Maserati unleashes the 460 HP GranTurismo MC Stradale to mark its centennial celebrations.
By Tom Hushen
It has been a century of smooth leather trim, torque that could make your head spin and, above all else, influence. This year, Maserati celebrated what only a few automotive companies have achieved. The renowned company officially turned 100 years old. At New York and Beijing auto shows, the company unveiled the GranTurismo MC Stradale and GranCabrio MC centennial editions.
Both models have been redesigned to not only reflect the past 100 years, but also show the brand’s true sporting spirit. The GranTurismo MC Stradale Maserati Centennial Special Edition is powered by the 460-horsepower, 4.7-liter V8 that first appeared in the GranTurismo Sport. The car is combined with a six-speed MC Race Shift gearbox that guarantees peak performance and a top speed of 188 mph.
In keeping with the Maserati philosophy, the new GranTurismo MC Stradale also benefits from the advances made on the previous model in terms of reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Aiming to mimic the Maserati Shield, the GranCabrio’s interior color scheme has the three-layer Inchiostro Blue body finish, white leather seats and a dashboard with Santorini Blue inserts and stitching.
The sporting appearance of the interior is enhanced by carbon fiber inserts on the dashboard, seat surrounds and by a kick plate on which the celebratory centenary logo rests. Maserati also celebrated its 100th birthday with a three-day festival. The festival began in Modena, Italy, and traveled to Turin, Italy. Being hailed as a worldwide event, the celebration brought together 200 classic and modern Maserati cars, as well as more than 500 of the most established car collectors in the world.
One of the largest attractions during the centennial celebration was the Best of Show for Maserati. The winner was the Maserati Mexico 4200 Frua Prototype, a car that revolutionized the motor world. It was first introduced at a car show in Italy, called Salon di Torino, in 1965. An impressive 4.7-liter V8 engine with a top speed of 156 mph powered the Maserati Mexico. It was the height of luxury, with a leather interior, a wooden dashboard, power windows and a five-speed manual gearbox.
If you were looking to get even more luxurious, you could add on the power steering. Maserati got its start in December 1914, when Alfieri Maserati and his brothers, Ettore and Ernesto, opened the first car-repair workshop in a basement on Via de’ Pepoli, Bologna, Italy. As Italy entered World War I, and in the months that immediately followed the end of the conflict, the Maseratis began to prepare and modify cars for themselves.
Since then, Maserati has built itself up to be one of the leading luxury sports cars in the world. Its cars have been featured in numerous films, such as The Godfather and the James Bond series. It was the iconic 1975 Maserati Merak that was featured in one of the most widely viewed iconic films, Scarface, and continues to impress with its 100th birthday. maserati100.com
