MASERATI PLOTS 'PURE', ICE-ONLY GT FLAGSHIP

Limited-run luxury GT model in the works with V6 petrol power and a manual 'box

- FELIX PAGE AND CHARLIE MARTIN

Maserati is considering a new flagship super-GT with V6 power and a manual gearbox as part of a drive to emphasise its sporting heritage and strengthen the brand's luxury credentials.

Set to be a limited-run creation, the new top-rung Maserati could be launched as early as next year as the most exclusive and powerful combustion-engined car the firm has produced since the MC12 landed two decades ago.

It is tipped to be based on the Granturismo and will be twinned with an equivalent Alfa Romeo model, similar to the way in which the new Alfa 33 Stradale is based on Maserati's MC20.

Speaking to Autocar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this month, Santo Ficili, who is CEO of both marques, said: “We have infinite possibilities to customise products for our customers, for the entire range of Maserati. I'm imagining to do something like we did in the past, also considering Alfa Romeo.”

Ficili referenced previous collaborations between the two firms, highlighting that the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was based on the previous Maserati Granturismo and built alongside that car at Maserati's plant in Modena, where the later 4C sports coupé was also produced.

More recently, Alfa Romeo turned to Maserati to provide the basis for the new 33 Stradale supercar, which shares its basic monocoque chassis and twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine with the mid-engined MC20 (now rebadged MCPura).

“We built the 4C and 8C in Modena, so why not?” said Ficili of the prospect of another limited-run supercar tie-up. “We can imagine a ‘few-off’ Maserati. It’s easy, because you can look at the past of these two brands, and you can find a nice car like the 33 Stradale, and we can invent something like this.”