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Germans supercharge Maserati GT

2009-05-08 14:05

 

Maserati’s GranTurismo S. A sinfully pretty car, why would anybody want to mess with the styling?

Fortunately German tuner, Novitec, has been providing performance and styling solutions for Italian performance cars for two decades, and why tool up to give the GranTurismo a going-over, you know there is a surfeit of skill to ensure a high-quality conversion.

The Stetten-based German tuner, with a penchant for supercharging Italy’s most exotic performance cars, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and accordingly is producing an extensive portfolio of new products.

Subtle, stylish, superb

Although Novitec is known primarily for outlandishly powerful, supercharged Ferrari conversions, this latest offering is a stylishly subtle (two words usually foreign to the German aftermarket tuning scene) Maserati GranTurismo S kit.


Custom exhausts blend superbly with new rear lower fascia, housed in a quality, carbon-fibre, finish.

Novitec’s exterior design team was careful not to bungle the GranTurismo’s stunning aesthetics by embellishing the bodywork with all manner of silly stick-on accessories. The bodykit then, is hewn from carbon-fibre and features a new front splitter, rocker panels, rear skirt and boot-lid wing.

Combined with the new NM3-series alloy wheels (measuring 20 inches front and 21 inches at the rear) Novitec’s bodykit adds the requisite factor of differentiation expected from a custom car, without alienating Maserati traditionalists by embellishing the GT with aesthetic excess.

Supercharged V8 power

Dynamically the Novitec GranTurismo S rides lower and features forced-induction power.

The more aggressive stance is courtesy of those German spring and damper gurus at KW, whilst a supercharger, perfectly synched with the ECU and custom exhaust system, raises the 4.7l V8’s power from 324kW to 447kW.


With Novitec's help the Trident badge guards over supercharged power again - as it should be.

Considering the weakness of German aftermarket tuners - styling excess and subseuqent brand image devaluation - this conversion by Novitec is an ode to subtle neatness.

We think Novitec boss Wolfgang Hagedorn and his team has inadvertently produced a very apt 20th anniversary birthday present for themselves.




 
ExBoyRacer
5/11/2009 11:16 AM
ANON 4h38 "if it's not a BMW you dont want it", and an M5 more head turning? Yeah right!!! I love the M5, but it's certainly not more head turning. My reason - There are so many 5 Series Beemers that have an M5 kit and bigger wheels, so when an M5 comes past you have to look out for the quad pipes and badging to tell the difference. To non enthusiasts, it's just another BMW, but the Massa will turn anyone's head, enthusiast or not. Wake up, and STOP being SO SMALL MINDED.
Mikey
5/9/2009 12:37 AM
Eish - this is simply stunning. Thats all.
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 8:38 PM
"They should badge it as a BMW now, go germans go" Why would they want to slow the Maserati?
Greg
5/8/2009 4:51 PM
Supercharges are also used on smaller high revving engines: 1.8L 2ZZ-GE used in the Lotus + Celica GTS 2.0L VTEC in the S2000 + Arial Atom Creating a bracket to mount a super- charger is MUCH easier and cheaper than attempting to make a custom turbo manifold. As said by others turbos are more efficient but have a non-linear powerband and have lag.
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 4:38 PM
Anon 12:12. If it's not a BMW then I dont want it. I'd rather have a BMW M5. It's more head-turning than this cross-breed of German & Italy
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 1:32 PM
@Sh: Superchargers are normally driven from the crank of the engine, and thus suffer no lag, whilst turbos are driven by exhaust gasses and therefore suffer lag, albeit modern engines have curbed this tremendously. If you want to use a forced induction modification on an engine like the V8 in the GT, using a supercharger will not change the engine characteristics, while turbos will introduce lag into this V8 screamer. There are off course other considerations as well, but in this application sticking with the spirit of the car, makes a lot of sense.
Ian
5/8/2009 12:20 PM
Hubba hubba - wow, I want one!!!!
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 12:12 PM
Now why don't you appreciate it for what it is? Not a Mer, not an Audi or BMW. Always some idiot who wants to start a p!ssing contest between BMW.... Who problaby still has car posters on the wall. A beauty that only the Italians know how!
BikerBoy
5/8/2009 11:55 AM
Speechless!
Clarke
5/8/2009 11:45 AM
@Sh - since a supercharger is driven off the crankshaft, it does sap some power from the engine. This is less noticeable with higher capacity engines. However superchargers are more popular on "V" configuration engines since it's a simpler conversion than trying to balance twin-turbos (two exhaust manifolds on a "V" engine).
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 11:41 AM
superchargers are more reliable than turbos & makes good power. you dont see supercharged cars having the nightmares that turbo cars have. My old spec super charged Cooper S still runs very well compared to my friends new spec turbo charged one.
Norm
5/8/2009 10:54 AM
All said and done … For this baby “how much”???
Sias
5/8/2009 10:42 AM
Now that is just plain beautiful! Pure car porn!
Nikki
5/8/2009 10:37 AM
Simply FANTASTIC! I think the GT is for me probably the most beautifull production car on the planet! & I am saying this with the likes of Aston, Ferrari & Lambo in mind...So Gorgeous I would actually NOT mind if it had my children! Lol!
Russell
5/8/2009 10:28 AM
Sh - answer is pretty simple. Superchargers draw engine power to turn, instead of being driven by exhaust gasses (and not directly from the engine), like a turbo. It's this reason that makes superchargers largely irrelevant for smaller, torque-light engines as they'd draw too much power right from tickover just to run, but conversely a big V8 which has loads of low-down torque is perfectly suited to supercharging as the power draw as a percentage of total torque output isn't that big. Turbos also work on larger engines of course (SL65, Veyron), but generally need to be installed in at least pairs to deliver enough boost while avoiding the lag issues of a huge big-bang turbo installation. One supercharger can deliver the same kind of boost without lag provided the engine has enough torque to turn the thing from low down, as V8s do. Delivery is also more suited to the lazy, torquey nature of a V8, providing huge thrust without having to be at manic revs, with zero lag without having to resort to complicated anti-lag systems.
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 10:10 AM
I think to spin a supercharger you need alot of power. It takes away power to produce more power. As opposed to turbos only using exhaust gas. Superchargers way more effective and no lack.
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 9:55 AM
Italian styling with German power. A recipe for perfection!!!!!!!
Ashlen Naicker
5/8/2009 9:35 AM
Holy crap POWER!!!!
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 9:32 AM
They should badge it as a BMW now, go germans go
Daffy
5/8/2009 9:04 AM
I hope it still sounds the same, one of the best sound tracks ever.
alan
5/8/2009 8:30 AM
Beautiful, beautiful!! THIS is a Supercar. Wish I culd afford one! Eish.
Anonymous User
5/8/2009 8:23 AM
Yoh Yoh Yoh ! Manne !
Sh
5/8/2009 8:23 AM
I have always noticed that great tuning companies always use superchargers for big engines. Drag racing cars have been using superchargers for years. G-Power M5 uses superchargers. Most tuning companies tuning V8s such found in the Lumina SS uses superchargers. And now Novitec also uses it. Is the any reason why use superchargers on a bigger engine as apposed to Turbo's. It seems superchargers is the prefered choice if you have V8 or bigger. Is there a technical reason for this?
Sevendust
5/8/2009 7:56 AM
I love this car... I had a friend in Sandton that drove an eighties Maserati Bi-Turbo convertable. Beautiful car... It has nothing to do with this one but all I can say is, WOW

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