The handsome new Maserati Gran Turismo, like every other car of noteworthy design, embodies something old in its appearance and something new. No, that doesn’t quite get at the notion I want to convey. I shouldn’t say “old” because that word carries lots of negative baggage in a culture like ours that values newness so highly. Via GizmoAve.com
. And, although a design that breaks new ground is inherently more exciting than a familiar one and has more potential for achieving greatness, truly new designs are hard to pull off and therefore rare. They are also rare because they tend to shock some consumers who then shun them – at least initially. Think original Volkswagen Beetle, the first Cadillac CTS or the current Toyota Prius. Despite their ultimate successes, a lot of people still call them weird, ugly or at least odd. Fact is, there’s something warm and endearing about familiar looks reinforced by continuity; think Porsche 911 or Corvette (since the 1984 C4). So I’ll rephrase the notion I’m trying to get across: Maserati’s new Gran Turismo embodies a blend of vintage and modern design cues.
This tends to be true of most great designs, especially those from well-established marques. Vintage cues evoke good feelings, too, by tapping reverence and nostalgia associated with a particular brand. To find the model that inspired design of the new Maserati GT we have to go back beyond 1971 Giugiaro-designed Bora, with its nearly flat surfaces and crisp edges. Further even than the Vignale-designed 1962 Sebring coupe and convertible, which were softer in form but still not as voluptuous as the new model. We have to go all the way back to such classics as the 1957 200SI and the 250F GP cars, which first appeared in 1954. We can see echoes of their robust yet silky and curvaceous forms in the new car’s nose, air scoop and fender blisters. The greenhouse also is less angular and more flowing on that of more contemporary GTs.
Plenty of modern cues contribute to the car’s overall freshness and prevent it from looking dated. Fashionably large, spoked wheels set it apart from the older cars with their smaller, simpler disk wheels. (Note the suggestion of the Maserati tridents in the spokes’ pattern.) Other modern touches include an air dam under the nose, creases along the tops of the otherwise smooth front fenders and faceted arcs surrounding the wheel openings. The crease along the side is modern but also recalls some vintage designs. You have to go to the car’s rear end to find the most notably modern elements – the taillights, especially, with their clear lens element; the openings surrounding the exhaust pipes; the integrated body-colored bumper; and the aerodynamic crease at the top edge of the deck. Indeed, there is little to remind us of vintage Maseratis from a direct rear view – the Gran Turismo is thoroughly modern from that vantage point.
