01/06/2008 07:14. It’s getting hotter out there. Barely one year after launching the new GranTurismo coupé, Maserati has unleashed the S version. This is the hair-on-fire model, equipped with the lunatic 4.7 litre V8 that Alfa Romeo uses in the stunning 8C Competizione coupé, albeit differently tuned. In the S, it produces 433bhp, compared with the regular GT’s 400bhp.

Visually, the S gains subtle side-skirts and a lip spoiler on the bootlid. Down below, the two oval exhausts are surrounded by a valance, which gives the tail an even more planted look. The overall effect – along with new 20in alloy wheels meant to evoke Maserati’s trademark trident – is to toughen up an already gorgeous form without making it look like a Halfords tack-on job.

Let’s start with that engine, which is just... // Times Online