The new 400 HP Maserati Coupe
February, 1997
The Maserati Pages

Andrea Ricci of the Maserati Club of America in a recent article in their Club magazine "Il Tridente" says that with the debut of a completely new coupe this year, the Maserati Renaissance will be complete. Beginning with the launch of the Series IV Quattroporte at the Turin Auto Show in 1994, by its 80th anniversary, the House of Trident had been partially revived by Alejandro De Tomaso's last two designs on the drawing board (the Quattroporte Series IV & Series II Ghibli). Now with Alzatii in command and with the help and knowledge of Fiat, Ricci claims Maserati will return to the "Olympic state of super-cars" introducing an excellent range of cars whilst maintaining the nobility of her traditions.

The high point of this line will be the new 2+2 coupe, shown in the design sketches, that will replace the Ghibli. This model is really the extreme evolution of the Biturbo. In spite of considerable design changes there are a lot of similarities, particularly in the mid-body style, to the original '81 Biturbo.

Apparently when the factory initially considered replacing the Ghibli the thought was to design a completely new car with a mid-engined layout. However this solution involved considerable more financial cost and time in development. Thus is was decided to build on the excellent mechanical "base" of the Ghibli, which has seen considerable development thanks to the Ghibli Open Cup.

For the design of this new coupe Maserati sought the collaboration of several designers, within the factory, within Fiat and outside as well. Giorgetto Giugiaro, whose last design for Maserati was the very successful Quattroporte Series III (not to mention the classic Bora), brought in the winning design. He created a body of soft lines with a high waist and a tapering front end, a large and low grill. The car has a larger and wider stance than that conveyed in the design sketches. Lights are mounted in front cupole while the rear are in an arc similar to the Lamborghini Cala (also a Giugiaro design).

Possible engine options are the 2.0L V6 (310 HP from the Ghibli Cup Cars), the road going 2.8L (290 HP) and the 3.2L V8 from the Ghibli Series II (335HP) but uprated to 400 HP for the coupe. Most likely the present gearbox options will remain: 6-speed Getrag or automatic.

The name? Possibly "-GT", "Mexico" or a new wind name.