Maserati chops the top off its GranTurismo Folgore to create this new cloth-roofed open air alternative.
Following its petrol-powered counterpart, Maserati has since taken a tin opener to its all-electric GranTurismo (Italian for lightning by the way) and debuted its GranCabrio Folgore.
Now among the highlights of this open-top alternative to the fixed roofed GranTurismo is undoubtably its power retractable soft top, which can be lowered in 14 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. Unique too on this cabriolet are seat-mounted heaters that blow on each occupants neck with three levels of heat output, in addition to an optional wind deflector to stop any buffeting from ruining anyone’s perfectly styled hairdos.
Delving deeper into the changes under the skin over its coupe sibling meanwhile, the GranCabrio Folgore’s structure has also seen around 90 kg of reinforcement added around the sills and the rear tray to maintain ride quality. Maserati has further reaffirmed that it has prioritised comfort over agility for this all-electric drop-top, with it aiming to cater for those who want a status product emblematic the free life in a good environment, rather than an all-out performance car.
Though that is not to say the GranCabrio Folgore is slow by any means, seeing that it still retains the coupe’s three radial-flux permanent-magnet motors. Two of which are at the rear and one is at the front, with each apparently capable of outputting 300 kW.
Limitations stemming from the battery pack that could only dispense up to 600 kW of power at one time unfortunately limits maximum combined output of this drop top to only 818 hp and 1,350 Nm of torque. This is nevertheless still sufficient to see this all-electric GranCabrio rocket to the century mark from a standstill in 2.8 seconds, and onto a presumably rather terrifying with the top down top speed of 290 km/h.
On the other end off the acceleration scale now, the GranCabrio Folgore features paddles to adjust the vehicle’s level of regenerative braking, with the strongest of which capable of absorbing an impressive 400 kW for a short time. This in turn helps to further eke out 447 km on the WLTP cycle from its central T-shaped lithium-ion pack located between and behind the passengers, that packs a usable capacity of 83 kWh
As for topping it back up, the GranCabrio is capable of 270 kW DC fast charging that sees the car net an additional 100 km of range in as little as five minutes, with a 20-80% charge apparently possible in as little as 18 minutes.
The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore features double wishbones front and multilink suspension setup out back, with said components hiding behind a staggered 20- and 21-inch wheel arrangement riding on low rolling resistance tires. This EV drop top is further distinguished from its petrol-powered twin by having a mirror inversion of its grille pillars up front, and the expected exception of tailpipes round its shapely rump.
Prices have yet to be confirmed for this all-electric GranCabrio Folgore, but they are expected to start at around £185,000 (RM 1.1 million) in the UK when it heads to dealerships worldwide next year.
