The Maserati GranCabrio - first seen at the 2009 Geneva auto show - has been referred to as the sexiest convertible of its time - now it's about to get a harder-edged, sportier brother.
Say hello to the GranCabrio Sport, that'll take its grand-touring convertible to a new level of performance, ranking alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S as the Bad Boys of the Maserati family.
And it'll make its debut - where else? - at the 2011 Geneva auto show.
It has a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati's all-alloy 4.7-litre V8 driving the rear wheels through a ZF six-speed automatic transmission.
In this format the all-alloy 4.7-litre V8 develops a quoted 331kW and 510 Nm, and a concentrated effort to reduce internal friction has not only made it more responsive to throttle input (that means it revs like a cobra striking ) it also uses six percent less fuel than the “cooking” version at the same speed.
Top speed of the GranCabrio Sport is an eye-watering (especially with the top down) 285 km/h.
All that urge reaches the autostrada via a six-speed ZF semi-auto transmission with super-fast MC Auto Shift software developed for the Sport from the transmission of the Quattroporte Sport GT S.
The handling has been tweaked to match, with an upgraded, sportier calibration for the Skyhook active-suspension system and new, grooved and drilled cast-iron brake discs.
The Sport's edgier styling sarts at the nose with a black grille and a trident logo with red accents. The headlights are blacked out, with white side accents, and the front corner splitters and (redesigned) side skirts are both body coloured.
The Sport will also be available in a new exclusive colour inspired by the red Italian national livery worn by 1950s racing Maseratis - in 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth Formula One World title at the wheel of a red Maserati 250F.
The GranCabrio Sport will be available in all Maserati's 62 markets from mid-2011.