Automotive Einstein

In the lofty niche of high-end four-seat convertibles, few stars shine brighter than the new Maserati GranTurismo. With the heater on high, the bum warmers on max, and the polished twenty-inch wheels shod with go-anywhere Pirelli SottoZero tires, it was a real pleasure to thumb a nose at winter from behind the wheel of this drop-dead gorgeous Maserati. There’s no doubt about it: Maserati made the right decision when it halted the production-ready retractable hardtop in favor of this roomier, prettier, and more involving softtop.

The GranTurismo convertible (which will be known elsewhere as the GranCabrio) is the third and final iteration of the Quattroporte platform that was first unveiled in 2003. Although this component set was originally not meant to go topless, Maserati is now claiming best-in-class torsional rigidity as well as unrivaled rear leg- and headroom. The latter is an important asset: after all, 72 percent of convertible buyers order cars with more than two seats. Predictably, the numerous reinforcement measures required increased the weight to 4365 pounds. That’s 220 pounds heavier than the GranTurismo coupe and almost 300 more than a Jaguar XKR convertible but about 30 pounds less than a BMW M6 softtop. Despite strengthening efforts, cowl shake is an issue when driving on undulating surfaces.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible – Maserati Luxury Sport Convertible Review – Automobile Magazine

To celebrate the fact that its Quattroporte has won nearly 56 different awards, Maserati has created a new special model — the Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition” — that will be unveiled at the 2010 Geneva motor show.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT Awards Edition – 2010 Geneva Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

Wonder what Maserati’s shapely GranTurismo coupe would look like as a convertible? Your puzzlement is over. The Italian automaker released photos of its new GranCabrio model, which will debut at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Maserati GranCabrio – 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2010 Maserati GranCabrio – 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine

I have a long history with the Quattroporte. When I first drove the Quattroporte, during its introductory media event in Florence, Italy, in March 2004, I was amazed by the styling, the energetic V-8 engine borrowed from Ferrari, the oh-so-Italian interior, and the handling, which led me and others to call the Quattroporte “the four-door Ferrari.” I was not so impressed by the paddle-shifted semi-automatic manual transmission, which was extremely jerky in urban driving, with unacceptably long, rough upshifts. It was clear then that Maserati knew that the transmission would be unacceptable for many American buyers, as the QP’s engineering team was interrogating the U.S. press corps for its reactions to the gearbox. The DuoSelect was great when you were driving the car at its limits on hilly Tuscan roads, I told them, but it wasn’t going to fly with the country club set who would buy the car in America.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Maserati Quattroporte S – Maserati Luxury Sedan Review – Automobile Magazine

Travel experts call Modena, Italy, “the land of engines,” prima facie evidence that this Emilia-Romagna city warrants a visit. The De Tomaso, Ferrari, Maserati, and Pagani marques were either born or were nurtured here.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic – Maserati Exotic Sport Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2009 Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic – Maserati Exotic Sport Coupe Review – Automobile Magazine

Sport sedans operate in a gray area where practicality gives way to emotion. A thoroughly rational shopping list of the world’s best examples would include the Audi S6, the BMW M5, the Cadillac CTS-V, the Lexus IS-F, and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. But pragmatism, logic, and good sense are rarely the deciding factors when considering an irrational purchase like a $100K-plus, 150-mph-plus automobile. Instead, right-brain values come to the forefront – style, rarity, sophistication, glamour, equipment, image, and, yes, sex appeal. The aforementioned sedans are undeniably speedy and dynamically impressive – but at the end of the day, the M5 isn’t much more than a 528i on steroids, the S6 is an A6 that has undergone a complicated heart transplant via Sant’Agata Bolognese, the CTS-V and the IS-F both have relatively humble genetic backgrounds, and the E63 AMG started life on the same assembly line as 75 percent of the German taxi population.

Photo Gallery: Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, Jaguar XFR, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S – Sport Sedan Comparison – Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, Jaguar XFR, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S – Sport Sedan Comparison – Automobile Magazine

There are very good reasons for a June vacation in Italy’s Umbria region: Ancient villas and Roman ruins, fine wine, fantastic food, pungent espresso, beautiful people, spectacular churches and museums, and a heavenly golden light at sunset, to name just a few. Little of this resonated with the four offspring being dragged to Italy by our friends, Tom and Lisa Boniface, from Poland, Ohio. (Yes, you recognize that surname. Brother Bob designed the Chevy Volt.) But to Italian car-besotted Tommy, 18, and Joe, 15, it all came together when the magnanimous Maserati press office delivered a luscious, black 2007 Quattroporte Sport GT S – with a startling red interior – in my name to our hotel in Rome for our holiday.

Photo Gallery: 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS – Jean Jennings’ Italian Vacation – Automobile Magazine