- Maserati chief engineer hints at a potential return of the V8.
- A manual gearbox is also under evaluation for limited editions.
- The Trident brand aims to capture fans of combustion engines.
Maserati looks to be rethinking its long-term product strategy as the market shifts beneath it, and that rethink may bring back V8 power and three-pedal manuals for a handful of limited-run models.
The brand had leaned hard on its twin-turbo Nettuno V6 as the internal combustion centerpiece, a stopgap ahead of a full-electric future that has since been scrapped. Now the people in charge concede what enthusiasts have been saying all along. Some buyers want more cylinders, and Maserati has the hardware in its history to give it to them.
Building the Case For Eight Cylinders
Speaking to Australian outlet Carsales, Maserati engineering boss Davide Danesin said: “My personal opinion is yes. I think the V8 could potentially be coming back… I’m sure that if we would be making it, we would be selling it but maybe not in big numbers.”
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Danesin, who has raised the subject before, confirmed that technical feasibility studies have already looked at fitting a V8 into the current lineup. The recently facelifted GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Grecale sit on an evolution of Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio architecture, while the MCPura supercar uses a carbon fiber monocoque shared with the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.
The idea hasn’t received the green light from parent company Stellantis yet, but Danesin sounded upbeat about its chances: “It looks like the momentum for V8 is building up. The decision to make it or not is very much dependent on company strategies. I think that potentially that space is there.”
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In a separate interview with Australian outlet GoAuto, he explained why a buyer might want a V8 over the existing V6: “You don’t feel the need of a V8 because of missing performance. I think the need of V8 is more like having the proper engine for a certain vehicle – it’s more a perception issue…overall, I think this is coming back.”
So which V8 would it be? The Ferrari-sourced unit left the Trident lineup in 2024, and Stellantis’ current American engines make poor candidates. Danesin noted that the Hemi’s large-block dimensions create packaging constraints, which leaves Maserati needing either a new engine or a fresh deal with a supplier.
A Real Manual Gearbox
Alongside the V8, Maserati is weighing the return of a manual transmission for its most exclusive sports cars. As Danesin put it: “I see a mechanical solution with a good engine coming into a few-off car, which then provides the full experience, as it was 20 or 30 years ago.”
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Where other brands have gone with electronic or simulated setups, Ferrari’s 12Cilindri Manuale among them, Maserati wants the real thing. A future manual would use a fully mechanical linkage to pass authentic feedback and engine vibration up through the lever.
According to Danesin, the business case for a manual gearbox is similar to a mechanical wristwatch which might be expensive to manufacture and technically superseded by the latest technology, but has value because due to its scarcity:
“We already proved, since 15 years ago, that automatic gearboxes are shifting quicker. I think that it is not about making the perfect shifting experience. It is about recalling the mechanical feeling. In doing that, you would be losing some performance in terms of speed of shifting, maybe even the feeling through the lever of the engine vibrating. I think that would be part of the experience. It’s a good part.”
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As for the extra cost, the high-ranking official said: “To come back to a mechanical setup…all the components behind that are going to be very high-cost because of super-low volume. I think these days, a good mechanical gearbox could cost €15,000-20,000 ($17,300-23,100) while an automatic gearbox costs less than €3,000 ($3,500)”.
Either way, future manual and V8-powered sports cars would likely come out of BottegaFuoriserie, the joint bespoke and coachbuilding department shared by Alfa Romeo and Maserati. That points to limited production runs and prices high enough to match the exclusivity.
