The brothers Maserati were building racers before the Maserati automotive brand was born. Alfieri Maserati even prepared and raced cars for Diatto until Diatto ceased producing race cars in 1926. This led the brothers to build their own Trident missile – the Tipo 26 – which cleaned up in class on its first outing on the Targa Florio. It would therefore be a fair assumption that, when it comes to building race cars, Maserati knows what it's doing.
With the Trofeo World Series final round taking place in Abu Dhabi recently - on the Yas Marina Circuit – it was a good opportunity to corner Silvestro D'Amico, Racing & Sponsorship Coordinator at Maserati, and load him up with some questions regarding the current Trofeo Maserati race car. And just how similar/different is the competition car to the road going GranTurismo? Obviously, it lacks every conceivable luxury element required to make 'long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style' – which is the very definition of gran turismo – so what does it take to make a GranTurismo not a gran turismo and turn it in to a track weapon?
The answer is right here
What does it take to make a Maserati GranTurismo not a gran turismo and turn it in to a track weapon?
Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo. Anatomy of a Race Car