"Fernando Alonso was particularly impressed with the roominess offered by the GranCabrio, perfect for four adult passengers," says Maserati, which just like Ferrari, belongs to the Fiat Group.
That said, we might have been impressed by the Spanish pilot's choice if he wasn't driving for Ferrari...
Read more »
The distinctiveness of the "Awards Edition" that is based on the range-topping Quattroporte Sport GT S with the upgraded 433HP V8 engine extends to both the exterior and interior appointments.
The special edition model is offered in a uniqueQuarzo fuso exterior colour which is a pearlescent metallic Grey with a golden hue.
Among the exclusive to this model exterior enhancements are the 20-inch Multi Trident dark grey rims in a satin finish, polished Brembo brake calipers and the burnished treatment used on the chrome parts, as well as on the side air vents and radiator surround.
Inside, the Poltrona Frau leather of the seats is combined with perforated Alcantara with a new pattern, and the headlining is also in Alcantara.
Completing the interior upgrades are the special brushed aluminium door sills and Piano Black satin-finish wood mouldings while the boot is finished in black trim and features chrome details and a leather side pocket.
The Quattroporte Sport GT S "Awards Edition" will be go on sale in the latter half of 2010.
All in all, the Italians are planning to produced one-hundred units of the special edition Alfa Romeo MiTo for Maserati's service network.
The cars are fitted with the most powerful engine in the MiTo range, the 1.4-liter turbo petrol that churns out 170 horsepower, and all are finished in a deep blue Maserati Blu Oceano color.
Special treats include the "Limited Edition" plaque on the air conditioning unit, and the kick plate made from specially treated aluminum, bearing the words "Alfa Romeo for Maserati".
Other features include the 18-inch wheels, a sport exterior package and Alfa's Dynamic Suspension that actively varies the set-up to reflect the road conditions and driving style.
And since Maserati's customers are accustomed to luxurious options, the 100 cars also get a series of high-end details such as Pelle Frau upholstery, automatic dual-zone climate control, leather steering wheel complete with radio and telephone controls, a radio navigator covering the whole of Europe, and a hands-free Blue&Me system including USB port and bi-xenon headlights.
Italy's Fiat Group, which recently bought a 20 per cent stake in Chrysler, is continuing to shake up its executive and business structure. Today, the company's boss, Sergio Marchionne revealed plans to create a new group for the sporty Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Abarth brands that will be headed by Harald J. Wester, born in Linz am Rhein, Germany, on 26 February 1958.
Fiat said that Wester will maintain his current positions as Chief Technical Officer for Fiat Group and Fiat Group Automobiles and Chief Executive Officer of Maserati and Abarth.
"The purpose of bringing the Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Abarth brands under the same leadership is to emphasize and leverage the value of the shared qualities of the three brands in terms of their sporting characteristics and performance," said Marchionne.
Recent reports state that Marchionne is reviewing several options for the Fiat Group's money losing Alfa Romeo marque.
According to Autonews, among the options under consideration is to stop all investments for the brand leaving Alfa with two new models, the Giulietta and MiTo hatchbacks and three older cars, the 3-Series-fighting 159 Sedan / SportWagon, the Brera Coupe and the Spider.
If the new Giulietta five-door hatch proves successful, then Marchionne would revaluate the brand's future, otherwise Alfa could find itself in a very difficult position.
However, it's 100 per cent certain that if for any reason Fiat decides to shut down the brand in the near future, the company will face a public backlash in Italy and elsewhere as Alfa Romeo is a historic marque with many hardcore fans around the world - if you thought Saab has many loyalists, wait till you see the "Alfisti"...
Fortunately though, there's also another option on the table for Alfa and that's to invest in the historic brand by using common platforms with Chrysler's mid-size models for the 159's replacement and a new range-topping sedan that would rival the BMW 5-Series, with both cars being built and offered in the States as well.
Can't say that we're surprised by the results of a poll commissioned by UK's MPH featuring Top Gear Live and run by orange.co.uk/cars for the most "iconic performance car badge". As anyone would suspect, first place went to Ferrari with nearly half (48%) of all the 5,235 participants voting for the Cavallino Rampante while Aston Martin (being British and all...) took second place with 1,289 votes (25 per cent).The raging bull of Lamborghini landed in the third position with 470 votes (9 per cent) while fourth, fifth and sixth place were taken by Bugatti, Porsche and Maseratti respectively.
And if you must know, the poll was created to drum up some publicity for the "MPH The Prestige and Performance Motor Shows" at London's Earls Court (5–8 November) and Birmingham's NEC (12-15 November).
MOST ICONIC PERFORMANCE CAR BADGES
No | Manufacturer | Votes | Percentage |
1 | Ferrari | 2,525 | 48% |
2 | Aston Martin | 1,289 | 25% |
3 | Lamborghini | 470 | 9% |
4 | Bugatti | 263 | 5% |
5 | Porsche | 234 | 4% |
6 | Maserati | 143 | 3% |
7 | Spyker | 117 | 2% |
8 | Lotus | 80 | 2% |
9 | Koenigsegg | 70 | 1% |
10 | Pagani | 44 | 1% |
The sportiest to-date model of Maserati's Quattroporte range made its worldwide debut at NAIAS. The technical changes to the new Quattroporte Sport GT S compared to the 'S' model concern the mapping of the V8 4.7-litre engine which now produces 433HP, the new gearshift management software, the stiffer springs and lower ride height as well as the more sonorous sport exhaust system.The Italian firm's designers also went ahead and made a few subtle changes to the sport sedan's exterior and interior. These include the new black grille with concave vertical fins featuring the Trident logo with red accents, the new headlights, in metallic titanium finish, the new M-design seats with perforated Alcantara and leather upholstery and finally the "titanium colored" composite material dashboard trim.
Italian sports car firm Maserati has entered into partnership with Salvatore Ferragamo to create a luxury luggage set inspired from the sexy GranTurismo. To celebrate the arrival in the The Maserati luggage set is available in two leather finishes: ‘Firenze’, hand-boarded calfskin which has a clean, smooth appearance, and is available in dark brown or Maserati blue; alternatively ‘
The ‘
Via: Autoblog.nl , Info: NZHerald
