Maserati’s GranCabrio will make a welcome return to the luxury convertible market later this year with a sexy new body and powerful twin-turbo V6 engines. But it’s the availability of a fully-electric drivetrain in the Folgore version that’s really going to cause a stir in the sector.
The ICE-powered versions of the GranTurismo coupe’s drop-top sister, like one our spy photographers snapped recently, have the potential to give cars like the Mercedes SL a hard time. The Maserati GranCabrio looks better than the Merc to our eyes and presuming the engine specs match those of the GranTurismo, the entry-level version’s 483 hp (490 PS) V6 will outpunch the SL55’s 4.0-liter V8 by 14 hp (14 PS).
The SL can counter with a 577 hp (595 PS) SL63 that will beat the GranCarbio Trofeo’s 542 hp (550 PS), and there are two PHEV SLs on the way that Maserati won’t have an answer for. But what Maserati will have in showrooms very soon, and Mercedes won’t, is the fully-electric option seen in the images below. In fact, while the ICE-powered GranCabrio will have plenty of rivals, including the SL, Porsche 911 and BMW M8, the Folgore electric variant will be in a class of one.
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It will also be the fastest GranCabrio by a substantial margin. Though Maserati hasn’t revealed specs for the GC Folgore, we’ve no reason to imagine the drivetrain will make any more or less power than it does in the electric GranTurismo. Which means we can expect a tri-motor setup (one at the front, two at the back) and up to 751 hp (761 PS) plus 996 lb-ft (1,350 Nm).
And you’ll still get the same slinky body enjoyed by buyers of the ICE car, with the key visual differences limited to a smoother front bumper with blanked-off vents, Folgore badges on the front fenders, an absence of tailpipes at the rear, a charging port below the left taillight and those stylish Folgore-specific three-spoke wheels. Which would you pick: ICE or EV?
