Yahoo Autos Maserati won't be selling V8s anymore. The Ghibli 334 Ultima is their final go
BORMIO, Italy – Maserati has sold more than 100,000 cars with a V8 engine. Its smallest V8s had 3.2 liters of displacement; its biggest were 4.9-liter units. Its first V8 powered the rare, short-lived V8RI race car released in 1935; its final V8s will be built in December 2023 for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante.
After that, the curtains come down. Officially, the Italian brand explains its new, 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 (a brilliant engine that’s twin-turbocharged to 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque in the MC20) leaves nothing to be desired in terms of performance. Privately, insiders also cite looming emissions regulations in key markets as a reason for finally hopping on the downsizing train.
Will the V8 ever come back? “Never say never,” I’m told, though a return isn’t planned as of this writing. To hell with heritage; the cost of summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from regulators around the world outweighs whatever benefits Maserati would reap by saving the V8 in the name of tradition.
It’s the end of the V8 era, then, and Maserati is commemorating it with two limited-edition models called Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante V8 Ultima, respectively. The Quattroporte is available with a V8 as well, but a special-edition version of the big sedan isn’t in the pipeline because Maserati wanted to focus on its better-selling models. In both cases, the Italian company has saved the best for last.
The Ghibli 334 Ultima stands out with an edition-specific color called Persia Blu, 21-inch Orione wheels, Pirelli P-Zero tires made using a stickier compound, and several carbon fiber bits (such as the door mirror caps) that save about 55 pounds. The Rubino Red “334” logo painted on each fender denotes the new top speed: 334 kilometers per hour, which represents about 207 miles per hour and makes the 334 faster than the Trofeo it’s based on by 5 mph — it’s also the fastest sedan on the market. The previous title holder, Bentley’s Continental Flying Spur, tops out at 333 kph, which also converts to about 207 mph, but Maserati is Italian and uses the metric system to measure its bragging rights. The sedan’s 0-to-62-mph time drops from 4.3 to 3.9 seconds, but the engine remains the same: It’s the tried-and-true 3.8 rated at 572 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque.
Inside, the 334 Ultima comes with two-tone Pale Terracotta and black upholstery that echoes some of Maserati’s classic models without going full-on retro. It’s a distinctive look the Ghibli wears well.
Production is limited to 103 units globally, including 60 examples earmarked for the American market. Why 103? It’s a tribute to the 5000 GT, the first V8-powered street-legal Maserati. Released in 1959, and labeled Tipo 103 internally, it was developed at the request of the Shah of Iran after he asked for a 3500GT with more power. The 334’s exterior color is a tribute to this model as well.
Levante buyers have two V8 Ultima configurations to choose from. The first looks a lot like the Ghibli 334 Ultima, though it’s painted in a different shade of blue called Blu Royale. The second is finished in a shade of black named Nero Assoluto. Both receive the same two-tone interior as the final Ghibli, and each color is limited to 103 units for a total of 206 cars, including 87 headed to the United States.
