2007 Maserati GranTurismo 4.3L V8 6AT (405 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Maserati launched the GranTurismo as a replacement for the aging Coupe, which was more or less a revamped 1998 3200 GT, and it was developed in a record-time of just nine months from start to finish.

The Italian automaker needed a quick replacement for the 2002 Coupe because customers could feel the underpinnings shared with the 3200 GT from 1998. Unlike those two, the GranTurismo was made on a shortened platform from the fifth generation of the Maserati Quattroporte. Furthermore, it had an engine developed by Ferrari, but instead of a flat-plane crankshaft, it was a cross-plane style. That led to a broader torque curve and a unique sound. For styling, the Italian automaker made a call to its long-time partner Pininfarina Design Studio, which assigned Jason Castriota to pen it. As a result, the car manufacturer could unveil the final product at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, and customers were delighted about the product, especially because Maserati dropped the former automated gearbox and replaced it with a classic automatic one developed by ZF.

Even though the bio-design era was gone, the Italian automaker insisted on having flowing lines on the bodywork. Those were reflected right off the bat at the front of the GranTurismo. The car impressed the audience with its large grille adorned by vertical slats and sporting the Tridento badge in the middle. It was flanked by swept-back headlights, and underneath them, on the bumper, the automaker added the round fog lights. The coupe car was created as a Gand Tourer, not as a sportscar, so it didn’t have an aggressive splitter or oversized air intakes.

From its profile, the low-slung greenhouse started with a raked windshield. Its roofline was arched down behind the B-posts to create more headroom for those seated in the back. On the front fenders, Maserati placed its traditional three vents, while lower, discretely, the Pininfarina badge. Out back, the automaker created a short deck behind the sloped-down rear window. Maserati was criticized for the boomerang-shaped LED taillights of the Coupe and tried to fix that with more extensive, triangular-shaped ones, which resembled those from a European Ford Mondeo from the same era, and that was not very appreciated. Luckily, the rear fascia’s look was saved by the lower bumper area, which sported a diffuser and a pair of twin-round exhausts.

Maserati bragged about the GranTurismo as being a genuine four-seat vehicle, and it was. The rear seats were comfortable enough for average-sized passengers, not just for dogs and purses. At the front, the bucket seats provided some level of side bolstered areas, but those were made mostly for comfort. Fronting the driver was a classic-looking dashboard with a double curvature, clearly distinguishing between the driving post and the side passenger area. The center console between them housed the automatic transmission selector and a pair of cup holders.

Under the hood was a 4.2-liter V8 developed by Ferrari for the California. Due to its architecture, the one from the GranTurismo provided less power and torque, but it was still perfectly capable of 285 kph (177 mph). The six-speed automatic transmission was mounted at the front. Despite that, the car’s weight distribution was 49%—51 %.