With its 2007 models, Maserati incensed a lot of old-school, sports-car fans by doing away with traditional manual transmissions, with their clutch pedals and stick shifts. Maserati went over, along with a herd of other automakers, to what lovers of great Italian sports cars today refer to as “freakin’ automatics,“ or words close to that.

Sometimes, the right stuff all shows up in one place. That's the case with the sportiest, fastest, highest-quality, and all-around best-ever Quattroporte. Maserati's elegant four-door has been a favorite since its introduction, but we wanted more power, a more appropriate transmission than the jerky old DuoSelect, and sportier tuning. These facets converge in the Sport GT S. There are many detail improvements, but the short of it combines the GranTurismo S coupe's 433-horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8, a six-speed automatic transmission, 20-inch rolling stock, and edgier suspension, in the big Maser sedan. Think Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG versus S550. The GT S also benefits from last year's mild restyling, plus updated electronics and infotainment.

The single biggest problem with GT cars is that they may be 'Grand' but they're often not much cop at 'Touring'. They occupy the ground towards the top end of the dream list, which tends to induce manufacturers to spend all their time making them 'really handle'. Consequently, you get a car that goes sweetly and handles like a kart, but which has no room inside and a ride that feels like someone forgot to take the transport blocks out of the suspension.

Maserati MC12 Versione Corse is making its début at the Bologna Motor Show, a car designed to offer a highly select clientele the chance to try their hand at driving one of the most extreme supercars now available on the market.