THE all-electric Maserati Gran Turismo Folgore has already given us a taste of the Italian brand's all-new, all-wheel-drive Gran Turismo. Now the petrol-powered models, which share their basic engine architecture with the MC20 supercar, are here to complete the story.
There are two versions to choose from, and the marginally tamer of the pair (named after Maserati's hometown) is the Modena, boasting 483bhp, a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 187mph. But we've come to Italy to drive this faster, 542bhp Trofeo edition, which drops the 0-62mph time to a supercar-central 3.5 seconds and maxes out at nearly 200mph. Impressive numbers indeed.
Maserati reckons it made the very first grand tourer some 75 years ago (the 1947 A61500) and the blueprint has hardly changed since then, though of course the methods and materials have.
In terms of its architecture, the new Gran Turismo's advanced, lightweight hybrid aluminium-and-steel construction leaves even the superseded, previous-generation Gran Turismo that went off sale in 2019 looking distinctly old and overweight.
This story is from the February 15, 2023 edition of Auto Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 15, 2023 edition of Auto Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PERFORMANCE review
Updates have transformed the Audi RS 4 before it bows out for good, but can it beat the BMW M3 Touring?
Pick of the Porsches
In its 75 years, Porsche has built some of the most iconic cars ever. We look at the best
The rebirth of cool
Octavia has been the standard-bearer of Skoda's renaissance for 25 years. We mark that milestone by looking at four generations of the popular car
Evolution in action
As the Peugeot 205 turns 40, we look at how this most iconic of French superminis has influenced the brand's latest small car
Volkswagen T-Cross
FIRST DRIVE Updates focus on boosting compact SUV's quality
Vauxhall Astra ST Electric
FIRST DRIVE Estate version of electric family car comes with space to spare
Smart #3
FIRST DRIVE Has Smart righted the 1’s wrongs with the latest addition to its range?
BEAVER TOWN
When Citroen said it was supporting a scheme to rewild beavers in West London wetlands, we were eager to gnaw how it would work
HOUSE OF BUGATTI
| Upon his retirement, the man who's shaped all modern Bugattis SI reflects upon his stellar career with the ultimate supercar brand
AMG weaves its magic as Merc reveals faster CLE 53 coupé
THE new Mercedes CLE coupé is tasked with replacing two-door versions of both the C-Class and E-Class, and the line-up has been bolstered with the arrival of a hot AMG 53 variant.