Alfieri Concept Marks Maserati Centenary

April 1, 2014

John Kendall

The Alfieri concept design team was influenced by the 1954 Maserati A6 GCS-53.

Maserati celebrates its centenary in 2014, and the Alfieri, named after Alfieri Maserati, founder of the original Maserati Company, is the concept car that was unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show to mark the centenary. Maserati described the 2+2 coupe concept as a “100 per cent functional prototype that says much about the design DNA of future Maseratis.”

The car was the work of a team of designers from Maserati Centro Stile in Turin under the direction of Marco Tencone, who led the design team for the Alfa Romeo 4C. The design was overseen by Lorenzo Ramaciotti and work began last summer. Ramaciotti has said that he believes that a car very similar to the Alfieri concept could go into production in the next two years.

A car based on the Alfieri could be in production within two years.

The Alfieri is based on the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale chassis, with a wheelbase shortened by 240 mm (9.4 in).Overall, the concept is 4590 mm (180.7 in) long, 1930 mm (76.0 in) wide, and 1280 mm (50.4 in) tall, with a 2700-mm (106.3-in) wheelbase.

The GranTurismo MC Stradale uses a conventional front engine/rear-wheel drive format with a transaxle at the rear. It results in a slight rearward weight bias, according to Maserati. The six-speed electrically actuated gearbox is mounted in a single unit with the limited slip differential, connected to the engine by a rigid torque tube. Power comes from a Maranello-built 4.7-L naturally aspirated V8 gasoline engine producing 460 hp (343 kW) at 7000 rpm and 520 N·m (384 lb·ft) at 4750 rpm.

The Alfieri’s 2+2 seat cabin is a study in simplicity and minimalism complete with a suspended dashboard conceptually inspired by the Maserati 5000GT, with an organic, two-tone design built around a central screen.

The Alfieri shares its carbon-ceramic disc brakes with the GranTurismo MC Stradale in conjunction with Brembo brake calipers. The brake calipers and other components including the wheels, front grille, and exhaust tail pipes are all finished in Maserati Blue.

Maserati cites the Pininfarina-designed Maserati A6 GCS-53 two-seat coupe of 1954 as an inspiration for the design team. There are a number of design features which refer to the 60-year-old model, such as the raised front and rear wings, long hood, large front grille, and near horizontal rear screen.

The front bumper/spoiler and rear diffuser are produced in carbon fiber with aluminum inserts. The forged aluminum wheels were designed specifically for the car with 21-in diameter wheels at the rear and 20-in examples for the front.

Inside, seat profile inserts, gear lever, and Maserati trademark oval clock are each milled from a single aluminum billet, then hand finished and anodized in a copper finish. The pedals, gearbox paddles, and steering wheel spokes are also finished by hand.

Although the instruments are housed in traditional binnacles, they feature TFT (thin-film transistor) screens to display road and engine speed. Instead of simulating a rotating meter needle, the numbers rotate and the speed is highlighted as if the numbers are being magnified.

White and dark basalt blue are the colors used to trim the interior. Leather is used extensively for the seats, dashboard, and center console.