Maserati GranTurismo Zéda
Since 2007 the sports coupé GranTurismo came off the assembly lines of Maserati in Modena/Italy. After its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, the car with its Pininfarina design quickly found a large worldwide clientele. It was partly inspired by the Maserati A6 1500 from 1947. The four-seater GranCabrio followed at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2009. During the 12 years of production, both body variants were repeatedly modified in order to adapt the car to the latest available technological developments. The last facelift was in 2018 with improved aerodynamics, a new infotainment system and adapted ergonomics. Most recently, Maserati offered 16 exterior colors, six different alloy wheels in 14 different finishes, nine colors for the brake calipers and two different exterior packages for details in body color or visible carbon. There were also two differently tuned versions of the 4.7-liter and 460-hp strong naturally aspirated V8 engine in the form of the Sport and the MC (Maserati Corse). A total of 11,715 units of the GranCabrio and 28,805 copies of the GranTurismo left the production line at the plant on the Viale Ciro Menotti, which is now being converted for the successor model with electric drive planned for 2020. In addition, Maserati is building a state-of-the-art paint shop next to its production facility, allowing customers to view their own car during the painting process.
Meanwhile, the final GranTurismo serves as a special show vehicle. The nickname ‘Zéda’ (in Modenese dialect the word for ‘Z’) refers directly to its special role as the last example of this most successful model series in the history of the brand to date. The one-off car is now embarking on a world tour to selected events and Maserati dealers to increase the anticipation of the upcoming new GranTurismo. As a bridge between past, present and future, the vehicle was specially designed by Centro Stile Maserati. Seen from the rear to the front, the hand-applied paint gives the illusion that fewer and fewer parts of the car had been treated during the paint process, from the naked sheet metal to finished paint job, until finally only the front part of the GranTurismo shines in blue metallic. Maserati captured the complete production process of the Zéda including the final inspection and the subsequent repainting by hand in pictures. You will find them in our gallery, so you can also say your goodbye to the GranTurismo series.
Images: Maserati