At the 2023 edition of Goodwood Festival of Speed, the annual celebration of motorsport and car culture, Maserati proudly shows two cars making their world debuts, the Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante V8 Ultima. This year sees the House of Trident pay homage to the final chapter of its iconic lineage of V8 engine-powered grand tourers, which have sold over 100,000 units since the launch of the Maserati 5000 GT in 1959.
To mark the upcoming end of production of the legendary 572-hp twin-turbo V8 engine, with the models themselves due to become collector’s items in the months ahead, Goodwood’s hallowed grounds will host the global debut of two special editions. The Ghibli 334 Ultima (the number denoting its top speed in kilometres per hour – thereby making it the current fastest internal combustion engine sedan in the world), and the Levante V8 Ultima. Together, they promise to captivate festival-goers in the First Glance Paddock, with the former also in action during the hillclimb.
Also taking part in the Goodwood hillclimb, the GranTurismo Trofeo, equipped with the roaring 542-hp V6 Nettuno engine. Its soul is the innovative pre-chamber combustion system, featuring twin spark plugs and derived from Formula 1.
Maserati Grecale Folgore – the first mid-size luxury SUV
Meanwhile, the Maserati area will be hosting the Maserati GranTurismo One Off Prisma, a proud expression of this car’s past and of the brand’s ability to go further. Joining it will be a GranTurismo Folgore, so showgoers can fully appreciate everything about the Italian luxury marque’s first all-electric car, up close and personal.
The new electric flagship model features 800-volt battery technology developed with cutting-edge technical solutions derived from Formula E, endowing the svelte grand tourer four-seater coupé with the ability to travel up to 280 miles (450km) on a single charge, as well as top-up charging for 60 miles (100km) in just five minutes. It also boasts impressive performance, courtesy of three powerful 300-kW permanent magnet motors – one in the front, two in the rear – for a total installed power of over 1200 hp. It therefore delivers a maximum available power to the wheels of over 750 hp, at 1,350 Nm of torque.
The iconic GranTurismo’s lineage derives from the Maserati A6 1500 GT – the world’s first grand tourer, and at its heart continues to offer the same perfect blend of unique style, progressive technology and performance, all encased in a typically striking Italian body.
Located on the Festival’s Electric Avenue will be Maserati’s second full-electric model, the Grecale Folgore – the first mid-size luxury SUV on the market. Equipped with a 105-kWh battery using 400-volt technology and with a range of 310 miles (500 km), it has been carefully designed to make every day exceptional. Designed and built in Italy, the Grecale Folgore delivers the Trident’s trademark performance and luxury, providing 820 Nm of torque and more than 500 hp.
Rounding off Maserati’s presence at the event is another showstopper, the MC20 Cielo. Having made its UK debut last year at the festival with David Beckham, it returns once more to the iconic hillclimb, this time resplendent in Rosso Vincente. With its eye-catching design, outstanding weight-to-power ratio, carbon fibre chassis, retractable smart glass roof and powered by the F1-derived 621-hp V6 Nettuno engine, it will definitely turn heads over the four-day event.
Maserati S.p.A.
Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognisable for their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a benchmark for the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than 70 markets internationally. The ambassadors of this heritage are the Quattroporte flagship, the Ghibli sports sedan, the Levante – the first SUV made by Maserati, and the Grecale, the all-new “everyday exceptional” SUV, all models characterised by the use of the highest quality materials and excellent technical solutions. A range equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid powertrains – available for Ghibli, Grecale and Levante – V6 petrol and V8 petrol, with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, embodying the performance DNA of the Trident Brand, now completed with the Grecale Folgore, Maserati’s first full-electric SUV. The top of the range is made up of the MC20 super sports car and the MC20 Cielo spyder, powered by the ground-breaking 100% Maserati Nettuno V6 engine, , which incorporates F1-derived technologies into the power unit of a standard production car for the first time. The new GranTurismo is available with both the high-performance V6 petrol engine, derived from the Nettuno, and a 100% electric version: the GranTurismo Folgore, the first car in the Modena-based brand’s history to adopt this solution. By 2025, all Maserati models will also be available in a full-electric version, and the entire Maserati range will run on electricity alone by 2030.