Maserati is getting rid of its V-8 engines, but it will honour them with two last special editions driven by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo engine. The Ghibli 334 Ultima has a new top speed of 208 mph and an eye-catching blue colour. It also has tires that work better. The Levante V8 Ultima has a lot of carbon fibre details and special badges that show that only 103 of each kind were made. Maserati’s stylish GranTurismo coupe used to have a loud V-8 engine, but that wasn’t an option in the latest version. Instead, the sports car had an all-electric or a twin-turbo V-6 engine. This movie showed that the V-8 was on its way out, and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Maserati showed off two limited editions—the Ghibli 334 Ultima and the Levante V8 Ultima—that announced the end of the V-8. Is the Ghibli Ultima going to be the fastest car in the world? The 2024 Ghibli 334 Ultima pushes the company’s smallest car to its limits. This model will be phased out over time. We don’t know much about the V-8, but it’s the Trofeo model’s twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter, 572 horsepower engine. The number “334” refers to the top speed in kilometres per hour, which Maserati raised from 203 to 208 mph for the limited version. Maserati says that the Ghibli is now the fastest car in the world because it is shorter than the 207 mph Bentley Flying Spur Speed. Maserati says the 334 Ultima can go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds instead of 4.3. It did not say what kind of rubber the new tires are made of, only that they are “new performance tires created using a special compound.” With a carbon fibre rear skirt and 21-inch wheels, aerodynamics will likely improve. The bright blue colour, called Scià di Persia, reminds people of the first Maserati with a V-8 engine to be driven on public roads: a 5000 GT painted Blu Sera for the Shah of Persia in 1959. The front bumper, side view mirrors, window pillars, and door handles of the 334 Ultima are all carbon fiber, and the number “334” is written on the front fender in Rubino red. The number “334” is stitched into the backrest of the Pale Terracotta leather interior, along with the Maserati Trident logo. The Levante V8 Ultima in more detail The 2024 Levante V8 Ultima has the same carbon fiber front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and 572 hp twin-turbo V-8 on the special edition Ghibli. The Levante will come in Blu Royale and Nero Assoluto (pure black). The front hood will say “V8 Ultima” in Rubino. The 22-inch wheels and Pale Terracotta leather seats of the V-8-powered SUV remind me of the Ghibli, and the “V8 Ultima” logo is stitched into the backrest. On the transmission tunnel between the seats of both one-of-a-kind versions, there is a “una di 103” symbol, which means that only 103 of each were made. Maserati will only make 103 of each colour of Ghibli and 206 of the Levante. We don’t know how much the Ultima versions will cost yet, but we expect them to be much more expensive than the Ghibli Trofeo, which starts at $125,195, and the Levante Trofeo, which starts at $168,495. But we hope to get a better look when the Ultima versions come out in the fourth quarter of this year. Maserati still needs to show pictures of the finished cars.
