MR Car Design Fine Tunes the Maserati Quattroporte Sports Saloon

For those Maserati Quattroporte owners seeking a bit more flair from the Italian sports sedan, German tuning house MR Car Design has prepared a mild performance package. Starting with a pre-facelift model, MR Car Design’s engineers tweak the 4.2-litre V8 engine’s software and add a custom exhaust system lifting output by 30HP and 29Nm for a total of 430-horses and 480Nm (352 lb-ft) of peak torque. Read more »

Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione Recalled Along with Maseratis in the US

A few dozens of extremely fortunate American owners of one of the world's hottest sports cars, the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione, will have to return their Italian beauty for a quick fix after it was discovered that certain models were manufactured with incorrectly torqued front and rear suspension upper and lower ball joint nuts. The recall also affects MY 2008 Maserati Gran Turismo and Quattroporte which share the same platform with the Alfa.

Overall, 7,912 Maseratis and Alfa 8c Competiziones will be recalled in the States. While the Italian automaker did not reveal specific numbers, we do know for a fact that only 84 Alfas were allocated in the U.S.

Maserati said that the incorrectly torqued ball joint nuts may loosen with consequent steering wheel vibration, a growing metallic noise and progressive loss of driving precision in the transients. According to the Italian automaker, continued use of the vehicle in these conditions may lead to damage of the suspension lever, which in the long term and depending on vehicle usage, may cause the ball joint/suspension arm to break.

The firm's dealers will inspect the torque of the front/rear upper and lower ball joint nuts and, if necessary, replace the suspension arms and hub carrier. The recall is expected to begin during February 2009. Concerned U.S. owners may contact Maserati for more information at 1-201-816-2600.

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT-S Premieres in Detroit

The sportiest to-date model of Maserati's Quattroporte range made its worldwide debut at NAIAS. The technical changes to the new Quattroporte Sport GT S compared to the 'S' model concern the mapping of the V8 4.7-litre engine which now produces 433HP, the new gearshift management software, the stiffer springs and lower ride height as well as the more sonorous sport exhaust system.

The Italian firm's designers also went ahead and made a few subtle changes to the sport sedan's exterior and interior. These include the new black grille with concave vertical fins featuring the Trident logo with red accents, the new headlights, in metallic titanium finish, the new M-design seats with perforated Alcantara and leather upholstery and finally the "titanium colored" composite material dashboard trim.