Maserati discontinued offering manual transmissions in their lineup as of December 2019. This marked the end of an era for the first-generation GranTurismo and GranCabrio, which were produced with the Graziano manual transmissions. However, the use of paddle shifters instead of a gear lever fell short of delivering a complete experience for true enthusiasts.
However, a true manual transmission car might be just around the corner. In an interview with the media, the CEO of Maserati and the Alfa Romeo brand expressed his openness to a flagship car with such a transmission. “Using a mechanical gearbox with a gear lever makes perfect sense,” said Santo Ficili, no stranger to the Italian automotive world. He concluded that the Modenese brand would one day make it happen.
Mr. Davide Danesin, the technical director, added, “Why not do a special version with a manual gearbox?” And that would make things even more exciting! Ficili hinted at a two-cylinder Alfa Romeo brand car, referring to a previous collaboration that resulted in the Alfa Romeo 8C, equipped with a V8 engine.
Similar to the contemporary GranTurismo and GranCabrio, the 8C Competizione and 8C Spider were fitted with a 6-speed automated manual transmission, which could be a bit jerky and slow to shift. Maserati produced the 8C Competizione from 2007 to 2009 and the 8C Spider from 2008 to 2010.
In total, 829 units rolled off the assembly line, comprising 500 coupes and 329 spiders. Both were designed by Wolfgang Egger and Daniele Gaglione of the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo. The prefix ‘8C’ clearly stands for 8 cylinders, specifically the naturally aspirated V8 engine developed by Ferrari with a 4.7-liter displacement.
As a highly regarded member of the F136 engine family, the F136 YC dedicated to the 8C delivered an impressive 444 horsepower and a maximum torque of 354 pound-feet (480 Nm). These figures are overshadowed by the twin-turbocharged Nettuno 3.0-liter V6 of the current GranTurismo and GranCabrio, an engine that Maserati also employs in the Grecale SUV, based on the Stelvio.
Featuring Maserati’s exclusive cylinder heads, this six-cylinder engine is largely based on Ferrari’s current V8 and the 2.9-liter V6 of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The Modena variant of the Nettuno engine produces 483 horsepower and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm) of torque, compared to the Trofeo’s 542 horsepower and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm).
Considering that Maserati’s limited-edition manual GT supercar is likely to be developed based on the GranTurismo and GranCabrio, we can expect at least the equivalent of 542 horsepower in the Trofeo models. Ideally, the Stellantis-controlled brand could push the output beyond 600 horsepower.
The most powerful road-legal version of the Nettuno engine delivers 621 and 631 horsepower, respectively, with the MCPura replacing the MC20 and the GT2 Stradale based on the MC20. Among these, the GT2 Stradale will be produced in a total of 914 units, commemorating Maserati’s founding year of 1914 in Bologna, rather than Modena. The move to Modena began in 1939 and was completed in 1940.
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