Autoblog

Looking less like a Buick than the Quattroporte, Pininfarina's sketches of the new Maserati Coupe show an aggressive two-door with significant "coke bottle" cues and it should make quite an impression when it debuts at the Geneva motor show in March. Maserati has previously used the services of Italdesign, so the change to Pininfarina could mean a shift in future Maserati stylings. The coupe bears a resemblance to those that came before, but the stance is more muscular, with a level of tumblehome not likely to see production. The coupe will sire three different models; a 2+2, a Spyder, and a hardtop convertible.

Motivation will still come from the Ferrari parts bin, so there will be no need for a radio, especially in the Spyder. Put that top down and listen to the V8 -- all the music you'll ever need. Also making an appearance will be the Cambiocorsa cog-swapper, as well as a possible six-speed ZF auto. Size, of course, grows, and while the car in these sketches looks great, we'll have to reserve any kind of final judgement until the real thing shows up. Our guess is that some of the extreme muscularity is dialed back, but what we'd really like to see is one of these high-end coupes that doesn't look like the competition. Again, judgement will have to wait until the actual car rolls into the sun, but if you hadn't seen the trident in the grille, it'd be easy to mistake this for an Aston, Jaguar, even a Ferrari. We're holding out for a pleasant surprise, but are prepared for disappointment. Rest assured that the craftsmanship will be top notch in the old-world style, no matter the styling.

[Source: Quattroruote via MotorAuthority]