Auto China 2008: Maserati showcases the GranTurismo S

22 April 2008

Italian car maker Maserati yesterday showcased the GranTurismo S for the first time in Asia at Auto Asia 2008 in Beijing  after its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

The car is powered by a  440 HP V8 4.7 engine with a maximum torque of 490 Nm at 4,750 rpm. The GranTurismo S can accelerate from 0 to 100 Km/h in 4.9 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 295 Km/h, the highest ever reached by a production Maserati.

An interesting innovation is the MC-Shift gearbox fitted on the  gearbox of the Maserati GranTurismo S, which has a management software along with hardware components that allow super-fast gear change times.(View video:  Maserati GranTurismo)

The fast MC-Shift is only available in manual sport mode and when the gearbox computer recognises that the parameters, which have to reach above 5500 revs and 80 per cent throttle, the system enables the quick changes and informs the driver of this via the MC-S light on the instrument panel.

The GranTurismo S makes use of the high-performance brake system developed in collaboration with Brembo and introduced for the first time in the automotive field on the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. The system features front brake discs made with dual-cast technology - a dual casting of cast iron and aluminum, paired with aluminum mono-bloc 6-piston brake calipers, ensuring optimized braking performance

The  GranTurismo S is supported by the Maserati Stability Programme (MSP), a system specifically designed by Maserati to optimise driving dynamics and safety. Even at the smallest hint of a skid, the system keeps the vehicle in balance by reducing the torque and, at the same time, integrates the ABS and EBD to avoid the wheels locking under braking. This means that the driving wheels do not slide, improving traction on low-grip surfaces.