It’s not surprising to learn that the V8 requires a serious lungful when you appreciate its vital statistics. With a classic 90 degree layout and a cubic capacity of 4244cc, it features twin chain-driven overhead camshafts with variable timing on the inlet side, four valves per cylinder, a dry sump and a fly-by-wire throttle. It makes 395bhp at 7000rpm – an increase of 10bhp over the standard car – and the maximum 333lb ft of torque is developed at 4500rpm.
Maserati says the gains in performance are down to careful tuning of the induction tracts and the valve seats, and plenty of hard work in the engine room to reduce internal friction. There is also, as it rapidly becomes apparent, a sports exhaust fitted, with four rather ostentatious gold tailpipes. And in the GranSport, you have no choice but to take the semi-automatic Cambiocorsa gearbox, the hydraulically-controlled transmission also found in Ferraris and the Aston Martin Vanquish. Sixth gear is lengthened to enable a new top speed of 180mph.
Press the big starter button and the V8 whumpfs into life before settling down to a deep, murmuring idle. Extending your toes to flex the accelerator pedal produces a whoop of revs from the engine and a clearer understanding of what ‘reduced internal friction’ means in reality rather than on the spec sheet: angry just about describes it. For the full GranSport effect you’ll need to press the button labelled ‘sport’. This opens a pneumatic valve in the exhaust and ramps up the decibels from ‘cultured’ to ‘centre of attention’. It’s a very nice noise. But the sport button isn’t just a way of making new friends (and enemies); it also gathers several of the GranSport’s other systems. Pressing it changes the damping to a firmer setting, pulls back the MSP stability control threshold and speeds up the gear-change software. And as we shall see later, this has a fundamental effect on the character of the car.
