We usually put the ‘beholder’s eye’ caveat in the Design and Engineering section when we talk about styling but, with the GranTurismo, it hardly seems worth it. We’ve yet to find someone who thinks Pininfarina has created anything other than a coupe that’s starkly beautiful from the tip of its 3500GT-inspired grille to, well, if not quite the back of its Mondeo-esque rear lights, then a point just before them.
What’s equally striking about the Maserati when you see it in the metal is how large it is. This shouldn’t be surprising – this is supposed to be a full four-seat coupe.
If you consider the GranTurismo’s most natural on-paper rival, the Mercedes-Benz CL, you’ll find both are a similar size. The GranTurismo is 4881mm long and, with mirrors, 2056mm wide. Both also share a connection with a large saloon. The CL is based on the S-Class luxury saloon, while similarly the GranTurismo, beneath its rakish looks, owes rather a lot to the Quattroporte.
The GranTurismo is 170mm shorter than the Quattroporte overall, with 122mm of that coming out of the saloon’s wheelbase, but mechanically they’re very similar. The steel section frame and the suspension are largely the same, likewise the engine and transmission are from the Quattorporte automatic. There have been detail changes to the calibration of the 4.2-litre V8 but otherwise, it and the six-speed ZF automatic transmission remain unaltered.