Maserati to Drop V-8 Engines Next Year – The Detroit Bureau

Italian automaker Maserati will end production of the brand’s storied V-8 engines later this year. 

The sister brand to Ferrari will stop manufacturing its 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged 90-degree V-8 engine in late 2023, but not before making “Ultima” versions of its Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV with the last few V-8s produced. 

“These cars will remain on sale into 2024 and are due to become collector’s items for all owners, who can collect a unique piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the brand’s history,” Maserati said in a statement. 

Maserati brand history

Maserati is one of Italy’s oldest marques, having been established in the northern city of Bologna in 1914. Like most Italian brands, Maserati was involved in racing from the beginnings of the company. A Maserati car driven by Alfieri Maserati won the noted Targa Florio race around Sicily in 1926, and Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940, making it the only Italian automaker ever to win that historic race. 

After World War II, Maserati became more focused on luxury street cars, but maintained its racing heritage with top drivers including Juan Manuel Fangio. Later in the 20^th century, Maserati’s ownership passed through Citroen, DeTomaso, Fiat and, finally, Ferrari. The Maserati brand has been linked with Ferrari since 1997, even as the brand became part of Fiat-Chrysler and then Stellantis. 

Maserati rolled out its first V-8 in 1959 in the Maserati 5000GT. Since then, more than 100,000 Maseratis have been made and sold with an 8-cylinder engine. The company says the last editions of the Maserati Trofeo product line, the Ghibli 334 Ultima and the Levante V8 Ultima, will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2023. 

Last year, Maserati CEO Davide Grasso announced that the brand would produce electrified versions of all its vehicles by 2025, and phase out gasoline-fueled engines entirely by 2030. This week’s announcement seems to be making good on that promise. 

Folgore Bravo! 

Folgore (FOLE-Gore-Ay) means “Lightning” in Italian, and the new EVs from Maserati will all incorporate that term in their model nameplates. The first EV from the brand will be the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, followed by the Maserati Grecale Folgore as the brand’s first fully-electric SUV. 

The Folgore system is based on 800-volt technology and has been developed with new technical solutions derived from the brand’s racing experience in FIA Formula E all-electric racing. Maserati says the Folgore system will “offer superb performance, combined with the comfort and elegance typical of the Trident, made possible by the three powerful 300-kW permanent magnet motors.” With three motors, the Folgore system will offer all-wheel drive using one motor up front, and two motors for the rear wheels. Total system output will be about 750 wheel horsepower.

One unique feature is that the two rear motors are totally decoupled, making it possible to direct torque to each rear tire independently. This implements complete torque vectoring to adjust the car’s level of rotation (yaw), not only when accelerating but also when the pedal is released and during braking. The system acts in a similar way to a sophisticated electronically controlled differential, but in the case of the GranTurismo Folgore, the potential and the level of control are considerably higher.

The battery, produced at the Mirafiori Battery Hub assembly plant in Turin, has a nominal capacity of 92.5 kWh and a discharge capacity of 610kW, to continuously transmit more then 750 hp to the wheels. The Folgore battery design allows the mass to be positioned close to the roll axis, reducing moment of inertia and helping to keep the GranTurismo Folgore stable in transition cornering.

Head to Modena this weekend to check it out

During the four days of the Motor Valley Fest, every nook and cranny of Modena will be taken over by Maserati vehicles on display in the city’s iconic locations. In Piazza Grande, the entire Maserati Folgore range will be on show for the first time: GranTurismo Folgore One Off Luce and Grecale Folgore will be joined by the futuristic Gen3 Maserati Tipo Folgore, the single seater competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship this year. 

The Trofeo range — featuring the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte in their Zèda forms, which are unique pieces celebrating the V-8 engine, will reign over the Piazza Grande as well. And if you felt like buying a Maserati in Italy, I’m sure they could accommodate you. Prego! 

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• Source: https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2023/05/maserati-to-drop-v-8-engines-next-year/