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2009 Maserati GranTurismo S: An Italian Virtuoso
Destination: Modena, Italy
Experience: Enchanting and Magnificent
Bottom Line: Like Violin Crafting, Skillful Art
To truly understand the roots of a European vehicle you must venture to its homeland to experience its birth, study its environment and speak intimately with its people. Until then you will second guess your judgment indefinitely. So when in Rome….. Bonjourno. Benvenuti a Modena, Italia per provare una bella donna. Good day. Welcome to Modena, Italy to experience a beautiful lady: The 2009 Maserati GranTurismo S. The language is so passionate that Italian artisans have no choice but to manifest salient masterworks.
Automotive Rhythms, upon special invitation, headed overseas to investigate first-hand the nature of Italian vehicle manufacturing and to specifically educate ourselves and our readers on Maserati’s almost 100 years of “excellence through passion.” The GranTurismo, released last year, entered the auto game with a stellar design, impressive V8 motor, and an unbelievable price point. Literally, it’s the most prominent luxury coupe you can purchase to date. Now, the “S” provides enhanced performance, an immaculate interior and progressive exterior design to go along with an already successful platform. To explore this equation further we toured Modena and its outer banks for a few days to familiarize ourselves with the technology of the GranTurismo S.
Modena, a small historic town, is known today mostly for the production of both the very tasty and expensive balsamic vinegar and vehicle manufacturing since the factories and corporate offices of Maserati are located here while Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani are stationed in Modena or nearby. I was also fond of the architecture of some of Modena’s Duomos (cathedrals) such as the one we visited which was built in 1099. And of course the Italian four cheese pizza at Al Poeta Ristorante Pizzeria was magnificent. Ferrari creator Enzo Ferrari also grew up in Modena while Italian motorcycle builder Ducati is situated close by in the big city of Bologna or the Basket City, nicknamed after the people’s love for basketball. Bologna is the birthplace of Maserati which found its beginnings in 1914 by the five Maserati brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto. Neptune’s (God of Water) Trident, the well-known logo for Maserati, was designed by a six brother, Mario, who was a skilled painter and had no interest with his brother’s endeavors. His vision was conceived at Fontana del Nettuno in Bologna’s center Piazza. The brothers built race vehicles for others until 1926 when they created their very own Type 26. In 1937 the company was sold and eventually relocated to Modena in 1940.
Back at the factory in Modena, which was technologically updated under Ferrari’s ownership, both the Quattroporte and the GranTurismo are hand crafted on two production lines. The steel bodies of the vehicles are pieced together with nearly four million custom combinations from leather piping to the Brembo brake colors. It’s bespoke luxury in one if its finest forms. In less than two days, Maserati offers yet another masterpiece. Starting at $135K, the company will build roughly 300 “S” models (2009 model year only) for North America. If demand increases Maserati will increase production. Expect a fall release.
The “S” in GranTurismo equates to Sport. Maserati boasts that is represents a host of other adjectives such as Speed, Sexy, Style, Sensation and Special. I say it represents Sacred as in a nativity scene. Imagine walking up on a White, Black, and Red cadre of “S” vehicles in front of the Maserati headquarters with the keys to one of the Red ones. Its serpent like opaque black grille is ready to swallow air and energy from acceleration while the Trident inspired 7-spoke 20” rims (standard) double as a set of weapons for attacking roads at increasing speeds which can get up to 183 mph. A 4.7-liter V8 replaces the 4.2-liter in the standard GranTurismo and produces 440-horsepower (SAE hp = 433) and 490 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm. This allows the seductive Italian lady to skirt from 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds. Not supercar speed, however, with its Pininfarina styling, side skirts and spoiler for aerodynamics, new electro-actuated performance gearbox and powerful Brembo brakes the vehicle is built to be the easiest to drive fast. Maserati believes the best performance vehicle should be designed simply with lessons learned from the race track. “You immediately realize that the Maserati GranTurismo S is substantially different. The car’s behavior is more precise going into bends, confirming the choices of 20 inch rims and tires, and, at the same time, reducing lateral roll thanks to new fixed-rate dampers,” said Ivan Capelli, former Ferrari F1 driver.
My time behind the wheel of the “S” was Special. The comfortable cockpit absorbs your body like a wet towel and every control is reachable without repositioning yourself. Thumb indentions in the thickly padded steering wheel are an Italian recipe for ultimate wheel control while the huge paddle shifters sit atop the steering column. Pull both back for neutral and get ready to fire up Big Brown’s power. Our destination in the Italian red “S” was Cremona, world famous for violin making. Highway time was utilized for observation of the vehicle’s power range, acceleration, and safety maneuvering. On the country winding roads is where you could feel how agile the “S” was. Maserati steps away from 50/50 weight distribution (known by many to be the defacto balance) and went with a 47-53% balance for its transaxle set-up. The transmission’s MC-Shift empowers the “S” with superior shift speeds. The gear changing stages overlap to reduce times all while the dual oval pipes are singing gracefully like the tunes of a 400-year old violin. Speaking of which, we arrived at the Cathedral square of Cremona to check out how a violin is made and to see the collection of Italy’s greatest violin craftsmen, Antonio Stradivari, including his II Cremonese 1715. Did you know a violin has to be played every day for its acoustics to be on point?
From there we cruised slowly via cobblestone streets so the locals could gaze at the “S” and its “performance via motion.” Next destination was Castell’ Arquato for lunch with Maserati CEO Roberto Ronchi who is as approachable and endearing as they come. This leg I used to evaluate the new co-cast floating brake system from. Going hard speeds to hard braking, the vehicle halts gently and in a straight line. Then it advances back to speed without any pauses from engine spooling. The Maserati exclusive technology from Brembo was first used on the Quattroporte Sport GT S. It features front only aluminum mono-bloc 6-piston calipers and 14.2” cross-drilled discs consisting of an aluminum hub and cast iron for the braking surface to reduce unsprung weight and provide increased thermal properties for excellent heat conductivity.
We were closely approaching the 700-year old Castell’ Arquato. Our stomachs were crying for more Italian cuisine. Then the iPod died since the “S” doesn’t have the 30-pin connection. It uses an auxiliary jack and USB for charging but I didn’t have a USB cord. I paid attention to the fine leathers -- Poltrona Frau and Alcantara -- the impressive navigation, the lacquered wood dash trim and the sound of the cannons emanating from underbody. What the hell. No time for child’s play. I’m in Italy, in an Italian sportscar, with 440 Italian stallions. When in Rome do what? Floor it like Capelli. See you later Charley!
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Kimatni in Cathedral Square in Cremona
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Kimatni, CEO Roberto Ronchi & Sean McKoy at Castell’ Arquato
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