The ultimate V8: Maserati Ghibli on test

Now you might think that there would be no better place than the racetrack to test such power and push it to its limits. But apart from that. Livigno is located 1,800 meters above sea level in the Italian Alps. This place is a mecca for ski wizards in winter. But car enthusiasts also find their way over the snow-covered Alpine trails at this time of year to visit the Ice Driving School.

The fun slide can start on a 1.1 km long course with ten curves. It is especially fun with the rear wheel drive of the Ghibli 334 Ultima, which invites you to follow the icy curves with 580 hp and 730 Newton maximum torque. However, not as long as ESP is on alert. But as soon as you put the control system into a deep sleep with the push of a button, the Italian turns its rear end even with a light push of the throttle, while the driver presses himself deeper into the terracotta leather of his sports seat.

An eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF usually takes care of power distribution, but this has nothing to do here on the ice, because apart from one and two gears, nothing is needed here. Since the Ghibli doesn’t need to apply gas carefully and scrape the rear wheels frequently when turning off, it’s best to use the powerful paddles on the steering wheel in the snow to control the power in the rear. gentle foot on the accelerator.

When cornering, the steering seems very light, as we know from Maserati, but it works correctly. It may be better than a high level set too fast for a quick spin on a glass-smooth surface, which is cleared of snow that provides grip from thigh to thigh. And so the more than two-ton Ghibli 334 Ultima ends up careening through the icy currents. Although the background sound is far from what we know from the cars with tridents from the earlier days. Instead of a loud roar that dies down in the hills, it’s a restrained hum that emphasizes the work of the V8.

At this time, little attention is paid to the small details that Maserati included in its anniversary edition. This includes a full carbon fiber exterior kit, including the front fascia, door handles, mirror caps and B and C pillars as well as the three and 334 logos emblazoned on the front headliners. The middle lane is decorated with the inscription “Una di 103”, so that no one forgets that he is driving a special edition of the little one. Now it should not be hidden at this point that the limited edition Ghibli has been sold for a long time. Many people quickly realized that investing around 200,000 euros could be profitable in the not too distant future considering the end of the eight-cylinder era. In this regard, most of the Ultima models sold serve more as an investment than as a driving machine.

The same applies to the Levante V8 Ultima. Built since 2016, it was the only SUV in the Maserati lineup until the Grecale was released. Here too, the Ultima logo in ruby ​​adorns the fenders. However, the 580 hp sports climber with all-wheel drive must do without the 334 because this speed is not intended. The front and rear bumpers and side skirts are also equipped with carbon details, seats in a combination of terracotta leather decorated with a trident. In fact, the number of Levante V8 Ultima is also limited to 103 cars.

What remains for fans of three-stroke combustion engines is the GranTurismo (GT) with Maserati’s Nettuno V6, which was already mentioned. The engine moved directly from the MC20 sports car to the GT and, with 550 hp and a maximum torque of 650 Newton meters, it is certainly not a sad child. In this trim, the V6 is perfectly suited to cheering on a sports driver, even on the icy circuit of Livigno.

The Trofeo’s fully adaptive all-wheel drive also dampens the fun on icy roads. In real life, however, and on the tarmac circuit, it is these critical points that should ensure fast lap times. Because there sprint to 100 km / h in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 320 km / h is more than the values ​​​​of the decorative data sheet. But in the end it is. The era of the eight-cylinder engine in Maserati is over. And just as the V8 was hot for 64 years, the goodbye is now ice cold.