At the Bologna Motor Show, the Maserati MC12 supercar joined the GranSport, the recently facelifted Coupe and Spyder, as well as the Quattroporte saloon, to give the marque their strongest line-up at home for many years.

Undoubtedly grabbing the visitor's attention was the fearsome Maserati MC12, a two-seater long-tail coupe-spider with a long wheel base. It has a typical racing/sporty set-up with a removable hard top. It is also powered by an impressive 630 bhp six-litre, mid-rear V12 engine and boasts 41%-front and 59%-rear weight distribution. Highly advanced composites and alloys have enhanced its structural rigidity and kept its overall weight down.

The MC12’s bodywork is entirely carbon fibre, while its stress-bearing chassis is made from a carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb sandwich. Two aluminium sub-chassis’s support the ancillaries, help absorb bumps, and guarantee an excellent standard of safety.

The single Spyder 90th Anniversary model at the Italian show, resplendent in the special 'Anniversary Blue' livery, sat on a glass platform that raised it above its sisters: the Coupe, the Spyder and the GranSport, allowing it to draw the attention of the constant stream of visitors to this end of year show.

Subtle and eye-catching livery differences immediately mark this model out. The grey-coloured headlamp inner surfaces are an unobtrusive new modification, while the brash carbon-fibre roll hoops, reminiscent of the marque's bygone racing cars, thrust themselves into the visitors line of vision.

The silver-and-red Trident logo mounted on the new Spyder's large grille, is complimented by a second logo which emblazons the upper surface of the front wings. This oval-shaped logo pays homage to the Maserati 250F campaigned by Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1957 Formula 1 World Championship.

The stand, finished in Maserati's corporate dark blue and white colours, reflected, in front of the 'home' audience, what is an ever strengthening range. The super-luxury Quattroporte saloon, boasting a full order book, was unveiled just over a year ago in Frankfurt, while the awesome 6.0-litre V12 Maserati MC12, mentioned before, in 'GT' guise has just returned the Trident marque to the winners circle after an absence of several decades.

The Trident marque's best-selling models, the Coupe and Spyder, which have been given a mild facelift this summer, were making their first serious Italian public appearance.

The new versions of the Coupe, designated MY05, are easily identifiable by a larger front grille, inspired by the Quattroporte, which also features prominent horizontal slats, the whole effect combining to give the new cars a strong 'family' feel.

At the rear, the Coupe and Spyder now gain the GranSport's deeper bumper with its tightly meshed cut-outs. Inside, the instruments gain new, easier to read graphics, while the centre console has been mildly redesigned. However, the most immediately eye-catching interior difference is the use of an aluminum finish on the dashboard.

The 'Coupe' theme in Bologna was rounded out by the new GranSport, an "extreme" version, which boasts more power and much harder looks. Revealed to the world at the Geneva Salon back in March, first deliveries of the GranSport commenced during the autumn.

Wrapping up the display in Bologna was the marque's latests high-performance saloon, the Quattroporte. Its 4.2-litre, 400bhp V8 engine whisks from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, with top speed coming in at 170 mph.

The winner of a whole stream of design awards over the last year, it is the only luxury sedan in its class to place the engine behind the front axle, a race-proven technique that provides superior harmony between car and driver.

It has been a stunning first year for the superb Quattroporte, which has firmly established itself as a genuine luxury saloon, a real alternative to its benchmark German rivals. With its Pininfarina-penned curves, this car carries itself with a grace and flair that those characterless aforementioned rivals can only dream about achieving.

Recently the Quattroporte amply displayed its credentials when all sixty Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition 2005 Quattroporte luxury sedans, sold out within minutes, after going on sale via telephone. Calls began immediately at noon on 14th October, with requests for all the cars completed within three minutes. In thirty six minutes, all orders were finalized.

Photos: Carlo Ombello