Maserati’s Australian Motor Show stars, the GranTurismo S (bottom) and the new Quattroporte (top), are rushing to Melbourne so that they can star at the opening of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, newest Maserati dealership, Zagame Maserati.

Maserati’s Australian International Motor Show stars, the Maserati GranTurismo S and the new Maserati Quattroporte, are being rushed to Melbourne the moment the motor show shut its doors in Sydney so that they can be the stars at the opening of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest, newest Maserati dealership, Zagame Maserati, this week. (22 October 2008).

“Zagame Maserati is a unique representation of the strength and heritage of Maserati worldwide and it is only right and proper that the two newest Maserati models should be present for the official opening,” says Edward Butler, General Manager of Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. “The Maserati GranTurismo S and the new Quattroporte are the epitome of grand touring sports cars and the performance luxury sedans and their abilities are matched in every way by the new Zagame Maserati dealership, with its new benchmark levels of customer service, technical support and dealership design.”

With more than 46 international awards to its credit and acclaimed as the embodiment of the high performance luxury sedan, the Maserati Quattroporte has already established itself with an enviable reputation. The new Quattroporte, which will debut at Zagame Maserati with deliveries starting towards the end of the year, is endowed with a new engine choice with the existing 4.2 litre V8 complemented by a new 4.7 litre V8, lifting power from 295 to 317 kW, as well as a host of technical, luxury and performance refinements that enable it to more than maintain its edge over its rivals.

Created from the wealth of expertise and performance engineering that could only come from a company which has been at the forefront of motorsport success for more than 90 years, the Maserati Quattroporte delivers a level of exclusivity unmatched by its rivals. The standard palette of colours, trims and interior finishes offers a theoretical number of combinations exceeding four million and, with the additional ability to match any colour offered by a prospective customer, the new Maserati Quattroporte is as unique as the person behind the wheel.

With the GranTurismo S, Maserati shifts the emphasis of its magnificent coupe from grand touring luxury to performance and driving excitement. The new 323 kW V8 4.7 engine, electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift, Transaxle layout, sporty exhaust and brakes made with dual-cast technology make the GranTurismo S the new flagship for Maserati sporting flair, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 295 km/h, the highest ever reached by a standard production Maserati.

The compact and lightweight 4.7 litre V8 engine develops maximum power output of 323 kW at 7,000 rpm and peak torque of 490 Nm at 4,750 rpm, and ensures high specific power output and more torque at lower speeds as well, without affecting the capacity of the engine to respond very quickly to changing road conditions, typical of racing engines. The increase in power output and torque has not affected the versatility of the power unit, which continues to be readily harnessed even during everyday use. The power unit sounds deep and throaty, but the exhaust valve pneumatic control can also be activated to make it discrete and comfortable. An electro-actuated six-speed gearbox is paired with the 4.7 litre V8 engine, and has MC-Shift software which harnesses the new engine’s power output, ensuring gearshift speed and quality that represent a point of reference for the entire sports car range.