1956 Porsche 550 Spyder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Maserati Ghibli snarls in Shanghai

Big things are happening at Maserati, where the automaker is looking to increase its sales to 50,000 units annually. In addition to the revised Quattroporte that we saw at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, Maserati has launched the all-new Ghibli here in Shanghai - a smaller, more driver-focused model that will take on the likes of the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
At launch, the Ghibli will be offered with three six-cylinder engines, two gas and one diesel. The base engine is a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with 330 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, good for a 0-62 time of 5.6 seconds. The more powerful Ghibli S, however, comes with a twin-turbocharged version of this engine, good for 410 hp and 406 lb-ft, reducing that 0-62 time to just five seconds flat. On the diesel end, the Ghibli will offer a 3.0-liter diesel V6 with 275 hp and 443 lb-ft of twist, able to do that same 62-mile-per-hour run in a still impressive 6.3 seconds. The more powerful Ghibli S will also be available with Maserati's new Q4 all-wheel-drive system, though we're told that this feature cannot be had on right-hand-drive versions.
As for what we can see here in Shanghai, the Ghibli looks pretty darn good, though that front fascia reminds us an awful lot of the BMW 3 Series. (Seriously, just picture the Bimmer with a more gaping grille opening.) Maserati will offer the Ghibli with standard 18-inch wheels, though 19s, 20s, and even 21s will be available as optional extras.

Maserati surprises Manhattan with Centennial edition GranTurismo

The GranTurismo may be getting a little long in the proverbial tooth, but it hasn't quite been a century just yet. It has, however, been a hundred years since Maserati was originally founded, and to celebrate that milestone, the Modenese automaker has rolled in to the New York Auto Show this year with a pair of special editions. Available in either coupe or convertible form, the MC Centennial Editions arrived as a surprise just as the Alfieri concept was a month ago in Geneva, albeit somewhat less revolutionary.
The special editions are differentiated from any other by their paint scheme, special wheels, revamped interior and special badging throughout. Magma red and Inchiostro blue - the colors of the city of Bologna where the company was founded a century ago - are new to the Maserati catalog, and come with a choice of wheel options with special logos at the center. The interior color is specified to complement the exterior with red, white or blue trim and carbon-fiber accents.
Power comes from the same 4.7-liter V8 as the GranTurismo MC Stradale or GranCabrio Sport, driving 454 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. That's said to be enough to propel either coupe or convertible to a top speed of 185 miles per hour, and comes coupled with Brembo brakes and MC sport suspension. Deliveries commence in July, but you can scope it out here in the gallery of live images from the show floor above, the galleries of stock images below and the press release below that.

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.