After months of teasing, the Maserati GranTurismo has made its global debut. This latest generation starts a new chapter in a story that began 75 years ago with the Maserati A6 1500.
The original Gran Turismo of 1947 at the Geneva Motor Show was the first road-going Maserati, of which only 61 examples were produced. The car had technical features and original, cutting-edge technology making it a genuinely revolutionary car.
The new GranTurismo coupe upholds that tradition, combining the high performance typical of a sportscar with comfort suitable for long distances. It represents a benchmark, embodying the concept of “The Others Just Travel”.
The last time Maserati had a GranTurismo in the showrooms was in 2019, and then production of the model stopped after some 40,000 cars had been sold worldwide. At that time, the carmaker didn’t say it was the end of the line but rather that it was focussing on factory renovation. It also said that it would develop a new ‘Made in Italy’ high-performance sportscar which would undoubtedly continue the iconic model line that began 75 years ago.
The all-new GranTurismo must be nearing launch as it has now been revealed in public without camouflage. With ‘a selected number of employees from the Maserati Family in the driving seat’ and travelling many kilometres, prototypes must be undergoing final real-world testing. This is the time when pictures start to appear in social media so the company has probably decided that it’s more practical to simply allow the car to be seen uncamouflaged.
Like most Italian carmakers, Maserati has motorsport in its long history. Twelve years after its founding by the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore, the first racing car to bear the Trident logo was the Tipo 26 which was entered in the 1926 Targa Florio in Italy. It won first place in its class with Alfieri at the wheel.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the Maserati garage built racing cars for sale all over the world, while also producing road cars with the high performance demonstrated on the racetracks. 31 years after Alfieri’s first victory, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Formula 1 World Championship with a Maserati in 1957. The last time Maserati entered a single-seater was with Maria Teresa De Filippis, the first woman to qualify in F1, who drove a 250F.
Maserati’s last appearance in racing was during the first decade of the 21st century with the MC12. Its teams won 22 races and 14 Championship titles across Constructors’ Championships, Drivers’ Championships and Teams’ Championships in the FIA GT from 2004 to 2010.
In 2023, the brand will again be seen on the starting grid of races as it joins the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023 for Season 9. It will be the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E, the all-electric single-seater world championship that will be the 8th season this year.
Maserati will be the second brand in the Stellantis Group to participate in Formula E, the other being DS from the Citroen affiliate which has been racing since 2018. The company’s racing team is now developing a new racing car which conforms to the Gen3 regulations which will see the fastest, lightest and most powerful Formula E racing car ever. The Gen3 is the world’s most efficient racing car featuring a series of industry-leading design, production and technological innovations.
Maserati’s entry into Formula E is in line with its move and commitment to electric mobility. This strategy will see the introduction of Folgore, a new sub-brand that will have a range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Folgore versions will be available for the Grecale, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, as well as the MC20.
“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing. We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future. In the race for more performance, luxury, and innovation, Folgore is irresistible and it is the purest expression of Maserati. That’s why we decided to go back to racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, meeting our customers in the city centers of the world, taking the Trident forward into the future,” said Davide Grasso, CEO of Maserati.
Maserati’s confirmed entry is good news for the event’s organizers with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz ending their participation. McLaren has also indicated its interest in taking part in Formula E but has not given details of when they might start. With the accelerating impetus of electrification, some other brands might also see it useful to be in Formula E to show their strengths in the EV field.
Since inception in 2014, Formula E has provided dramatic racing action on the streets of cities around the world such as New York, Monaco, Berlin, Mexico City, London and Rome. For manufacturers like Nissan, Porsche, NIO, Mahindra, Jaguar, DS, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, developing cars for racing has led to finding new solutions in increasing energy efficiency, enhancements in battery range and advances in powertrain development.