2012 Maserati Gran Turismo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

New Maserati Quattroporte revealed before Detroit debut

Well that didn't take long at all. Although we just saw spy shots of the new Maserati Quattroporte last week, Maserati has now taken the wraps off its redesigned sedan ahead of a confirmed Detroit Auto Show debut. Although no official details for the car were released just yet, we can infer quite a few changes just from the images. Celebrating 50 years of the Quattroporte, Maserati is referring to this new car as a 2013 model, but it will arrive next year for the 2014 model year in the US.
The overall exterior styling of the new Quattroporte hasn't evolved too far away from the current car. There is still the sloping hood, vented fenders and shapely body lines, but it also gets a much sleeker roofline and more steeply raked front glass. It also appears that the rear wheels no longer cut into the rear doors, suggesting a longer wheelbase. The biggest change made to the car's styling is found in the rear of the car where horizontal taillights and exhaust tip design now gives it a strong Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG vibe. Inside, the four-passenger sedan now gets a more stylish two-tier instrument panel, a larger touch-screen display on the center stack and what looks to be equally sized monitors for the rear-seat entertainment system.
Under the hood, we can definitely tell that the Quattroporte still uses a V8, but aside from the press release calling it an "all-new next generation powertrain," we don't have any real details of what powers the car. Or do we? The rear 3/4 image of the new design shows a license plate number of "QP 530 HP" possibly suggesting the engine's output has been raised to 530 horsepower up from the current 425. We are also expecting a supercharged V6 at some point down the line with an output of around 420 hp, and it is likely that both engines will be paired to eight-speed automatic transmissions.

Heidi Klum and Maserati go Beyond the Swimsuit for Sports Illustrated

When sports and cars come together, the world "super" often comes up - whether it's a high-performance super sports car, a racing series (like Japan's Super GT, Australia's V8 Supercars or Italy's Superstars series), the latest crop of Super Bowl ads from the world's automakers or a supermodel posing with a car in the pages of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
This year's edition already saw Lisalla Montenegro cozying up to the new Lexus RC F, but it's not the only pairing to be found between an import luxury performance machine and a swimsuit model. The new 50th anniversary edition of the popular bikini special features a seven-page pictorial titled "Beyond the Swimsuit" shot by Francesco Carrozzini.
The spread features the inimitable Heidi Klum posing beside and inside various Maserati models - including the new Ghibli S Q4, the GranTurismo MC Trofeo race car and the Quattroporte Ermenegildo Zegna concept. Of course it's not the first time we're seeing a leggy blonde stepping out of Modena's finest - a role often taken up by one Jodie Kidd, to say nothing of the rich and beautiful in exotic locales the world over - but it's a pairing of which we'll never grow tired.

Former BMW M boss and Maserati CEO killed in freak motorcycle accident

It's a tragic coincidence that on the same weekend the BMW M4 Coupe Concept was introduced in Monterey, one of the men most integral to BMW's M and Motorsports divisions, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, was killed in England. Kalbfell, a vintage motorcycle enthusiast, was set to compete in the Lansdowne Classic Series at Brands Hatch and had an accident during a practice session. After going wide at Druids Corner and falling, he was hit by a competitor following close behind and died of his injuries after being transported to hospital.
Kalbfell, an engineer, began his career at BMW in 1977 in the communications department; a decade later he was chairman of BMW M GmbH, overseeing development of some of the cars responsible for the myth of M. In 1994 he was named chairman of BMW Motorsport, and his cap full of feathers includes getting the BMW V12 into the McLaren F1, getting the BMW V8 into two Morgan cars, along with developing BMW's Formula One engine and return to the sport. Not incidentally, he also assumed leadership of Project Rolls-Royce after BMW bought the British marque in 1998, which means he oversaw the Goodwood factory upfit and the creation of the Phantom.
He left Rolls-Royce for a brief stint at Fiat, heading Alfa Romeo and Maserati, then went into consulting for clients like Lotus and Paragon, who built the Artega GT. As Autocar notes, Kalbfell "had an abiding sense that customers needed to be attracted to cars by their aura and reputation, not just their engineering." He will be missed.