Despite being an entry-level Maserati, Ghibli has a strong version in the form of the Trofeo V8. It’s a fast, fast sedan, and this top speed on the Autobahn gives us a preview of what it can do outside the conventional speed limit.
For the uninitiated, the Maserati Ghibli Trofeo is powered by a Ferrari-sourced 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. Known to some as “Gentleman’s Ferrari,” this eight-pot factory could produce up to 572 horsepower (427 kilowatts) and 538 pound-feet (729 Newton-meters) of torque. This is sent to the rear wheels in Trofeo trim.
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With this output, the Ghibli Trofeo can sprint from zero to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is rated at 203 mph (326 km/h), which is what the test driver above was trying to achieve. It didn’t work; the fastest speed achieved is only 173 mph (278 km/h).
Unfortunately, Ghibli is not long in this world. Maserati confirmed that the entry-level sedan will be discontinued in 2024 as part of the automaker’s move towards electrification. The factory V8, which is also used in the Trofeo-spec Quattroporte and Levante, will also be discontinued as Maserati switches to its all-electric Folgore range.
What will replace Ghibli? According to reports, the next generation Quattroporte will be smaller than the current model. It will be a short wheelbase model, about the size of a Ghibli, practically combining both models in one nameplate. Of course, there’s the electric version of the Quattroporte, which applies to the entire Maserati range.
By the end of the decade, Maserati is expected to sell only electric vehicles as part of its Dare Forward 2030 Stellantis strategy. That said, Ghibli, or Maserati at that, it sounded as good as this could be something future generations will miss.
