What's prettier - this or a 6-series?
It doesn't really matter whether a Maserati is any good or not - it just has to look the part. As an Italian engineering student once told me: "For us a Maserati is not a car, it's art."
These, then, are the first official images of Maserati's latest piece of 'artwork', the Maserati GranCabrio, which have been released ahead of the car's debut at this September's Frankfurt motor show.
The Maserati GranCabrio is the company's first four-seat convertible, and completes the three-model Maserati line-up (the Maserati press material, bizarrely but inventively, describes it as 'the Trident's third prong'). Maserati is also keen to emphasise the fact the GranCabrio is more than just a 2+2, with rear passengers "not merely supporting actors, but co-stars of the journey".
GranCabrio gets 433bhp V8 from GranTurismo S
Design is of course a thoroughly subjective affair, but we reckon Pininfarina has done a fine job of turning the GranTurismo coupe into a soft-top. It certainly appeals more to us than the BMW 6-series cab - the GranCabrio's only real rival.
Bearing in mind that the Maserati GranTurismo S already weighs a hefty 1880kg, the inevitable extra bracing required to compensate for the absence of a fixed roof could push the GranCabrio perilously close to a two-ton kerb weight.
Fortunately, the new car does use the more powerful 433bhp, 362lb ft 4.7-litre V8 from the GranTurismo S, so performance shouldn't be too blunt. Maserati hasn't revealed official performance figures, but we'd guess at a 0-60mph time in the mid-fives and a top speed of 175mph-plus. Power gets to the wheels via the usual ZF six-speed torque converter auto with the near-obligatory paddle shifters.
Maserati says it will start to market the car this winter but, and aims to get the first cars to customers in time for spring 2010.
There are no details on price as yet, but expect a fair hike over the £78,215 that a base coupe will set you back.
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