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Maserati is planning to bring a hardcore, racing tuned version of its effortlessly beautiful GranTurismo coupe to the Paris Motor Show next week, called the MC Corse Concept.
 
Suitable for those Maser buyers who’re more interested in racing than posing in their Italian supercars, the Corse offers quite a few meaningful upgrades over the standard car. The most obvious difference from the outside is the new aero package that the car wears, including a prominent front splitter that is said to purposefully funnel air to the revised and enlarged rear spoiler, keeping the Corse firmly planted on the track. The racing concept has also been lightened – Maserati specifies that the MC Corse weights less than 1400 Kilograms or 3086 pounds – and draws more power from its 4.7-liter V-8, now rated at 450 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque.

Various additional scoops, creases, and a racy white livery complete the Corse package, and ensure that the Maserati stand will be buzzing at the Paris show. Check out the car in the gallery above.

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We at Winding Road and NextAutos frequently get the chance to sample luxury offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, et cetera. And while all of those German manufacturers make wonderful vehicles, it’s a rare occasion that some Italian blood works its way into our test fleet. Our Maserati Quattroporte test car proved to be a sporty, elegant cruiser, and can turn heads in a way that none of the German automakers can.

Click through to read what all of our staffers had to say about the Quattroporte.

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The first set of Maserati MC12 Versione Corses is being sold at an auction in Germany, with bids already reaching approximately $2.25 million.

The Versione Corse is the mandatory production version of the Maserati's MC12 GT1 race car from the FIA GT-championship which in 2005, won the Manufacturers' Championship. As stipulated, twelve road- legal versions of the car must be manufactured and sold to the public.

The car is powered by a tweaked version of the Ferrari FXX's 6.0-liter V-12 engine that manages to crank out 755 horsepower at 8000 rpm, 125 horsepower more than the original, and 524 pound-feet of torque at 6000 rpm. When mated to the heavily revised version of the six-speed Cambiocorsa gearbox that's been designed for faster gear changes, the engine is able to give the Versione Corse a 0-60 time of just under 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 202 miles per hour (based on European figures).

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Some weeks are just better than others.

The NextAutos staff is lucky enough to have access to a rotating weekly fleet of press vehicles that run the gamut from entry-level budget wheels, to hyper-expensive exotic sports cars. And while on most weeks there are a few cars whose keys could cause a scuffle, every now and again the fates align to make us truly spoiled for choice.

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Maserati has revealed images and specifications for the new 2009 Quattroporte and seems to be pretty excited about the results of the restyle. The Italian company compares the update of its admittedly attractive sedan, to reinterpretations of classic works of art by masters Matisse and Da Vinci. This is a good-looking car but perhaps the marketing department could have used a tiny bit more humility.

This 2005 Maserati MC12 race car found for sale on eBay Motors is about as fast, rare, and conspicuous as cars come.

Unlike Jaguar's XKR-S, we're happy to report that Maserati's "S-model" - the GranTurismo S, revealed this week at the Geneva Motor Show - actually sports a boost in power. Quanto meraviglioso...

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Maserati is planning to follow up its spectacular showing of the GranTurismo at last year's Geneva Motor Show, by unveiling an even more accomplished performance tool at the 2008 show, the GranTurismo S.