Paris Motor Show: Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale

Maserati has taken the opportunity of the Paris Motor Show to debut a performance version of its iconic grand tourer the GranTurismo. Called the GranTurismo MC Stradale, this lightweight, performance oriented version is to the standard GT what the Porsche 911 GT3 is to the 911 Turbo.

The engine in the Stradale  is the same Ferrari 4.7 litre V8 found in the GranTurismo but is tweaked to produce 10 more horsepower to give out 450 horsepower and 510 Nm of torque. Like the Porsche GT3, lightweight is the key to improved performance and Maserati has managed to shed a total of 110 kg of the standard GT to give the Stradale a total weight of 1,770 kg. Not exactly light considering the standard GT is one heavy cruiser, but unlike the GT3 which is a stripped out racer, the Stradale still keeps some of the luxury items to maintain its original character as a grand tourer.

With the increase in power and reduce in weight, the Stradale clocks a 0-100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds, about 0.3 of a second quicker than the standard GT. Top speed sits just above 300 km/h.

The exterior has also been updated to reflect the Stradale’s performance oriented blood. The new car has an updated front and rear bumpers, front splitter, front guard panels, side sills, hood and redesigned wheels. Maserati has yet to release pricing details for the Stradale.