Autoblog

Never underestimate a car guy on holiday. That's the lesson to be learned by Maserati, which apparently left a Gran Turismo Spyder mule in a lot somewhere in Modena.

An eagle-eyed tourist snapped off a handful of pics showing the two-piece roof and articulating trunk in its earliest stages of development. Expect the Gran Turismo Spyder to make its debut in Paris later this year, with sales beginning in early 2009.

[Source: AutoGespot]

Click image above for high-res gallery from Concorso Italiano 2008

The festivities continue around the Monterey Peninsula. We've already shown you pics from Gordon McCall's party and from the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, but today's coverage picks up an Italian accent. The Concorso Italiano is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian, be it music, cuisine, fashion, tourism, and of course cars. Previously held at the nearby Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, this year's gathering took place at the Marina municipal airstrip. Just like the past 20-something years, this year's Concorso brought out some stunning examples of Italy's finest, cars designed with passione and intended to be driven con brio. And just like in previous years, a few non-Italian cars that bring that same driving thrill were invited in for the party.

While the tarmac didn't offer the same soft picnic grove as the golf course, the organizers tried their best to make up for it with plenty of shady tents to visit filled with vendors, food and fun. Concorso has always been more laid back than some of the other judged events during the week, and even with the slightly more rigid airport setting there was still a feeling that you were at more of a car club meet than a genuine concours. Check out the gallery by clicking one of the images here and you'll hopefully see what we mean. The usual Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Alfas were joined by a bunch of Lancias, DeTomasos, Fiats, and a smattering of "others" that included German, Japanese, American, and British cars. Our favorite stop was the supercar lineup that featured two MC12s, two Veyrons, an Enzo and an F50. We even spotted Valentino Balboni, Adam Corolla and Jay Leno while we were there. Click away and enjoy.

Click above to watch the video

Try as we might, there are just some things that words just cannot express. For automotive enthusiasts like us, those things usually have four wheels and, more often than not, come from Italy. Take the Maserati GranTurismo, which only grew more desirable in our eyes with the addition of the 4.7-liter V8 from the even more luscious Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. We could gladly write all day about its achingly gorgeous lines and impeccable attention to detail, to say nothing of the rip-roaring powertrain, but we just couldn't do it justice. And so we bring you this video, which you can watch after the jump. Enjoy.

[Source: Maserati]

Every racing fan has his favorite series. In most of the world, that'll probably be Formula One. In the United States, fans love their NASCAR. In parts of Europe they might follow DTM, but with few exceptions that's pretty much it. Except for Le Mans. Come June, everybody's attention turns to France. But that's just once a year, and sportscar racing continues around the world and around the calendar in such leagues as the LMS, ALMS and FIA GT Championship.

One of the most important endurance races of the year – the 24 Hours of Spa – just took place in Belgium at the Spa-Francorchamps this past weekend. If you follow the FIA GT series, you probably already know who won. But if you don't, follow the jump to see how the day-long race turned out.

[Source: Autosport, Image: Michel Krakowski/Getty]

Click to view the Maserati MC12 Corsa in hi-res

Evey year automakers spend considerable amounts of money creating the most extreme racing cars to edge out their competition on the track. Unfortunately, lust-worthy as they are, those competition machines are rarely available to the common consumer to buy. That's where homologation regulations come into play.

The Maserati MC12 campaigns in the FIA GT Championship. In order to enter the championship, which the team took in 2005, Maserati fabricated and offered 50 vehicles to the public. But as devastatingly fast as the roadgoing MC12 was, some customers wanted more. So Modena rolled out 12 examples of the MC12 Corsa (a.k.a. Versione Corse) to satisfy the needs of its most loyal, track-obsessed clients. Based closely on the GT1 racing version, the MC12 Corsa packs a mammoth 6-liter V12 producing 744 horsepower – 121 more than the roadgoing supercar. The Versione Corse compared to the Ferrari FXX: both of them were based on the Ferrari Enzo, both were offered in limited numbers, both were maintained for their best clients by the factory, and most importantly, neither were certified for road use. However, one German customer managed to get his MC12 Corsa certified for street use, and that solitary example is now up for sale. Illustrating the point that depreciation does not apply to the top echelons of the supercar market, the minimum bid on this unique MC12 Corsa is 1.45 million euros – 45% higher than the original sale price from the factory, and it's sure to sell for more than that when the hammer finally drops.

[Source: MC12Corsa.com]

Turnover rates at the top of the chain at Maserati continue to rise as the Trident marque searches for stability and growth. Since taking over Maserati from De Tomaso, the Fiat Group has appointed a long stream of executives to lead the marque. None have seemed to pass muster, however. Martin Leach (previously head of Ford in Europe) was replaced by former Rolls-Royce chief Karl Heinz Kalbfell in 2005, who was subsequently axed in favor of Roberto Ronchi in 2006. Now, following the departure of the company's North American head James Selwa earlier this year, comes news of yet another leadership change at Maserati.

Harald J. Wester has stepped up to the plate to take the reins at Maserati. Wester started his career at Volkswagen, then moved to Audi, Ferrari, and Magna Steyr before being hired as Chief Technical Officer for the Fiat Group, a position he will continue to execute in parallel to his leadership of Maserati. Wester is a heavy hitter, but so were many of the others who have gone through the big revolving door in Modena. If Wester manages to perpetuate the company's profitability and follow up on the success of the GranTurismo and Quattroporte with new, exciting models, we'll be sold...and hopefully Fiat Group chief Sergio Marchionne will be, too.

[Sources: Italiaspeed and Automotive News Europe]

Click on the GranTurismo for a high-res gallery

When we review a car, at some point we take it out to find a secluded location for a photo shoot. Anyone who does drive by usually keeps on going without asking any questions. Not so with a gleaming Nero black Maserati GranTurismo and a "Where are my sunglasses?" yellow Corvette Z06 sitting side by side. This was the scenario that transpired when fellow Autoblogger Chris Shunk swung by the Ann Arbor office for a joint photo shoot of our respective review vehicles. Corvettes, even screaming yellow Z06s, are pretty commonplace in Michigan. Maseratis, however, are anything but. The GranTurismo sashayed onto the world's automotive stage in March 2007 at the Geneva Motor Show looking right at home in the company of the models who always adorn the displays of Italian marques at such events. Read on to find out what Maserati's latest coupe is like to live with.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Maserati Quattropore S

Let's be honest: cars can be a mode of transportation, but you're not reading Walkoblog or Cycleblog, now are you? At the heart of matters, what we're really pursuing here is that unbridled enthusiasm we had for cars as children. With every comparison of engine output and Nurburgring lap times, we're reaching back to the schoolyard, childishly debating the superiority of one sportscar over another. And all these galleries of high resolution images we bring you are just our updated version of hanging posters of Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the walls of our childhood bedrooms. How disappointed our younger selves would be, however, at what we end up driving when we finally have the means: ho-hum family sedans, bloated SUVs and wobly mini-vans. If only someone made an exotic sedan – not a compromise between the two, but a genuine exotic with four doors. That's exactly what Maserati did in 2003 with the revival of the Quattroporte, with a little help from sister-brand Ferrari.

With the Quattroporte, Maserati has proven itself capable of satisfying both our inner child and the one sitting in the back. A tough act to follow, then, because a sequel is seldom as exciting the original. But after 15,000 units delivered, the Quattroporte was treated to a mid-cycle refresh, sharpening up its already luscious styling, throwing in a host of new features and, most tantalizingly, dropping a bigger, more powerful engine into the mix. With such promise in store, we headed out to Austria to see what the boys from Modena had cooked up... and to seek out that boyhood grin once again.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

More Maseratis can hardly be a bad thing – unless you're one of the unfortunates trying to maintain a BiTurbo without losing your shirt. Modern Masers are sumptuous and beautiful, quintessential expressions of the Gran Turismo idiom. The gloriousness of recent trident-wearing Italians has led to a boom in sales. Maserati is looking at increasing its profitability by expanding the model range downward. A smaller Maserati sports coupe priced in Porsche 911 territory could give sales a further boost, though the swooning economy may not help the exotic brand move units. The car would be based on a hacksawed version of the Gran Turismo's platform, leaving room for only two occupants. A spiffy Maserati in the $80-100,000 range is expected to be capable of moving more than 6,000 per year, powered by the expected V8s, and possibly a V6 for increased efficiency. Mortgaging the house for this vehicle is likely a bad idea, but another choice in the segment and price range that it's expected to occupy has us nodding in approval.

[Source: Autocar]

Last week we brought you the first batch of images and details on the new Quattroporte and Quattroporte S from Maserati. Since we've received requests from several Autoblog readers that we give them a heads-up on events we're attending, and as eager as we always are to please, we're headed off next week to Europe to sample the latest from the master motor craftsmen at Maserati. Until we get a chance to drive and report on the newest offering from the stoic Trident marque, we offer up this video that conveys the new Quattroporte from every angle and in all its beauty. Follow the jump to watch.

[Source: theCarfanatic.com]