Autoblog

Click above to view the Touring Maserati A8 GCS in hi-res

Since the news broke that Maserati was planning a new sportscar to rival the benchmark Porsche 911, Italian styling houses have been lining up to pitch their designs for how they think the new Trident sportscar should look. Following the Chicane concept unveiled in Geneva by the students of the Instituto Europeo di Design, the resuscitated Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera threw its hat into the ring this weekend with the A8 GCS concept you see above.

Together with Touring's other Maserati concept, the Quattroporte-based Bellagio Fastback, the A8 GCS design study was unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the annual Mecca of class and performance on the shores of trendy Lake Como in Italy. Inspired by Pininfarina's iconic Maserati A6 GCS Berlinetta of 1954, the Touring concept presents a compelling mix of modern design and retro touches. While it's hard to make the case that, with even the most well-established outfits struggling to get by, the industry really needs another Italian design house or coachbuilder, if these are the results then we can hardly complain. Check out the images in the gallery below to see what we mean.

Gallery: Carrozzeria Touring Maserati A8 GCS

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

Click above to view high-res gallery of the IED Maserati Chicane concept

Geneva has been good to Maserati. Last year the company unveiled the GranTurismo to thunderous applause, and followed up this year with the more powerful GranTurismo S. Meanwhile, the students of the Instituto Europeo di Design unveiled their Maserati Chicane concept, which won out over rival designs to win sponsorship and a spot under the bright lights of the Geneva Motor Show to show their talent to the world.

We caught up with the IED graduate design students and found our cameras snapping away at the striking concept. Although certain details aren't likely to find their way onto a production Trident, with the design chiefs from Maserati and Fiat AG on the selecting jury, we wouldn't be all that surprised to see some similarities when Maserati eventually unleashes its anticipated new sportscar.

Check out the video in our previous post and the high-resolution images in our gallery.

Gallery: IED Maserati Chicane design study

Any regular reader of Autoblog should know that the major automakers aren't the only ones unveiling striking new concept cars. In fact, independent designers tend to create even more exciting concepts than the big boys. All the more so for design students who give us a preview of what the future holds for creative automotive design. This year the graduate students at the Instituto Europeo di Design (we'll let you decipher the translation yourself) are coming to Geneva with a full-size concept Maserati.

The Chicane concept you see above is a take on what the anticipated upcoming entry-level Maserati sports coupe could look like. Like the GranTurismo, the Chicane is a 2+2 with a front-mounted V8 driving the rear wheels, but while it retains certain Maserati design elements, the IED students have done away with some of the elegance of the GranTurismo in favor of more sportiness: at 4.4 meters long, it's some 400mm shorter than the Pininfarina-designed GT, and it ditches the chrome for a more menacing look. We particularly like the recessed headlights.

[Source: Car Body Design]