Play to the crowd

The new Maserati GranCabrio would not have been a true Maserati if it had followed the current trend for hard-top hoods; the new model’s canvas roof was always an integral part of the project.

This choice brings the Maserati GranCabrio into line with the looks and traditions of the marque. Francesco Orsi, from Maserati’s Product Marketing division, explained: “The adoption of a canvas roof was mainly down to styling. One of the aims was to place even more emphasis on the car’s personalisation options and the six hood colours mean that there are over 2000 colour combinations for the exterior alone. This makes the car even more unique. The other element that renders the car a one-off is the shape of the hood. We wanted the GranCabrio to be as fascinating as a coupé and so created an unusually designed roof that appears to house a pillar. This is something that no other convertible in the world can boast. Another plus is that it doesn’t cramp rear passengers at all”.

As well as the car’s looks, the Trident team wanted owners of the GranCabrio to be able to use it all year round. “The days are long gone when a hood was made from only one layer”, continued Orsi. “We have three layers on the GranCabrio: one exterior, a middle insulating strip and an internal layer finished in top grade materials. This finish comes in two materials and three tints. The glass in the hood is heated and the roof itself is made up of five steel and aluminium rods that keep it securely in place even at high speed. This reduces any ‘ballooning’ effect, maintaining the car’s stunning looks and impacting on the aerodynamics".

The Maserati GranCabrio’s generous hood separates the interior from the outside world and its 1820 x 1420 mm extend over a cabin that can accommodate four adults with ease. “Despite its size, the roof’s overall weight, including the hydraulic system for moving it, is only 65 kilograms. This is excellent by any standards and was achieved thanks to careful selection of the materials”, reflected Orsi. Orsi could not but mention the GranCabrio’s roof mechanism. “It takes just 28 seconds to shift from one configuration to another, including the time needed for the windows to change position. These are official figures but we can proudly state that the actual time needed is lower…”. A button pushed and in less than a minute it is the sky and the sun that act as the car’s roof…