Another Geneva debutant is this, the Maserati Granturismo, the replacement for the ageing 4200 coupe. It's based on the same chassis and running gear of the gorgeous Quattroporte saloon and uses that car's 4.2-litre V8, with power increased to 405bhp, and will do away with the awkward Cambiocorsa paddle-shift gearbox, instead using the Quattroporte's new ZX six-speed automatic, which can be manually controlled with steering-wheel paddles.
More significantly, the Granturismo is part two of an ambitious plan to take on the best German premium brands, by combining the talents (and development budgets) of Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Part one was equipping the Quattorporte with the automatic gearbox it's been crying out for since its launch. The third, and more significant part, will be the sharing of components between Maserati and Alfa Romeo, which will allow Maserati to develop an affordable coupe to take on the Porsche Cayman, and will allow Alfa Romeo access to a rear-wheel-drive platform (and Maserati's V8 engine) for the 166 replacement, due in 2008. And it won't stop there. Maserati CEO Roberto Ronchi wants to see a three-tier plan in place, where Alfa Romeo competes in the sector costing up to €60,000 (taking Irish VRT into account), Maserati then take over from €60,000 to €120,000, after which Ferrari is your only man.
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