At the pointy end of the trident of a resurgent Maserati, the GranSport represents a return to the fundamental Maserati qualities: beauty, finesse, and of course speed. Thanks to shared development with Ferrari, the V8 that resides under the GranSport’s long, sleek hood can deliver as much of that speed as you’d like. It is a truly masterful powerplant, delivering a throaty roar as well as enough grunt to liquefy the skinny rubber on the bigger alloy rims or pull the sinewy coupe through some tight S-curves. Those curves are better tackled with the help of Maserati’s Skyhook active suspension and the nearly perfect weight distribution provided by putting the Cambiocorsa paddle-shifted transmission out back. Let’s not forget the less tangible aspects that make this Maserati special, like that growling exhaust note provided through careful exhaust tuning to enhance the driving experience. Then there’s the much-improved interior, a snug and rewarding place to do the job at hand—driving quickly. Italy has a lot of beautiful, high-performance cars on offer, but the GranSport conclusively proves that there’s only one Maserati.
