Maserati GranCabrio First Drive Won in Charity Ball Auction

Shortly after it was first introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Maserati GranCabrio was the star of a charity event, during the revival of the Queen Charlotte's Ball. In fact, the UK's first drive of the Maserati GranCabrio in 2010 was won in this charity ball auction.

Queen Charlotte and debutantes of the time founded the Ball over 250 years ago, to raise funds for mothers and babies through the hospital that was later called Queen Charlotte's Hospital. After 12 years of absence, the Ball went back to London, marking the beginning of the season with the traditional "coming out" ceremony, also known as the Debutante Ball. Today, the London Season supports Lord Winston and Queen Charlotte's Hospital in the research to help premature birth, miscarriage and infertility.

The event was held at the Durbar Court, also known as the "Jewel of Whitehall," where the Debutantes arrived in chauffeur driven Maserati Quattroporte cars. Dressed in Pronovias white gowns and wearing diamonds and pearls by Mikimoto, they entered Durbar Court in a traditional procession and were presented to HRH Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, HH Princess Olga Romanov and Their Graces The Duke and Duchess of Somerset.

The Charity Auction, which included the first drive of the Maserati GranCabrio when it arrives in the UK next year, has been conducted by Lord Dalmeny and raised 60,000 British pounds in support of the Wolfston and Weston Research Centre for Family Health at the Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Hospital site of Imperial College London.

Maserati GranCabrio, the convertible version of the GranTurismo, features a fabric roof that brings the overall weight of the car close to 2 tonnes. It is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 engine that develops a maximum power of 440 hp. The car can go as high as 180 mph (290 km/h) and jump from 0 to sixty in 5.5 seconds. Unfortunately, there is no word on the pricing yet, but it will most likely be a bit more expensive than the GranTurismo.