Maserati Alfieri : 2+2 coupe targets 911, geared for production
The Maserati Alfieri concept is all but confirmed to be the Italian car manufacturer’s 2+2-seat coupe rival to the Porsche 911, coming in substantially smaller than the Maserati GranTurismo with which it shares its underpinnings.
Beyond the classic front-mid-engined coupe proportions - long nose, petite rear – and lovely detailing, the Maserati Alfieri measures 4.59 metres long (100mm shorter than 911, 340mm shorter than GranTurismo) placing the it firmly in Porsche territory as a size-smaller Maserati coupe.
The Maserati Alfieri – named after the most prominent of Maserati brothers –rides on a 2.7m wheelbase (250mm longer than 911, 242mm shorter than GranTurismo) and is 1.93m wide and 1.28m high (although these latter show-car measurements will likely change for production).
Maserati confirmed there is “a strong desire to turn the Alfieri into reality … conceived, designed and created in an approach aimed at 100 per cent realism.”
The Italian brand also stated the Alfieri is “sportier in character than the GranTurismo” and will “certainly hint at the brand’s stylistic intentions for the near future."
It also mused that “if the new Quattroporte and Ghibli gave the impression that Maserati was becoming oriented towards sporty, upper class four door saloons, this new concept is striking back and reminding everybody that the brand has a remarkable racing heritage and a unique tradition in exotic GT cars.”
It’s a clear brand shift towards the future, but Maserati claims with plenty of inspiration from the past: the 2+2 concept itself following the 1957 Maserati 5000 GT, 1959 5000 GT and 1969 Indy; the Alfieri’s deeply scupltured bonnet line that draws deeper towards the A-pillar to make the windscreen look larger is said to pay homage to the Maserati A6 GCS-53 designed by Pininfarina in 1954; and the suspended dashboard is said to be inspired by that of the Maserati 5000 GT.
There’s a TFT instrument panel “rather than analogue clocks” and oxidised steel floor is claimed to “add a touch of racing brutality” as a commonly found material on 1950s race cars.
The 2+2 layout has an open luggage compartment and the rear seats tilt forward 90 degrees and serve as luggage bulkheads.
A driveable concept, the Maserati Alfieri is powered by the same 4.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 petrol engine found in the GranTurismo, producing 343kW of power (at 7000rpm) and 520Nm of torque (at 4750rpm). It drives the rear wheels via the same six-speed MC Shift automated manual transmission as its bigger brother, and is said to have a slight weight bias to the rear axle.
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