News: Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S
12/01/2007
Maserati’s steadily evolving Quattroporte—perhaps the slickest handler among current plus-sized sedans—sharpens its reflexes with the Sport GT S. With the standard Quattroporte Automatic having ditched its balky Duo Select gearbox for a conventional automatic—the same ZF 6-speed that produces creamy shifts in cars from the BMW 6-Series to the Jaguar XK—Maserati created the GT S to satisfy a more Type-A buyer. Those who crave more power, however, will go hungry: The new model’s output is unchanged, with 400 hp from a 4.2-liter, Ferrari-based V-8.Instead, the GT S is about blinding curves and breakneck stops: It shares the Automatic’s paddle-shift transmission, but replaces its computerized adaptive suspension with race-tuned shocks and springs that lower the ride height by 0.4 inches up front and 1 inch at the rear. The model adds 20-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels, a glowering black-chrome mesh grille, black window trim and body-color door handles. The cabin is awash in Alcantara and carbon-fiber trim, with new sport seats up front.
With initial deliveries set for December, the GT S beats the 2008 BMW M3 to market with the first two-piece, racing-style composite brakes in a production car. Those Brembo brakes include six-caliper units up front.
Maserati officials acknowledge that, for a large luxury sedan, the GT S is a stiff-riding machine. As such, they expect to sell perhaps 100 at most in the U.S. for 2008.
"If you’re driving around Manhattan, the GT S may not be what you’d want," said Jeffrey Ehoodin, Maserati’s U.S. spokesman. "But for serious enthusiasts, we have the ability to create one."
Maserati, www.maserati.com