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New Maserati GranCabrio Shows Red Brake Calipers and Quad Exhaust in Latest Spy Pics

Designed by Jason Castriota at Pininfarina, the first-generation Maserati GranTurismo and its convertible sibling ran from 2007 to 2019 to the tune of a little over 40,000 examples. Exclusively offered with naturally-aspirated V8 engines produced by Ferrari, the grand tourer was – at long last – replaced in October 2022.
2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine 26 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine2024 Maserati GranCabrio prototype with Nettuno V6 engine
Codenamed M189, as opposed to M145 for the first generation, the newcomer is presently available in fixed-head coupe format. The soft-topped convertible will follow suit this year as a 2024 model. Maserati has already previewed the GranCabrio Folgore all-electric version with camouflage hiding its body panels, and our spy photographers have recently caught a combustion-engined GranCabrio testing near the Arctic Circle.

Sporting the same wheelbase and overall length as the coupe, the convertible has that certain Dolce Vita about it precisely because it features a canvas top rather than a metal roof. The camouflaged prototype is equipped with steel brake rotors squeezed by red-painted calipers that proudly wear the Maserati script on them. Pictured on prototype tires from Pirelli, the GranCabrio is equipped with black-painted wheels and round quad pipes.

The Maserati version of the F136 engine is gone in favor of a twin-turbo V6 that also leverages Ferrari technologies. Advertised under the Nettuno handle, the 3.0-liter engine premiered in the MC20 supercar.

The press release for the Nettuno engine claims that it’s 100 percent Maserati, although the Modenese automaker couldn’t be more wrong about that. Essentially a Ferrari F154 twin-turbo V8 with two cylinders loped off, the 90-degree powerplant features the 1-6-3-4-2-5 firing order of the F154-based Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6.

To Maserati’s credit, the 11:1 compression ratio heads are unique to the Modena-based House of the Trident. A dual-clutch transmission – similar to that used in the Chevrolet Corvette – is employed in the MC20. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio don’t support transaxles, which is why an eight-speed auto will have to make do. It’s one of the best automatics out there, though, namely the ZF Friedrichshafen-developed 8HP transmission.

In the 2+2 coupe, Maserati offers the Nettuno in two flavors: Modena and Trofeo. The all-electric Folgore sits at the top of the lineup, although the Italian brand has yet to unlock the full potential of the powertrain. Maserati promised 1,200-odd horsepower at launch, but in practice, the electric motors are limited to 818 ponies in boost mode. The culprit is the 92.5-kWh battery with LG Chem pouch cells, namely the battery's discharge capability.

The combustion-engined GranTurismo Modena produces in the ballpark of 490 horsepower and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm). As for the Trofeo, its engine makes 550 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm).

What kind of performance metrics can prospective customers look forward to from the GranTurismo? How about 3.9 seconds to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) for the Modena and 3.2 seconds for the Trofeo? Top speed favors the higher-output version as well, with the speedometer indicating 199 miles per hour (300 kilometers per hour) on full song.

On an ending note, it should also be noted that the GranTurismo- and GranCabrio-spec Nettuno uses a conventional wet sump lubrication system, as opposed to the dry sump of the corner-carving MC20 supercar.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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