Maserati - GranCabrio
The GranCabrio is the open-top sibling of the GranTurismo,. Powered by the firm’s 4.7 litre V8, 323 kW engine, this is the marque’s first venture into the four-seat cabriolet market. One of the best-looking cars at the show, the successful design largely makes up for the car's long and convoluted development.
Our main guideline was to keep the beauty we had on the coupe but avoid losing power by converting it into cabriolet,’ explains Lowie Vermeersch, director of design at Pininfarina and the man responsible for designing both GranCabrio and GranTurismo. His team achieved their goal by creating a very sleek roof and profile. ‘It was a big engineering job to realise the roof shape,' he admits.
Vermeersch explains that with Maserati, all design starts from the grille, with the aim of creating one single uninterrupted surface that spreads right over the car. Graphics wise, the designers have added an almost jewel-like red line around the lights - a small detail, but one that picks out the neat rear end.
The GranTurismo and now GranCabrio are strong statements for Maserati. Vermeersch believes they are a good example of how you can push a marque forward without interrupting the heritage. ‘The car has a very strong expression - It is an extrovert car and won’t leave you indifferent,’ says Vermeersch. ‘These are high performance cars and the styling has to express this.’
UK sales: March 2010. Price: circa £100,000
www.maserati.com

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