This isn’t something we see every day.
We have our fair share of luxury sport vehicles in T&T including marques from Germany, the UK and Italy; the least from the latter. Of those, Lamborghini and Ferrari are perhaps the most popular here. The rarest being Maserati.
Sport and supercar manufacturers have turned to the lucrative SUV segment over the past decade with great success. Maserati entered the fray with the Levante and it’s been their best selling model since. It’s a fantastic sport utility vehicle, with a lot of grunt to go plus all the amenities. But the unit that recently landed on our shores has got even more.
This particular Maserati Levante GranSport was customised with a Novitec Esteso V2 body kit and wheels. These Italian SUVs come in two trim levels. With GranLusso, the style is focused on luxury. With GranSport, it’s more about engaging driving dynamics.
The owner said “Of all the SUVs on the market, I fell in love with this Novitec Esteso v2 body kit on the Maserati Levante GranSport and this is why I gravitated towards it. I would leave it alone to ensure it wasn’t an impulse buy and would always keep returning to it online.”
Initially, the concept started with a satin/matte red, but custom Magma Rosso paint was chosen out of 4 different colour cards. The final choice matches perfectly with the red in the centre-caps on the Novitec wheels, topped off with more than ample amounts of carbon fibre and matte-black trim.
The GranSport wields 350 brake horsepower and a hefty 338 foot pounds of torque from its 3 litre V6, mated to an 8 speed ZF automatic transmission from the sixth-generation Maserati Quattroporte, sending power to all four wheels.
In the cockpit, the red leather and piano black trim give a distinct sense of identity, richness, luxury and flair. Vented cooling seats, soft close doors and panoramic sunroof add to the list of amenities.
Factory features include active airflow control up-front which aids in maintaining engine temperature while the adjustable ride-height air suspension makes easy work of Trinidad’s roads. It’s the perfect combination of comfort, sport and functionality.
The Novitec Esteso V2 kit ups the ante with their trademark widebody fairings, while beefy 295/30/22 tyres up front and wider 335/35/22 in the rear, all on matte black Novitec wheels, give an even more aggressive stance to this luxury SUV.
Maserati has shared a long relationship with Ferrari, the better known Italian carmaker. While the purchase was purely coincidental, this Maserati shares its garage space with a Ferrari 458 Italia.
Far less functional than the SUV, the 458 ticks all the super-car boxes from its superb aerodynamic exterior to the “business of driving” 2-seater interior and exposed power unit.
The 458 is powered by a 4.5 litre engine of the “Ferrari/Maserati” F136 V8 family, generating a power output of 562 hp and 398 ft-lb of torque.
Commenting on the purchase, the owner stated “because we already owned a Ferrari, I know the quality of craftsmanship and the long warranty. Maserati and Ferrari share a lot of heritage and they are closely associated. Everywhere you see combined Maserati/Ferrari dealerships. But it is coincidental we purchased two Italian vehicles”.
Coincidence or not, there’s definitely an Italian connection here.
