Maserati GranTurismo S

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Maserati GranTurismo S coupé as launched at the Geneva show in March 2008: the 4.7L naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine, 440 PS (about 434 bhp), a rear-wheel drive, front-engined 2+2 layout and the six-speed MC Shift automated manual gearbox. It is not a guide to the base GranTurismo with the 4.2 litre V8, to the later GranTurismo Sport, to the MC Stradale, or to the GranCabrio. The S Automatic, which Maserati added in 2009 with a ZF six-speed automatic, shares the engine and the quoted power, and we say below where it differs. An advert that says only "GranTurismo S" can describe more than one of these cars, so check which one you are looking at.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: The Auto Channel's Geneva report of 7 March 2008, which reads as a reprint of Maserati's launch release, the PistonHeads GranTurismo buying guide (27 July 2016), and the government vehicle recall checker. We also read Autoblog's report of the same Maserati release (4 March 2008), GoAuto's Geneva report (11 March 2008), a second Auto Channel release for the S Automatic (4 March 2009), a PistonHeads Spotted feature from May 2017 and Wikipedia, and we flag every point that rests on them. We could not find Maserati's own press kit on its media site, so the manufacturer figures reach us through reprints. Where sources disagree we say so rather than pick a winner quietly.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 4.7L naturally aspirated V8 petrol, 4691 cc, a bigger engine than the 4.2 litre V8 in the standard GranTurismo. Autoblog says it is the same unit developed for the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. We did not verify who built it from a manufacturer page.
• Power: 434 bhp. Maserati quoted 440 PS (the Auto Channel and Autoblog print it as 440 HP) at 7000 rpm. 440 PS multiplied by 0.98632 is about 434 bhp, which is our own conversion, and the same figure is commonly printed as 434 bhp. PistonHeads' guide says 440hp.
• Torque: 490 Nm at 4750 rpm, against 460 Nm for the standard 4.2 car according to GoAuto.
• 0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds, Maserati's launch claim as reprinted by the Auto Channel and Autoblog, and GoAuto says it is three-tenths of a second faster than the regular car. PistonHeads prints 4.9 seconds for 0-62 mph, which is about the same sprint.
• Top speed: 295 km/h, described at launch as the fastest ever reached by a production Maserati. PistonHeads gives 183 mph, which is about 294.5 km/h, so 295 km/h is the same claim rounded.
• Drive: rear-wheel drive. The engine sits at the front, while the gearbox is a transaxle at the rear, which Autoblog says gives a 47 per cent front and 53 per cent rear weight distribution.

What changed against the production figures we held

Our catalogue previously listed 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 299 km/h, and a model run to 2019. None of the sources above supports those numbers for this car. The launch figures are 4.9 seconds and 295 km/h. A top speed near 300 km/h belongs to later cars: Wikipedia lists 300 to 301 km/h for the GranTurismo Sport and 303 km/h for the MC Stradale. We corrected the sprint and the top speed to the launch claims. The 2019 end date is the end of the whole first-generation GranTurismo line (Wikipedia gives the last car in December 2019), not of the S. Wikipedia says the S was replaced by the Sport in 2012, which is why this guide runs to 2012. That end date rests on Wikipedia alone, so treat it as approximate.

How the S differs from the other GranTurismos

PistonHeads says Maserati introduced the 4.7 litre S in 2008 with 440hp, 4.9 seconds to 62 mph and a top speed of 183 mph, with bigger brakes using six-piston Brembo calipers and more aggressive styling. It gives the 4.2 car 405hp, 5.5 seconds and 177 mph, and the MC Stradale of late 2010 450hp, 4.6 seconds and 188 mph. The Stradale is 110 kg lighter and has a Race mode for the gearbox. Those are different cars with different figures.

The S Automatic of March 2009 carries a ZF six-speed automatic with the same 440 HP and 490 Nm according to the Auto Channel's 2009 release, which does not print an acceleration time or top speed. Wikipedia lists 5.0 seconds and 295 km/h for it, a figure we did not confirm elsewhere. Wikipedia also lists the later S as 450 PS and 510 Nm from 2011. We did not find that in a source we could read in full, so a late car may be rated higher than the figures here.

How the MC Shift gearbox works

The S launched with MC Shift, an electro-actuated six-speed gearbox that PistonHeads describes as an automated manual rather than an automatic with manual override. Autoblog says shift breaks fall to 100 milliseconds and a single gear engagement takes 40 milliseconds, and that the fast shifts work only on upshifts in Manual Sport mode above 5,500 rpm at 80 per cent throttle, with engine and gearbox temperatures in range. A PistonHeads Spotted feature calls the MC Shift "probably a bit too racy for grand touring aspirations." That is one writer's view, but it is a fair prompt to drive an MC Shift car in traffic before you commit, and to compare it with an S Automatic.

Chassis and equipment at launch

According to Autoblog, the S added Brembo brakes with dual-cast front discs and six-piston aluminium calipers, 20 inch wheels, revised springs, anti-roll bars and dampers to reduce body roll, a sportier exhaust with pneumatic control, and a leather and Alcantara interior. GoAuto lists an integrated rear spoiler, side skirts, oval exhaust tailpipes and black grille and headlight surrounds. These are launch specifications, and a car that is more than a decade old may have different wheels, tyres, brakes or an aftermarket exhaust, so compare the car in front of you with the list.

How many were built

We could not establish how many S cars were made. Wikipedia gives 40,520 for the whole first-generation GranTurismo line, made up of 28,805 coupés and 11,715 convertibles, but does not split the S out, and we have found no source for an S-only figure. We therefore leave the production count blank.

What to check before buying

The PistonHeads buying guide has sections on the powertrain, rolling chassis, body and interior, but only its summary reached us, so we cannot repeat its specific warnings. The advice in this list is our own reasoning, not taken from a source.

• Confirm which version you are viewing: an MC Shift S, an S Automatic or a later Sport. Ask for the registration, the build date and the original specification.
• Ask for a full service history from a Maserati dealer or a specialist who knows the V8 and the gearbox.
• Have a specialist inspect the gearbox software and clutch wear on an MC Shift car, and ask what has been replaced.
• Look at the brake discs and calipers, the 20 inch wheels for kerb damage, and the tyres, which are a large expense on a car of this size.
• Check that every electrical system works, including the infotainment, since the car is not new.
• PistonHeads said in 2016 to reckon on spending from 35,000 pounds for a 4.7 litre car. That figure is old, so check current adverts and do not read it as a valuation.
• Get an independent pre-purchase inspection and check the registration for a recall.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker for a vehicle, because it needs a registration number or the manufacturer, model and year of a specific car, and we are not looking at one. We read the page. It says a registration number lets you see safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed, and the car's MOT history, and that the manufacturer will tell you about a recall for any reason other than safety. We found no recall notice for the GranTurismo S in any of the sources we read, and absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health. Run the registration of any car you are considering through the checker, and ask a Maserati dealer whether any service campaign applies to the chassis.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a black GranTurismo S on show at an exhibition in France in September 2015. Its Commons description says only "Maserati Granturismo S", so we cannot say whether it is an MC Shift car or an Automatic, and we use it only to show the shape. We cropped and resized it and blurred nothing, because no number plate is fitted.

Verdict

The GranTurismo S in this guide is a 4.7L naturally aspirated V8 petrol coupé with 434 bhp (440 PS), 490 Nm, a claimed 4.9 seconds to 100 km/h and a claimed 295 km/h, rear-wheel drive and a six-speed MC Shift gearbox. It was the faster, better equipped GranTurismo in 2008, and later cars moved on. If you are shopping for one, confirm which gearbox and model year you are looking at, insist on a service history and a specialist inspection, and treat every published figure as a manufacturer claim. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.