such as natural leather, wood, and carbon that all work together to exude luxury and craftsmanship.  While it may look compact from the outside, the rear seats actually have more legroom than the previous GranTurismo, while the cockpit is centered around a comfort digital display screen positioned slightly lower than the typical console, which designers say is so it does not distract the driver’s attention away from the road. The design follows Maserati’s Grecale SUV and also features a multimedia infortainment system called the Maserati Intelligent Assistant (MIA). 

Inspired by David

Ahead of the launch in Tokyo, I had the pleasure of chatting with Klaus Busse, global head of Design for Maserati, who unfortunately could not make it to the launch in Tokyo. In his presentation, Busse discussed the design inspiration for the new GranTurismo, which includes a nod to perhaps the most famous sculpture in history: Michelangelo’s David.

The GranTurismo One Off Prisma is equipped with the Nettuno V6 internal combustion engine and with a bodywork made of a chromatic partnership consisting of 14 different colours

Photo by Maserati.

“David, of course, represents the best of Italy, and a product of the Renaissance,” Busse said. “What inspired me is the craft of sculpting. We use a type of plaster, which is used in the traditional method of sculpting. I see our cars as descendants of the sculptures from the masters. You see David’s arms, cut perfectly, you don’t see sharp edges, there are no holes. This is what we did, that translates to the volume of the hood and fender. We don’t need a lot of lines.”

Busse also explained that Maserati generally doesn’t focus on a single profile when it designs and markets its cars. In the case of the GranTurismo, he says, the range of owners worldwide cuts across age, gender, and race.

“Obviously, we’re not designing and making 10 million Maseratis per day,” he said. “We’re designing with all these attributes of performance and comfort. One of my favorite things is, I love to meet the buyers. And I found that there is not one person (of a GranTurismo owner). It’s really about the passion for driving.”

The luxurious interiors of the Maserati GranTurismo

Photo by Maserati.

During a short roundtable conversation in Tokyo, Kimura, meanwhile, did admit that the typical GranTurismo owner is mostly male, and a bit more mature. While there are relatively younger owners (around 30 years of age), he said the car does attract people who are more knowledgeable about automobiles and have experienced other car makes and models.

“I think the concept of Gran Turismo would appeal to such a person, knowing automotive very much,” he said. “But of course, we’d like the concept itself to appeal to as many people as possible.”

If the new GranTurismo calls out to you, you should know that, although local dealerships are already accepting orders, Kimura said deliveries aren’t expected until at least early autumn 2024, which is about one year from now. But, as in most other things, the wait will surely be worth it.

The Maserati difference

“Owning a Maserati actually decelerates me,” Busse said about the brand. “I don’t have to prove anything if you carry the trident (logo). It’s the car when I’m driving the slowest. When I go to the alps, or when I go the wine region, it can completely slow me down you and put me in a state of flow. Of course, I can drive it at Nurburgring and it can put me in a state of euphoria. So I’m happy to live on both sides. It’s a car that does it need the approval of everyone around you. 

The unmistakable lines of the Maserati GranTurismo

Photo by Maserati.

To further illustrate his point, Busse told the story of a time when he was driving a Maserati in the town of Como in Northern Italy.

“I had just arrived in my Maserati Levante, with the roof open, and I passed a grandmother with her granddaughter on the side of the road. And then, as I passed, the grandmother started screaming, ‘Maserati! Maserati!’ that’s the kind of car Maserati is. It stirs something inside you. It’s all about emotions.”