Maserati will launch its long-awaited new Spyder at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009. Our latest spy photos reveal the Granturismo-based Spyder testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.
So the new Maserati Spyder is based on the Granturismo?
You got it in one. This will be the final addition to the Granturismo range: the company launched the Granturismo at Geneva 2007, the S followed at the same show a year later and the S Automatic arrived at this year’s Swiss expo. The Spyder takes the four-seat, two-door package and turns it into a coupé-convertible.
Maser has spurned a fabric roof for the all-season practicality of a folding metal roof. Will this nibble into the rear seat space that so impresses on the Granturismo coupé? There’s precious little boot space in the tin-top, so let’s hope the rear pews aren’t too compromised.
What’s under the bonnet?
The Maserati Granturismo is available with a matrix of 4.2- and 4.7-litre V8s, in combination with an automated manual or full automatic transmissions. Expect a similar spread to trickle down through the new Spyder range, although we understand it will be more laidback autos only at launch.
Interestingly, we hear that Maserati will in the long run benefit from the technical eco advances being pioneered by Ferrari. While Maranello is taking the lead on CO2 cuts, the technology will filter down to its cousins in Modena.
That points to direct injection and more efficient, seven-speed twin-clutch transmissions like on the Ferrari California. Future Maseratis are also likely to gain the active aero capability and internal engine improvements tipped for the new Ferrari V8 also being shown at Frankfurt. Expect such greener Maseratis to appear in subsequent model ranges, not this iteration of Granturismo.
When can I buy the new Maserati Spyder?
Frankfurt show debut, UK showrooms by summer 2010. Today’s Granturismo coupé costs from £78,215 to £88,005, so that seems to point to prices from £90-100k for the CC open-top version.
Such model proliferation is a sign of the times at Maserati. After years and years of losses, it has now turned a profit for two consecutive years and bosses vow that even in the downturn it will not slip into the red in 2009, having posted a €3 million profit in the first quarter. More efficient working practices at the factory and a more attractive and broader model line-up are credited with the pick-up in business fortunes.
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