The Maserati GranTurismo today is one of Maserati’s most recognizable cars having been around for a number of years, the GranTurismo also happens to be featured on my supercars trump card set and it turns out it’s the original 2008 base model too, so let us go back to the time when this car had just come out and put the spotlight on this stylish Italian beauty.
The original Maserati GranTurismo was revealed in 2007 at the Geneva Motor show and production started the following year in 2008, Maserati would also bring in the convertible version of the GranTurismo in the form of the GranCabrio two years later in 2010.
The GranTurismo being a proper sports car with elements of performance and luxury while also being a more affordable Italian sports car compared to those from other manufacturers, as well as the car’s attractive design which was done by none other than legendary Italian designer Pininfarina, made the GranTurismo stand out.
The base 2008 GranTurismo tends to get overlooked in terms of performance and understandably so as its 405 hp 4.2L V8 engine isn’t that much compared to more powerful variants and models like for example the S (seen in featured photo) that was introduced later in the same year which uses the 443 hp 4.7L V8 found in the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, or the more track-focused MC Stradale that came out later on.
Still, the base GranTurismo was an important car for Maserati as it would end up being the foundation of what would be one of their longest-running production cars with the first generation of the GranTurismo discontinued in 2017 after almost 10 years of production which saw multiple variants made. During that time span, Maserati also brought the 6th generation Quattroporte sedan and two new models in the Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV in their lineup.
Today the Maserati GranTurismo looks a lot different compared to when it was first launched as so many changes have happened to it, but even after all this time I think the 2008 GranTurismo (as long as its been properly maintained) still looks just about as attractive as it did when it first came out and there is no doubt that it has a place in Maserati’s legacy for marking the start of the modern era for Maserati sports cars.
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