LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Two GranTurismo Folgore models propel Maserati into the EV super sportscar era. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 35

Maserati creates its very first all-electric sports car in this desirable model, the GranTurismo Folgore coupe, also available as the convertible GranCabrio Folgore. It's very fast, very heavy, very expensive but, fortunately, also very Maserati.

Backgroundword count: 140

We've had quite a few Maserati firsts in this century - diesel engines, SUVs and now full-EVs - specifically in this case, a full-EV sports car, the GranTurismo Folgore. At this moment, this is one of only two EV models in the Maserati range (the Grecale Folgore SUV is the other) but by 2028, the Modena marque says (rather disappointingly) that all its cars will be electric. So getting these early EV models right could hardly be more important. This one comes in both coupe and GranCabrio forms and sells alongside the 3.0 V6 GranTurismo models it's built alongside at the Modena plant. But it's nearly half a ton heavier than that combustion variant and must surely lack the aural fireworks which have long been decisive in choosing Maserati sports car ownership. So can this confection really work? Let's see.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 264

'Folgore' translates as 'lightning', which is a good description for the speed of this car. 62mph is dispatched in just 2.7s (which is getting on for a second faster than the V6) and just as surprising (for an EV) is the 202mph top speed. Though if you drive like that, you'll probably more than halve the huge 92.5kWh battery's claimed 280 mile range. This energises a complex AWD powertrain putting out 751bhp and made up of three electric motors, two of them on the rear axle. These motors use silicon carbide inverters (technology borrowed from Maserati's Formula E team) which are lighter and have greater power density than the usual silicon inverters. But all of this is heavy, which is why this car tips the scales at close to 2.3-tonnes. Too heavy then, to ever be a proper super sports car like, say, a Mercedes-AMG GT; but Maserati doesn't want it to be a cruisey Bentley Continental GT Speed rival either. That's a difficult balance to achieve, so lots of thought has gone into the suspension set-up, which uses air springs and electronic dampers. Also crucial is the way that all that power and torque is deployed, not in this case via a limited slip differential but by Maserati's Vehicle Domain Control Module controller. To determine power distribution, this takes its lead from the drive mode you select. The day-to-day settings are 'Max Range' or 'GT'. Only in the faster 'Sport' and 'Corsa' modes do you get access to the full 1,350Nm of torque - and at the same time the chassis is lowered.

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