For those Maserati Quattroporte owners seeking a bit more flair from the Italian sports sedan, German tuning house MR Car Design has prepared a mild performance package. Starting with a pre-facelift model, MR Car Design’s engineers tweak the 4.2-litre V8 engine’s software and add a custom exhaust system lifting output by 30HP and 29Nm for a total of 430-horses and 480Nm (352 lb-ft) of peak torque.

Luckily, MR Car Design didn't mess around too much with the Quattroporte’s looks as the only cosmetic changes concern the new 22-inch Vossen alloy wheels shod in high-performance tires size 245/30 R22 at the front and 295/25 R22 with 15mm spacers at the back, the tinted windows and the new tail pipe designs.

A set of adjustable sport springs from H&R that lower the car’s ride height from 20mm to 30mm complete the updates.

The GT Garbin is a design study for a future Maserati sports coupe. Called Garbin, the Maserati GT is the project thesis of three students (Jaime Cervantes, Andrea Coccia, and Chetan Rajput) and was developed during their Master's degree in Transportation and Automobile Design, with a sponsorship from the Fiat Group.

The designers drew inspiration from the Maserati Ghibli built between 1967 and 1973 although they avoided giving the concept a retro design. In the tradition of the Trident brand, the name Garbin comes from a southwesterly summer wind that is encountered in Italy.

The surface language is inspired by the Privé 2010 Collection by Armani, a fashion design concept that uses overlay luminescent fabrics. “This inspiration was translated into solid surfaces combined with ‘floating’ elements that remind of the Opera Theatre of Valencia, by Calatrava,” the designers explain.

The front end of the car is dominated by the typical Maserati grille, combined with a surface treatment that brings to mind the Citroen GTConcept. The large doors have an unconventional opening system (they slide forwards), while luminescent materials and backlighting surfaces give the car a distinctive appearance. Inside, the designers applied the same ideas, with the center console and the center tunnel forming one piece that extends all the way up to the rear seats.

Check out the rest of the photos below and have your say in the comments section.

By Dan Mihalascu

Via CBD

It may not be the best sports car Italy has to offer us right now, but Alfa Romeo’s 8C Spider is certainly a prime candidate for being one of the most beautiful out there. That said, even Novitec Rosso is smart enough to know that you don’t mess with a good thing with the German tuner focusing its attention on improving the Alfa’s mechanical hardware.

The highlight of Novitec Rosso’s performance package is hidden under the 8C Spider’s hood with the adoption of a modified version of the supercharger system used on the firm’s Maserati GT tune. A new water-to-air intercooler with a dedicated radiator, custom injectors, a stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system and an ECU optimization round off the changes to the 4.7-liter V8 engine.

As a result of these upgrades, the V8 gains an additional 150HP for a total output of 600HP at 7,300 rpm, while peak torque is also lifted to 588Nm (433.7 lb-ft) at 5,400 rpm. Novitec Rosso says the sprint from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) is reduced from 4.2 seconds to 3.9 seconds, while top speed increases from 290km/h to 305km/h (180mph to 190mph).

The only exterior modification concerns the availability of new alloy wheel designs measuring 21-inches up front and 22-inches on the rear, shod in Pirelli tires size 255/30 ZR 21 and 315/25 ZR 22 respectively.

Novitec also offers a height-adjustable threaded coil-over suspension and upon customer request, it can customize the Alfa 8C Spider’s interior with leather and Alcantara appointments.