7 Iconic Maseratis Celebrate 70 Years Of GT

Luxury Italian automotive manufacturer, Maserati, sees the eagerly anticipated MY18 GranTurismo and GranCabrio arrive in the UK, with prices starting from £94,285 OTR.

To celebrate the latest GranTurismo and GranCabrio, Maserati looks back at 70 years of Maserati GTs with seven iconic Maserati cars:

1. A6 1500 (1947): the original GranTurismo model was launched at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show featuring a 1.5-litre six-cylinder in-line engine with 65hp under a revolutionary body designed by Pininfarina.
2. 3500GT (1957): the first “mass-produced” Maserati made its debut in 1957, the year Fangio took the F1 title in his 250F. Its aluminium body was designed by Touring around a 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine with 230hp.
3. 5000GT (1959): the object of desire. This Maserati GT was produced purely to meet the desires of the Shah of Persia, who wanted a more exclusive version of the 3500GT. With a potent V8 engine, the 5000GT was famous for its performance and exclusivity.
4. Ghibli SS Coupe (1970): in 1967 Maserati added a sports coupe to their line-up, named after a Saharan wind and designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who was seen as a challenger to the establishment. The Ghibli SS was introduced in 1970 with a larger, 4.9-litre V8 engine with 335hp.
5. Khamsin (1974): the successor to the Ghibli and named after a desert wind, was designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. Pure 1970s Italian exotica featuring a 4.9-litre V8 engine with 320hp.
6. 3200GT (1998): designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, it returned the GranTurismo concept to its former glory. The predecessor of the current GranTurismo featured a Twin Turbo 3.2-litre V8 engine with 370hp.
7. GranTurismo (2017): The original GranTurismo was designed by Pininfarina, debuted in 2007 and was joined by the GranCabrio in 2010. Both cars have now been restyled to reflect the pioneering spirit of the original GranTurismo concept, a thrilling pairing of race car derived performance with uncompromising luxury.

GranTurismo is at the heart of every single Maserati. The original concept was enticingly simple; It involved fitting a sophisticated race car engine into a luxurious, handcrafted saloon. Seamlessly combining these two worlds was, of course, far from simple. Yet it is exactly what Maserati did in 1947 with the A6 1500. Styled by Pininfarina, such power had never been so beautifully packaged and delivered – opening up all kinds of new, long-distance possibilities.

Today’s GranTurismo models are direct descendants of this breakthrough innovation. They embody the irresistible allure of exotic Italian style thanks to the Maserati Design Centre team restyling the MY18 models with the timeless Pininfarina design in mind, combined with hard-edged, race-bred performance.

Peter Denton, Region Manager, Maserati North Europe commented: “As Grand Tourer pioneers, Maserati has produced some of the most iconic GTs over the past 70 years as these seven iconic classics demonstrate. The latest GranTurismo and GranCabrio are no exception, offering an empowering combination of race-bred power and grand touring luxury.”

Available in two highly specified Sport and MC trim levels, the GranTurismo and GranCabrio both feature a 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. Developed jointly by Ferrari and Maserati and hand-crafted by Ferrari in Maranello, the engine produces 460hp at 7,000rpm, 520Nm peak torque at 4,750rpm and with the unique cross-plane crankshaft, provides unrivalled throttle response, free-revving characteristics and the thrilling Maserati signature sound.