The trident returns, but it remains to be seen whether American motorists will open their arms-and pocketbooks-after being badly burned by the last generation of Maserati cars to come across the Atlantic. These days, the long-troubled but once-great brand is owned by long-time cross-town rival Ferrari. The prancing pony sees Maserati as a way to expand its sales-and profits-without over-expanding the Ferrari brand. A sizable sum of money has been invested to build a new assembly plant, develop new products and powerplants, and to ensure that quality is world-class this time. At least, that's the promise. The automaker returned to U.S. shores in late 2001 with its top-down Spyder, and followed it up in '02 with the hardtop Maserati Coupe. But the betting is on the third model planned for the brand, the reborn Quattroporte. It's set to hit the street by early 2004.
COUPE GT AND CAMBIOCORSA At first glance, the Coupe bears a strong resemblance to the 3200GT, which did not make it to the States, though the quirky taillights have been replaced with something a bit more conservative. With a body penned by ItalDesign Giugiaro, the new Coupe is quintessentially Italian, a blend of voluptuous curves and bulges that suggest the power hidden beneath its long hood. The Coupe is powered by a Ferrari-designed, 4.2-liter V-8 making an impressive 390-horsepower. The Cambiocorsa replaces the GT's automatic transmission with an electro-mechanical transmission that can be set to automatic mode or operated, Formula-One-style, using paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.
2002 Maserati Spyder |
SPYDER This is the convertible that launched Maserati's American revival. It features the same powertrain options as the Coupe. The biggest difference, other than the easy-to-operate cloth top, is that the Spyder is configured as a two-seater.
;)
;)
