Maserati’s GranTurismo S will be available soon with a fully automatic option, along with a handful of minor specification upgrades.
Until now, the 433hp, 4.7-litre V8 powered S model has only been available with a ‘robotised’ electro-actuated gearbox. GranTurismo owners wanting the cushy fully-auto option have had to content themselves with the less powerful 4.2 litre engine.
According to Maserati the combination of fully auto transmission – a ZF six-speed – and the bigger ‘S’ model engine stresses the original ‘granturismo’ concept while offering peak performance. Apparently the auto box shares recent modifications with the Quattroporte GT-S installation whereby shifting has been speeded-up and kick-down eliminated from the manual shift mode.
The revised model will be unveiled officially in Geneva next week, with detail changes including new ‘under-door mini-skirts’, new style 20ins alloy wheels with a ‘Trident’ design and an ‘enriched’ equipment package which basically means that you get Bluetooth connectivity and an Ipod interface as standard.
An open-topped version of the GranTurismo is still on the way, but will probably not be revealed until the Geneva show in 2010 according to latest insider reports. Apparently it will be dubbed the GranTurismo ‘Cabriolet’ and not ‘Spider’ as it is expected to retain the coupe’s 2+2 seating – whereas Maserati Spider models historically have room for only two.
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