Maserati Sells 1,000th Quattroporte Sports Sedan in Britain

Five years after its market debut in 2004 and Maserati has announced that it has just registered the 1,000th Quattroporte in the United Kingdom. Do the math and that comes to an average of 250 cars a year which is insignificant by usual standards but for Maser to issue a press release on the matter, we're guessing it must be good enough for the company. The 1000th car, a Quattroporte Sport GTS in Blu Oceano with Sabbia leather interior, was delivered yesterday by Maserati GB's Head of Sales Peter Denton, to its proud new owner John Burton.

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S - Updated Photo Album

While on Maserati's site, we found a bevy of new photos of the Quattroporte Sport GT S that we haven't shared with you. To refresh your memory, the Sport GT S is the high-performance flagship model of the Quattroporte range and it was revealed in its facelift form for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The sportiest Maser saloon is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 engine that produces 433HP. Mechanical updates over the 'S' model include revised gearchange mapping, stiffer springs and lower ride height plus a more sonorous sport exhaust.

The Sport GT S version of the Italian firm's Porsche Panamera rival also features unique styling elements such as the new black grille with red accents and matching black chrome finish around the doors while inside there are new sports seats and a "titanium colored" composite material dashboard trim.

Novitec Supercharges the Maserati GranTurismo S to 600HP

By far one of the most beatiful GT's in the market, the Maserati GranTurismo S is also one of the most potent cars ever manufactured by the Italian automaker. But for companies like Novitec, there's always room for perfection. The German boutique's latest pitch straps on a supercharger to the GranTurismo S' V8 boosting output from 440HP to 600HP while the mechanical upgrades are complemented by subtle aerodynamic package and 20 / 21-inch alloy wheels.

In detail, Novitec's Tridente arm fitted a newly developed supercharger to the GranTurismo S' 4.7-liter V8 while other changes include a water-to-air intercooler, a new intake system and larger injectors plus new mapping for the engine electronics. The conversion that is priced at €23,681 $31,800 boosts power from 440HP to 600HP while peak torque grows from 490 Nm to 588 Nm at 5,400 rpm.

The result is a sprint time of 4.5 seconds from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) and 14.6 seconds to 200km/h (124mph) that represent an improvement of 0.4 and 2.6 seconds respectively over the standard production car. Furthermore, top speed grows from 295 to 315 km/h (196mph).

Aside from the usual suspension tweaks, the German tuning house also offers a height adjustable suspension system that raises front and rear axle by 40 millimeters at the push of button to overcome everyday obstacles like speed bumps or parking ramps. If the suspension is not lowered by the driver it'll revert to the normal level automatically once the car reaches a speed of 80 km/h or 50mph.

Another aspect of Novitec's programm for the GranTurismo concerns the coupe's exterior that has been upgraded with a subtle bodykit that includes front spoiler lips, rocker panels and a boot lid spoiler. Optionally, Novitec offers all of the above the components with a clear-coated carbon-fiber finish. The coupe's looks are finished off with a three-piece alloy wheels available in various color combinations in size 9Jx20 in front and in size 12.5Jx21 on the rear axle. The alloys are shod in high-performance Pirelli tires in sizes 275/30 ZR 20 and 355/25 ZR 21.