Coupe de grace: New Maserati Coupe

These are the first sketches of the new Maserati Coupe, due to debut at the International Motor Show in early March. Suddenly two weeks seems like a very long time to wait.

The Coupe looks to be based on a shortened version of the Quattroporte, and should be available in three different body styles - Spyder, 2+2 and hardtop convertible.

Under the bonnet, well, we're not promising anything, but best guesses indicate that the Coupe will be powered by the 4.3-litre V8 from Ferrari's F430.

However, there are rumblings that Maserati could even bore that engine out to five litres to produce 470bhp, while at the lower end of the power scale, the option of a reworked BiTurbo version of the V6 from Alfa's 159 has also been mooted.

Although the previous generation Coupe was styled by Italian genius Giorgetto Giugiaro, Maserati has put the design of the new Coupe in the hands of Pininfarina - responsible for the Quattroporte, as well as the Ferrari Enzo and P4/5.

If you hadn't guessed yet, we reckon it looks gorgeous. How much of the hyper-muscular swooping styling makes it to production remains to be seen.

But if it turns out to look even a 10th as good as these sketches, we'll happily sell our family pets to unscrupulous fast food manufacturers to lay our hands on one.

© Source: article on topgear
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