Electrified Beauty

Maserati throws a trident at the electric car.

- DAVID BEARD

2024 MASERATI GRANTURISMO FOLGORE

Aside from the stunning MC20, modern-day Maseratis quite often go unnoticed. In small-town Italy, however, the trident emblem and the brand's distinct engine arias possess the ability to stop bystanders in their tracks. Pedestrians approve via a raised thumb. Now the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore and its warbling electronic soundtrack at idle bring a new reaction: head-scratching.

The Folgore shares the body and styling of the internal-combustion GranTurismo, except it has bronze-colored trident badges and brake calipers and lacks tailpipes. While the synth soundtrack won't rattle the bricks of ancient structures in the Old World, it represents Maserati's foray into an electric future. Beneath the Folgore's striking sheet metal, there's a wallop of power courtesy of three electric motors, one driving the front axle and two powering the rear. Each motor can make 402 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of thrust, but output from the 83.0-kWh lithium-ion battery limits combined peak power to 818 horses.

The Folgore also shares the same basic structure of the gasoline-fed model. Maserati's battery pack differs from industry norm by occupying the center section, some of the "engine" bay, and a bit of real estate behind the rear seat. Maserati admits the battery shape elevates the center of gravity relative to a vehicle with an underfloor pack, but the beauty of this design is that it has no effect on passenger space and doesn't raise the floorpan.