Although it has created exciting sports cars for the road ever since it gave up racing in the 1950s, Maserati struggled to survive on many occassions. The 1973 oil crisis nearly killed Citroen, which had purchased Maserati in 1968, while the early 1990s saw the Chubasco mid-engined sports car cancelled due to financial issues and the introduction of front-engined, six-cylinder cars, a rather awkward layout for the brand. Things did go well under Fiat ownership either, but it finally took a turn for the better in 1997, when the majority stake was sold to Ferrari, Maserati’s long-time arch-rival. Under Ferrari ownership, Maserati developed the Coupe, which replaced the 3200 GT, forged in the De Tomaso era, for the 2002 model year.
Credited for bringing Maserati back into business, the front-engined grand tourer was build between 2001 and 2007 in both Coupe and Spyder guises. It also spawned a more aerodynamic and powerful model called the GranSport, as well as a Trofeo race car. The latter used many stock parts and marked the beginning of the Trofeo Maserati, a one-make series that’s been running continuously since 2003. The Coupe was replaced in 2007 by the GranTurismo, a grand tourer that’s still being produced at the company’s factory in Modena.
Although it may not have the cachet of the original Ghibli, the Quattroporte, or the Bora, the Coupe was a crucial car for Maserati, helping relaunch the brand as one of the most important luxury, high-performance automakers. And that’s exactly why we decided to have a closer look at this mid-2000s grand tourer.
Continue reading to learn more about the Maserati Coupe.
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