How immediate turn-in is. How the fabric top doesn't balloon at speed. How the chassis doesn't flex through corners. And here's this American saying the best part of the car is the noise it makes.



It is though. It has been with the Ferrari-derived 4.7-liter V-8 that's served for the recent hot versions of the GranTurismo and Quattroporte. But those cars have roofs that insulate you from the exhaust, which emits the kinds of tones you want in an iPod playlist under "For Private Moments Only." The convertible GranTurismo -- the first factory-produced four-seat soft-top in the automaker's 96-year history -- plays its soundtrack to 7200 rpm without a filter.

The rest of the car? Picture a GranTurismo S Automatic sans roof. The running gear is the same, though the ZF six-speed automatic uses modified software and a shorter final gear; and Pininfarina is again responsible for the design, which would be at home at the Getty Center. The centerpiece tri-layer fabric top takes 20 seconds to open or shut -- add another eight seconds for the windows -- and it boasts six optional colors for further customization, a nod to Maserati's coachbuilding roots.

The engineering process behind removing a roof, as always, presents space and structural challenges. The GranTurismo's trunk volume falls to 6.1 cubic feet, though it still offers room for two golf bags. Maserati has redesigned the body structure and the components surrounding the cabin, including larger doorsill extensions and stressed components like the roof storage compartment, a torsion wall behind the rear seats, and rods that connect the damper domes in the engine bay. But despite the 220 pounds added by the reinforcements, Maserati has managed to maintain the coupe's 49/51 weight balance.
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