This factory-tuned Maserati GranTurismo Convertible is painted in Rosso Trionfale (Triumphant Red) in homage to Maserati race cars of the 1950s, like the Maserati 250F raced by Juan-Manuel Fangio. Quite the little torch bearer, this modified droptop is.
The GranCabrio Sport will likely get a name change — to GranTurismo Convertible Sport — before arriving in the US later this summer. So what's different? More horsepower, 433 of them (444 PS) to be specific (plus 376 lb/ft). That's from the same tune of Maserati's 4.7-liter V8 as the US GranTurismo S Automatic. Like the GTSA, the GranCabrio Sport gets a ZF-sourced six-speed automatic with paddle shifters controlled by the company's MC Auto Shift software.
More than that, the suspension calibration's tweaked to be stiffer than the base convertible, and Maserati reps say fuel consumption is down by six percent. Maybe if Fangio had one of these, he'd have outrun Castro's rebels, or at least the convertible top would have made it easier for Eva Marie Saint to shoot their tires out. Or is that all in our imagination?