TO celebrate the last day of production of the petrol powered Maserati GranTurismo, which for many is quite a sad occasion, the Italian car maker has created the GranTurismo Zèda, to symbolise the transition from the old to the new.
The Zèda is the bridge which connects the past, the present and the future. It means Z in the Modena dialect, and pays tribute to Maserati’s roots and reminds that there is a new beginning for every ending.
When the next generation GranTurismo arrives as a new high performance sports car, it will herald a new era of electrification for the Maserati range of cars, constituting the first models in the history of the brand to adopt 100 per cent electric power.
The celebratory car is set to tour the world in anticipation of the arrival of a new
GranTurismo, with the unique model sporting futuristic exterior shades, designed by Centro Stile Maserati.
It tells the story of the dawn of a new era through colours and materials; the GranTurismo Zèda features surface changes from the rear to the front of the vehicle, starting out as a light satin finish and moving through to a burnished metallurgic effect at the back.
The midsection slowly morphs once again, deepening all the way to Maserati blue. The blue also evolves, becoming energetic, electric, it almost seems alive, and it seems like a mirror, thanks to special paint effects.
The special one-off show car also signals the redevelopment of the Modena plant, which will undergo a total renovation that will see the facility devoted to the construction of the new super sports model, scheduled to be revealed to the world in 2020.
In parallel, work has already started on a paint shop, a completely new addition to the facility, equipped with low environmental-impact, innovative technologies and boasting a special design that enables customers to personally view the painting of their cars.
The current Maserati GranTurismo, considered the Olympus of GT cars, was first revealed as at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2007, and was followed by its convertible sibling, the GranCabrio at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in 2009.
The four-seat, two-door coupé, with Pininfarina’s classic design and a naturally aspirated 8-cylinder engine, came into being as a modern interpretation of the Maserati A6 1500 of 1947.
Since then, it has come to be considered one of the most emblematic cars ever
constructed by Maserati.
After various updates, the GranTurismo saw its final and last version in 2018, when it was restyled to improve aerodynamics and ergonomics, and featured a much improved infotainment system.
The 2018 model, which is still on sale today, saw the iconic coupe offered in 16 exterior colours, with a choice of 14 light alloy wheels in six different designs, brake
callipers available in nine colours, and exterior carbon and body colour packs.
It was made available (in coupe and convertible form) in two distinctly different identities; the Sport and the MC (Maserati Corse). The options and models created more than 400,000 possible specification combinations.
The outgoing Maserati GranTurismo also bids farewell to the charismatic 4.7-litre Ferrari built V8 engine capable of delivering 338kW of power and 520Nm of maximum torque. Since its inception, Maserati has sold 40,000 examples around the world.
