Italy’s Trident brand to celebrate the final chapter of its V8 lineage with world’s fastest sedan and limited-edition SUV
The faster new 2023 Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima and 2023 Maserati Levante V8 Ultima have been previewed ahead of their full reveal at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later today.
Created to say farewell to the Italian car-maker’s Ferrari-sourced twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8, which makes 441kW/750Nm in top-shelf Trofeo versions of the Levante SUV and the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, both new Ultima special-editions are claimed to be quicker than their donor models, although it’s not clear why.
And in the case the sedan, Maserati claims the Ghibli 334 Ultima will bring an impressive 334km/h top speed (hence its name), which is 8km/h faster than the 326km/h Trofeo and conveniently 1km/h faster than the Bentley Flying Spur Speed, which packs a 467kW/900Nm 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine.
According to Maserati, that makes the Ghibli 334 Ultima the world’s fastest internal combustion-powered sedan and it wears ‘334’ logos on its bumper to emphasise that.
The Ghibli 334 Ultima is also quicker than the Trofeo, with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds (down from 4.3sec), but not as quick as the Flying Spur Speed (3.8sec).
Painted in an exclusive Scià di Persia color with Rubino accents, Maserati says “meticulous work has been done on the weight and tires” of the hottest Ghibli to date. This includes special compound rubber on 21-inch wheels with dark accents, shrouding gloss-black brake callipers.
There’s a revised carbon-fibre splitter at the front and a carbon-fibre boot lid spoiler at the rear and, inside, Ultima Pale Terracotta leather seat trim with Alcantara centre upholstery, plus embroidered Trident and 334 badges on the head rests and a 334 plaque on the centre console of the special sports sedan.
Meantime, the new Levante flagship wears ‘V8 Ultima’ logos on its front wings and head restraints, scores a carbon-fibre exterior package as standard, rides on black 22-inch wheels and is available in Nero Assoluto or Blu Royale paint.
Inside, the high-performance luxury SUV adds Pale Terracotta and black leather seat trim with Trident and V8 Ultima badging.
Just 103 units of each limited-edition variant will be produced and both vehicles feature a ‘una di 103’ (one of 103) centre console badge to denote their exclusivity.
Pricing will be released following their unveiling at Goodwood, but expect the Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima to cost more than the Trofeo ($279,600) and for the Maserati Levante V8 Ultima to be pricier than the Trofeo ($304,600).
From 2024, Ferrari will no longer supply V8 engines to Maserati following the end of their powertrain agreement later this year, so the two special-editions will be the last in a long line of Maserati V8 models, starting 64 years ago in 1959 with the 5000 GT.
Over the six decades the Italian car-maker has produced more than 100,000 V8-powered vehicles.
Maserati has already introduced its replacement for the V8, in the form of its advanced Nettuno V6, which is unrelated to the Prancing Horse brand’s new V6 and incorporates pre-chamber combustion technology derived from Formula 1.
It has also released its all-electric Folgore powertrains, which will be available in all Maserati models by 2025, before the company produces only EVs from 2030. In Europe, Maserati already offers four-cylinder hybrid versions of the Ghibli, Grecale and Levante.
Also on display alongside Maserati’s swansong V8 models at Goodwood will be the new GranTurismo in V6, Folgore and one-off Prisma forms, the MC20 Cielo convertible supercar finished in Rosso Vincente, and the Grecale Folgore – Maserati’s first electric (mid-size) SUV. The new Quattroporte will be next Maserati model to receive the V6 and EV treatment.
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Keyword: Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima and Levante V8 Ultima previewed