The New Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo, Possibly The Best Boulevard-Cruiser Ever

As the days gradually get longer, and the sun radiates us with its comforting warmth, the season of going for a leisurely cruise in your car or on your motorbike is finally here again. Done are the days of simply commuting to and from work, and here is the time of taking out your special baby over the weekend, just to put some miles on the odometer. And if you happen to be in the market for a new weekend cruiser, here’s a pro tip for you; the all-new Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo.

Going through Maserati’s road and racing car archives and pinpointing its single best creation is simply put impossible. To me, some of its most glorious racing machines are the Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’ and the Maserati 250F. When looking at road cars, I have always admired the Maserati 450S Costin Zagato Coupe, quite the rarity but gorgeous nonetheless. Even today, in a world of bland SUVs and EVs, a Maserati stands out for its alluring Italian design, and its latest one is no exception.

Maserati’s history goes back more than a century and during all those years, it has been known to create some of the most capable and appealing cars. Founded in Bologna but now headquartered in Modena, Italy, the brand currently builds both open- and closed-top sports cars such as the MC-20 and the Gran-series, as well as luxury SUVs like the Grecale and Levante. The rather iconic Quattroporte and Ghibli names are still part of its line-up too.

Maserati’s new beauty is called the GranCabrio Trofeo and is basically a roofless GranTurismo. This open-top sports car has the engine up front, a luxurious interior and a short rear section, just as a sharply dressed Italian GT should have. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio are a testament to Italian flair and design, which was first introduced in 2007 and is now in its second generation. Originally fitted with a V8 developed by Ferrari, this one has quite a different power unit, as we’ll get to in a bit.

The exterior shows all the GranTurismo and Maserati signature elements. The inset grill with vertical slats, the triple side vents, the “bump” in the front arches to clear the wheels, it’s all there. The presentation model is finished in a gorgeous deep blue tone with a hint of purple, but plenty of other colours are available. The GranTurismo, and in extension, the GranCabrio has always been popular in black or white paint schemes, but other options look equally good. Maserati also offers its Fuoriserie colour palette, which has a more exotic mix of tones.

Few modern cars can pull off a bright red leather interior, but the GranCabrio certainly is one of them. Designed with true Italian flair, it’s a contemporary haven of comfort, luxury and technology. Multiple screens and a multi-function steering wheel show you every detail you need to know on your drive, and give access to all the car’s settings and driving modes. These allow you to change the behaviour of the GranCabrio, from the suspension settings to the throttle response. If you feel gutsy, you can also switch off the ESC, or Electronic Stability Control.

All that beauty needs a little “Go!!” and Maserati certainly doesn’t hold back. The GranCabrio Torfeo, as the closed-top GranCoupé, comes with the brand’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 Nettuno engine, pumping out 542bhp to the rear wheels. This engine made its debut in the MC-20, the brand’s gorgeously penned mid-engined supercar, although it makes a bit less power in this GranCabrio.

You might expect this to be developed in partnership with Ferrari, Maserati’s long-time owner, but it hasn’t. At least not according to Maserati, although it shares similarities to the V8 engine in the Ferrari SF90, such as the bore and stroke. Nevertheless, it has some clever F1-inspired tricks, such as pre-combustion chamber technology. Known as Maserati Twin Combustion (or MTC), this system uses both direct and port injection with dual spark plugs and combustion pre-chamber to ensure constant combustion when you throw the hammer down. The result is an increase in performance and efficiency.

Performance-wise, this gives the GranCabrio Trofeo a zero-to-100kph acceleration time of about 3,6 seconds and a top speed of 316kph (or just over 196mph). That sounds like more than enough to mess up your hair! But in all honesty, this car is best suited for some winding backroads, or better yet, cruising along the French Riviera or the shores of Lake Como. Prices for the gorgeous Maserati GranCabrio start at roughly EUR 250,000 depending on where you live (in the Netherlands, it has a base price of close to EUR 280,000!) yet playing around with the online configurator and selecting a few options here and there can easily bump that to over 300k.

For more information, please visit Maserati.com.

Editorial Note: The information and images used for this article are provided by, and used with permission of Maserati S.p.A unless stated otherwise.