Maserati has revealed its first electric convertible, in the form of the triple-motor GranCabrio Folgore.
Essentially an open-topped version of the equally new GranTurismo Folgore, the GranCabrio swaps out the metal roof for a folding fabric soft top. Underneath the beautiful bodywork, it has the same 800-volt, triple-motor electric drivetrain as the GranTurismo, the same four-seat cabin and very similar performance.
That means the petrol-powered GranCabrio’s 3.0-litre V6 has been swapped for an 83 kWh battery pack and a triple motor setup with one powering the front wheels and two splitting their energy across the rear axle. The result is a maximum output of 818 horsepower with the car’s MaxBoost function enabled (or 751 hp the rest of the time), and a frankly enormous 1,350 Nm (995 ft-lbs) of torque.
That’s enough electrical shove to hit 62 mph in 2.8 seconds (0.1 behind the slightly lighter GranTurismo Folgore), and 124 mph in 9.1 seconds. Top speed is a claimed 180 mph and, when driven more sedately, Maserati says the all-wheel-drive convertible will cruise for between 260 and 278 miles before it needs charging.
Thanks to the 800-volt system architecture, this car is a rapid charger. Maserati says the maximum charge rate is 270 kW and it’ll fill its battery from 20 to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes.
The folding fabric roof goes down in 14 seconds (and up in 16 seconds) with the press of a button, and this can be done while driving at up to 31 mph. Handy for keeping up with the St Tropez traffic when rain starts to fall.
Inside, the cabin will be familiar to anyone who has driven other current-generation Maseratis, whether they are powered by petrol or electricity. The GranCabrio Folgore has a dual touchscreen setup, with the larger upper display measuring 12.3 inches and the lower, 8.8 screen used for the air conditioning and other vehicle controls.
Above both of these sits the trademark Maserati clock, albeit with a new digital display, and the cabin also includes ambient lighting, a head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and an optional Sonus Faber sound system with 16 speakers and 1,016 watts of power.
What does it sound like?
One of the biggest appeals of owning a convertible sports car is how they amplify the sounds of the engine and exhaust. This of course changes when the engine is swapped for an electric motor, and while we’re yet to hear the GranCabrio Folgore for ourselves, Maserati says it has put some thought into the acoustics.
“An extensive study has been conducted on the sound, which remains an iconic factor, including in the GranCabrio Folgore,” Maserati said. It added: “The natural acoustic dynamics of the electric motors driven by the inverters have been digitally shaped and integrated with the typical sound taken from the Maserati V8 tradition.”
It’s all a bit vague for now, but Maserati clearly wants to make a point of the sound produced by its Folgore range. While acknowledging electric cars have no intake or exhaust sound, the company went on: “The sound tuning is therefore delegated to sophisticated signal processing software, operated by synthesisers and released into the space by very high-quality speakers on the inside and out.”
So will it be an electronic whoosh or a recording of an old V8 doing its thing Hopefully we won’t have to wait long to find out.
