What's all this about?

This is our first glimpse of the new Maserati GranCabrio, the convertible GT car that’s set to join its coupe sibling, the GranTurismo, in 2023. According to Maserati, the first prototype vehicles are now taking to the streets of Maserati’s hometown of Modena to begin testing ahead of the big launch.

A sister car to the GranTurismo?

Yep, as before, the GranCabrio is expected to basically be a convertible version of the GranTurismo coupe. We’ve already seen what the GranTurismo will look like, and these images suggest the GranCabrio will share many of the same features. That includes the front end, which appears to remain more or less unchanged, and the sharp tail lights.

It’s in the middle where things change, and these pictures reveal a fabric hood that folds away into a flat rear deck. When the roof is up, however, it appears to retain something of the GranTurismo’s coupe shape.

What else will it share with the GranTurismo?

Apart from the obvious styling features, the GranCabrio is also expected to squeeze a second row of seats behind the driver. Although it’s very much thought to be a 2+2, that could give the GranCabrio a little extra practicality – even if the back seats can only be used as a parcel shelf.

The GranCabrio is also expected to share its engine range with the GranTurismo, which means there will be a choice of two V6 petrol engines and, at some point before 2025, a Folgore electric version. All will be powerful – the basic petrol engine will produce 490hp while the Trofeo model will offer 550hp – but the Folgore will have the most potency thanks to its trio of electric motors that together churn out 760hp.

An electric GranCabrio?

Apparently so. Maserati has promised to offer electric ‘Folgore’ versions of all its models by 2025, ahead of the range going all-electric by 2030. The Italian brand has even promised to produce an all-electric version of its awesome MC20 supercar.

So what next for this new Maserati?

Ahead of the launch next year, Maserati says it’s putting the prototypes through “intensive testing on the road, on the track and in various usage conditions”, harvesting data that can be used for the final tuning. Although the company calls this “initial stages” of testing, it seems likely that this is more of a tune-up for the convertible version, as the coupe has already put in many of the hard yards.

It looks great. When can I have one?

Maserati is promising to launch the new GranCabrio next year, but we suspect customers might have to wait until at least late 2023 and possibly 2024 before they can get their car delivered. Prices are still to be confirmed for both the GranTurismo and GranCabrio, but don’t expect either car to come especially cheap.

James Fossdyke - 25 Oct 2022