Maserati’s latest GranCabrio Trofeo blends heritage and modernity, pairing a sculpted shark-nose grille and soft-top elegance with a 3.0-litre V6 Nettuno Twin Turbo delivering 650 Nm and 320 kmph. Inside, Italian craftsmanship shines through Rosso leather, Alcantara and carbon fibre, while updated digital displays and tactile metal gear switches elevate the open-air grand touring experience.
The all-new Maserati GranCabrio in a striking Matte Green Jupiter stands parked for my photography session in northern Italy’s Trieste town, on one of the main city squares — Piazza del Borso. At the heart of this square is a fountain adorned with a towering statue of Neptune holding his trident. The trident, as we all know, is Maserati’s logo and its metonymy, and this picture perfect moment, draws a beautiful parallel between Italian architecture and this gorgeous new convertible I am about to drive today, on the 100th year of the Trident.
Maserati’s GranCabrio is a cult, if you will, launched in its first variant in 2007. The 2026 iteration sees some major cosmetic changes and then some under the hood, of what has come to be known as one of the world’s most loved open-air cars ever made. Conceptually and philosophically liked to the concept of Italian Gran Turismo (not to be confused with the also newly launched GranTurismo), which translates as grand tour/touring.
I instantly spot some of the cues that make the GranCabrio immediately recognisable — the soft top, the four seats, the iconic three portholes on the side and the impressive Trident badging on the nose. There’s a string of GranCabrio versions parked in front of Neptune and his Trident today and by sheer luck the one assigned to me is the most powerful one — Trofeo — which pumps out a whopping torque of 650 Nm. The GranCabrio Trofeo boasts a top speed of 320 kmph, which explains why the front air intakes and rear diffuser are reserved exclusively for this version.
There are some design changes that are instantly visible on the front of GranCabrio as opposed to its predecessor; the front grille gets a more defined, sculpted look, adding much more personality to the silhouette of the car. The design team from Maserati’s Centro Stile studio also points out to me that previously the front grille was flanked by two intercoolers, totalling three separate units. These three have now been fused into one front unit, thereby streamlining the overall appearance of the car, on its unmistakable shark nose front.
The inside too gets a facelift and the biggest plus, for me, is the new row of metallic gear shifter switches at the centre, which make the experience of driving this car so much more tactile.
The iconic Maserati clock in the centre gets a complete rework with an octagonal bezel and a digital face that, apart from telling time, can also display fun features like G-force, torque and braking. During my interaction with the design team, it is pointed out to me that the central touchscreen, is located just below the row of AC vents. This effectively means that the drive experience is rendered much more enjoyable as there is nothing but the road in front of the driver.
It’s all Italian craftsmanship through and through within the cabin, as I spend a few hours driving this car: the seats in Rosso leather, a sporty steering wheel wrapped in luxe Alcantara leather carbon fibre surfaces and suede accents. In terms of technology and user interface, I do notice a leitmotif of Italian racing culture, in the design, colours, and fonts of both the central display as well as the digital cockpit that can be customised to perfection.
Maserati’s iconic 3.0 litre V6 Nettuno Twin Turbo engine powers this car and the soundtrack on this convertible is best described as thrilling as I snake my way through the winding country roads to test drive. There is an evidently more refined drivability factor here as I spend a couple of hours with the car, on different terrains. The Trofeo does come with the Race driving mode, which I guess, would lend itself well to a track, so I’ll save that for next time. That said, there is a certain muscular dynamism to driving this car, with a throaty soundtrack but with an interior that remains plush and resolutely luxurious.
And because we at Robb Report India love to catch these lit bits of opulence, for the first time ever, Maserati will let its GranCabrio customers entirely customise the soft top through its FuoriSerie bespoke programme.
For us, the Maserati GranCabrio is one of the most iconic convertibles out there. With its new iteration and enhanced performance, along with an impressive tech suite and Italian design story, we see a lot of takers for this car in the Indian market