Geneva motor show - Maserati

New GT
Maserati upstaged every other Italian car company at Geneva by revealing the GranTurismo, the two-door two-plus-two that will replace the current Coupe this autumn.

What's it like?
Styled by Pinifarina, it has a clear family link to Maserati's big Quattroporte limo. It also has the Quattroporte's 4.2-litre V8 engine, slightly uprated to hit the magic 400bhp figure, and its six-speed ZF automatic gearbox features an adaptive shift control so that changes suit how the car is being driven and the conditions.

The weight distribution is said to be a near-ideal 49% at the front and 51% at the rear.

The GranTurismo is bigger than the Coupe it replaces and is trimmed in better-quality materials.

How much?
The likely price in the UK is between £70,000 and £80,000, which would pitch the car against the Aston V8 Vantage, Jaguar XKR and Porsche 911.

And?
Within the next two years Maserati will add a more powerful 4.7 V8 version with a Cambiocorsa manual paddle-shift gearbox. This will be a range-topping model to rival BMW's M6 Coupe.

To see video footage of the Maserati stand, click here.