The Maserati GranCabrio MC is now on sale in Australia, bolstering the Italian brand’s convertible line-up with a new flagship performance variant.
Priced $17K above the GranCabrio Sport on which it’s based, the $355,000 Maserati GranCabrio MC scores a host of unique mechanical upgrades, aero revisions and sports trim features.
The GranCabrio MC teams its 338kW/520Nm 4.7-litre V8 inherited from the Sport, with Maserati’s most aggressive gearbox, the MC AutoShift six-speed automatic transmission, which it borrows from the hardcore GranTurismo MC Stradale coupe.
With launch control activated, the GranCabrio MC launches from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds, and powers on to a top speed of 289km/h.
The exhaust outlets have been repositioned to mirror those of Maserati’s Trofeo and GT4 racing cars, enabling the Italians to fit a secondary silencer for the Sport mode that increases the volume and provides a deeper bass sound with a more distinctive crackle on overrun.
Completing the technical changes is a single-rate sports suspension system, which reduces the roll angle of the car by 10 per cent, intended to sharpen turn-in and increase control in high-speed corners.
New front and rear bumpers and a front splitter with an extended lip see the GranCabrio MC grow 48mm in length over the Sport. Other visual differentiators include matt black-look headlights, black grille bars, bonnet and front guard vents, raised central rear exhaust outlets and a large rear lip spoiler.
Rounding out the enhancements is the revised cabin, which benefits from front sports seats, alcantara and dark chrome trim, alcantara-wrapped steering wheel with larger gearshift paddles, drilled aluminium pedals, and MC badging on the dashboard and instrument cluster.
