If there’s a slowdown in the auto market and a shift in the public’s focus from mph to mpg, it won’t be reflected at the Frankfurt auto show. To a roster of debuts already boasting a pair of poster-worthy Porsche debutantes and a duo of 450-plus-hp BMW hybrids, Maserati is adding its newest model, the 433-hp 2010 GranCabrio.
Based on the scintillating GranTurismo, the four-seat GranCabrio thankfully foregoes the trend of folding hardtops that has ensnared even Ferrari. The cloth top will help keep the inevitable weight gain associated with creating a convertible from a coupe under control, and its easier packaging preserves the Italian coupe’s mouth-watering shape.
Likely because of the extra beef—Maserati is extremely tight-lipped about details, so we don’t know how much additional poundage the cabrio will haul—the only available engine will be the 4.7-liter V-8 from the GT’s S models. A six-speed automatic will be the only available transmission initially, but we expect an automated manual to join the lineup shortly after introduction.
Following its debut in Frankfurt, the newest Maserati will go on sale around the world in the spring of 2010, for a base price we expect will be around $150,000. In the U.S., and in several other markets, the GranCabrio will instead be known as the GranTurismo convertible.
