Last Cars Reviews Blog: Detroit Preview: Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Maserati

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

When one thinks of the Indianapolis 500, Maserati is not a name that pops immediately to mind. However, cars wearing the famous trident logo won the 500 twice in 1939 and 1940 when legendary Wibur Shaw drove an 8C TF to victory at the "Brickyard" both years. Thankfully, even with all the bad news about automakers pulling out of the Detroit Auto Show this year, Maserati is using the occasion to celebrate the 70th anniversary of that first Indy victory with yet another variant of the Quattroporte.

The new Sport GT S has a recalibrated 4.7L V8 from the S now putting out 433 hp along with revised shift points for its transmission. This ultimate Quattroporte also gets a revised song thanks to a new exhaust system. The spring rates are stiffer and the dampers are now single rate rather than variable as on other QPs. Inside the GT S also gets the obligatory Alcantara trim to supplement the usual acres of leather. As you can see above and in our gallery of high-res images below, it still looks like a million bucks, though we poo poo the fact its missing any visual cues that would link it directly to the Indy 500, like a giant, downforce-inducing rear wing or Pace Car graphics on the doors. But maybe that's just us.

Gallery: 2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S