Maserati Makes Amends With the Twin-Turbo V8 Ghibli Trofeo Sedan
There’s no half-baked top speed, either—it goes all the way to 203 mph.
This might come as a surprise but ever since Maserati debuted the Ghibli back in 2013, the entry-level Italian sedan has never come with a V8. Yep, all that badge, all that panache, all that Italiano, and the most potent motor ever fitted to the thing has been a 424-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6. Well, that nonsense ends now because—taking a page out of parent company Fiat Chrysler's playbook of shoving the same, big engine inside everything it makes—Maserati has announced that it's putting the same V8 in the Quattroporte Trofeo and Ghibli Trofeo.
Yes, the "baby Maserati" can finally be had with eight cylinders. Just as the car gods intended.
Unlike that all-new twin-turbo V6 Maserati claims to have developed completely on its own, the company has no qualms about admitting where this V8 originates from: it's built at the Ferrari plant in Maranello presumably by Ferrari workers with Ferrari equipment. It's a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo unit making 580 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. That's up from the Quattroporte GTS's 523 hp and in a whole other league compared to the 424 horses in the Ghibli S.
As a result, the highest-performing Ghibli Trofeo will hit 62 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds while the Quattroporte Trofeo does the same in 4.5. Both cars boast a top speed of 203 mph, making them the fastest Maserati sedans ever.
Visually, the Trofeo twins make themselves known via gloss black vertical grille bars, carbon aero trim front and rear, and red trim on the side air vents. The Ghibli Trofeo gets a new, vented hood while both get new taillights.
While the Quattroporte Trofeo has the edge when it comes to outright size and prestige, we have a hunch the marginally more compact Ghibli Trofeo is the one to have if you're looking for an experience behind the wheel. Big engine + small car = big smiles. It's a fact, people.
Now, what do we have to do to whom to get this engine to fit in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio?
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