Maserati Hasn’t Ruled Out Bringing a V8 Back to the GranTurismoWhen Maserati unveiled its refreshed 2027 GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Grecale lineup to media including MotorBiscuit, most of the conversation centred on the updated Nettuno V6 and improved Folgore range figures. Then the question turned to one opportunity: is there any chance a V8 returns to the GranTurismo, given shifting appetites in North America?Maserati COO Santo Ficili didn't close the door on the thought."Of course, we are also considering the V8, but at this time what is important for us is to exploit as much as possible the potentiality of the V6, without forgetting the Folgore version that we are offering today on GT, GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Folgore. But of course we are not forgetting the possibility to have also the V8. Although the penetration of this engine in the total of the engines we are offering or we will offer in the future will be always something marginal, but it's a point that we are considering of course."AdvertisementAdvertisementIn its latest GranTurismo Trofeo form, the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Nettuno produces 582 hp – a 40 hp gain over the outgoing model, and Ficili's entire argument for the near term rests on that engine.The Nettuno was significant when it arrived because it was Maserati's first in-house engine in more than two decades.Hybridisation is the next chapter for it, with Chief Marketing Officer Cristiano Fiorio stating: "We do see a hybrid future for the Nettuno, because it's another type of performance that we can get."A V8 sits somewhere further down the road – possible, but clearly not the priority.The Case for the V6 Goes Beyond Just EngineeringMaserati head of engineering Davide Danesin reinforced the same position during the session, putting the company's capabilities on the table without making any promises:AdvertisementAdvertisement"I think I mean, Santo, you already said, I mean we're very proud of our V6 engine which actually it's really a great piece of technology. But of course we have the knowledge, we have the capability, eventually also to consider a V8. We know there are some people in the world that still believe that that should be an engine that Maserati should have. So as you said, we are considering it. We can't say today we gonna make it."There's also a design argument that makes the V6 more than just a cost or emissions compromise. Design chief Klaus Busse pointed out during the same session that the GranTurismo's low Y-zero line – one of the car's most distinctive changes – only works because the Nettuno can be packaged as a mid-front engine:"The V8 would have been too bulky and would have driven up the proportion, but the V6 can be packaged as a mid-front engine, very low, very compact. And it even has Formula 1 technology, so also there is the connection to racing." That fuselage-and-fender construction, Busse noted, traces back directly to the 1954 A6GCS – a lineage the team clearly considers sacred.Ficili also addressed one of the most persistent complaints V6 skeptics raise: the soundtrack. "The question that is always coming is about the sound of the engine. So Davide, we worked already on this, so improving the sound of the V6. Now today is exactly in the direction in line with what the customers are asking to us today."AdvertisementAdvertisementThe honest idea here is that a V8 GranTurismo remains a live conversation rather than an actual commitment.During the Q&A that followed the unveiling, Maserati executives fielded questions not just about the updated models but about the future direction of the brand itself.A V8 would almost certainly be a low-volume, high-margin proposition aimed squarely at customers – particularly in North America – who associate the badge with big-displacement grunt. Marginal in volume terms, as Ficili freely admitted, but potentially meaningful for the brand's identity at a moment when Maserati needs every signal it can send that the Trident still has a pulse.
