You’d consider it somewhat odd to order a vindaloo curry at your favourite Indian restaurant and then be asked if you wanted it hot or not, or buy a set of kitchen knives with the option of sharp blades, so I’m always slightly suspicious when a sports car maker announces a new ‘sport’ pack for what should already be a performance-oriented car.

What does it mean? Is the standard car a bit soft and flabby? Or are they merely implying that if you’re a serious driver then your man(or lady)hood would be in question if you chose anything less focused?

Maserati, who less we forget produced some of the most successful racing cars of the 1920s and ’30s, are now offering a Sport pack for the GranTurismo S Automatic, explaining that it “..delivers a performance oriented experience, whilst retaining the ease and convenience of the ZF automatic transmission.” (See previous paragraph about the meaning this implies)

The Sport pack for the GranTurismo S Automatic features the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and a revised exhaust system which keeps its bypass valves fully open in Sport mode to provide an even richer sound.

The Sport pack also boasts a number of styling features. These include body coloured side skirts and front winglets, a stylish black grille featuring the Maserati Trident logo with red accents, black mesh side grilles, black look headlights, an integrated rear boot lid spoiler and oval exhaust pipes, along with Grigio Mercury Neptune-design alloy wheels to finish off its sportier look.

Apart from these sporty additions the rest of the The GranTurismo S Automatic remains as standard – with dual-cast brake discs, a 434 bhp 4.7-litre V8 engine with maximum torque of 490Nm at 4750 rpm and the capability of sprinting from 0 to 62mph in 5 seconds and reaching a top speed of 183 mph.

The Sport pack is priced at £3,840 bringing the price of a Sport pack equipped GranTurismo S Automatic to £92,480 on the road, including 3 years/unlimited mileage warranty.

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