Return of V8s, manuals not ruled out by iconic brand
Maserati could look to the past for inspiration as it admits a V8 engine – and a manual transmission – isn’t out of the question.
As one of a dozen brands owned by Dutch conglomerate Stellantis, you could be forgiven for forgetting about Maserati, having recently gone through a number of model updates but remaining a niche brand.
From its electric Folgore vehicles to the MCPura sports car, Maserati remains as a luxury brand with a sporty twist, though in recent years it lost one of its defining features – a V8 engine.
Between 2001 and 2020, Maserati’s Quattroporte and GranTurismo were powered by a V8 jointly developed with Ferrari, though it has since been replaced by a twin-turbo V6 (called Nettuno), also found in the MCPura.
While the V6 is more potent and efficient than its V8 predecessor, Maserati executives – speaking to CarBuzz – have said an eight-cylinder engine could return to the brand’s lineup.
“Today we have one of the best, if not the best V6 [engines] in the world, that is our Nettuno," Maserati chief operating officer Santo Ficili told CarBuzz.
"But of course, we are not forgetting the possibility to also have the V8, although the penetration of this engine in the total of the engines we are offering, or we will offer in the future, will be always something marginal. But it’s a point we are considering.”
Just what the V8 would power remains a mystery, though it’s not out of the question that it could be found back in models such as the Quattroporte and GranTurismo.
“We have the knowledge, we have the capability, eventually, to also consider a V8,” added Maserati head of engineering, Davide Danesin.
“We know there are some people in the world that still believe that should be an engine Maserati should have. So as [Ficili] said, we can say today we are considering making it."
The revival of a V8 engine in Maserati’s lineup could also be joined with the return of manual transmissions, not seen in the brand’s lineup for almost 20 years.
While the V8 may be available in some of Maserati’s core products, a manual vehicle is likely to come from the joint Bottegafuoriserie bespoke program with Alfa Romeo, which focuses on extremely limited-run models.
"So when we speak about Bottega products, few offs, it’s true, maybe 50% of our customers do demand a manual gearbox, as they all demand the petrol engine,” said Cristiano Fiorio, head of the Bottegafuoriserie division.
Jordan Mulach
“So we can also say they are retro seekers. And the answer is, the day we will be ready to present a new program for Bottega for Maserati – I hope it will be one day soon in the future – the answer is yes.
“I believe we will have to have a manual gearbox as well in our offering for our Bottega products."
Maserati has teased a manual for almost a year now, with Danesin telling Autocar in 2025 that “a manual gearbox is an opportunity”.
“I don’t see that in big series [production], but why not do a special version with a manual gearbox? No reason to say never. It could be the right choice for a limited edition of a car.
“By doing a purely mechanical car, it does make sense to have a mechanical gearbox with a shifter. So why not? It fulfils perfectly the brand. It fulfils perfectly our approach and the mindset. So honestly, I think one day we’ll do it.”
