Otto Explains — Engines & Drivetrains

Iconic Maserati Engines & Drivetrains

Short Answer

Maserati is best known for two engine families: its V8, which began in the 450S racing car, and its V6, from the twin-turbo Biturbo of 1981 to today’s Nettuno. The V8 powered more than 100,000 road cars from the 5000 GT of 1959 until the last one was phased out from the end of 2023, and the Nettuno brought Formula 1-derived pre-chamber combustion to a road engine. Maserati’s drivetrains range from ZF manual gearboxes and transaxles to the Cambiocorsa paddle-shift gearbox, Q4 all-wheel drive and the three-motor Folgore electric drive.

Which engines is Maserati known for?

Three families stand out. A 90-degree V8 that began in the 450S racing car powered Maserati road cars from the 5000 GT of 1959, and more than 100,000 V8 Maseratis were made before the last twin-turbo V8 was phased out from the end of 2023. A line of V6 engines runs from the C.114 engineered for Citroën and the twin-turbo Biturbo to the Nettuno of 2020. Before both came the straight sixes of the first road cars.

What engines did Maserati race?

In 1929 Maserati’s 16-cylinder V4 set a Class C world record of 246.069 km/h over ten kilometres. The 250F, the Formula 1 world champion of 1954 and 1957, took its name from its 2.5-litre engine. The Tipo 60 and 61 Birdcage mounted a four-cylinder engine well behind the front axle, tilted 45 degrees to lower the centre of gravity, with dry-sump lubrication and a transaxle derived from the 250F’s: 1990 cc and 200 hp in the Tipo 60, 2890 cc and 250 hp in the Tipo 61. The MC12 of 2004 used a 65-degree V12 of 5,998 cc and 630 hp, which Maserati describes as Ferrari-derived.

What were Maserati’s straight-six road engines like?

The first road Maserati, the A6 1500 Gran Turismo, had a 1,488 cc six-cylinder engine with a single overhead camshaft and 65 hp, in a light tubular steel chassis. The 3500 GT’s twin-cam straight six of 3,485 cc came from the 350S racing car and gave 220 hp; in 1961 Lucas mechanical fuel injection replaced its triple Weber carburettors, raising output to 235 hp in the 3500 GTI. ZF supplied its gearbox: four speeds, five from 1960, with a three-speed automatic on request.

Where did Maserati’s V8 come from?

The V8 came from the 450S racing car that won the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours with Juan Manuel Fangio and Jean Behra. In the 5000 GT of 1959 the 90-degree twin-cam V8 had 4,941 cc and 325 hp, and detuned versions went into the Quattroporte, whose 4.2-litre V8 was derived from the 5000 GT’s, and the Mexico. The 1967 Ghibli used it with dry-sump lubrication to fit under its low bonnet, with 4,719 cc and 330 hp, and the Bora placed a 4.7- and later 4.9-litre version behind the cabin, a layout Giulio Alfieri adapted from the Birdcage Tipo 63 to 65 racing cars.

What did Citroën bring to Maserati engineering?

Under Citroën, Maserati engineered the C.114 V6 for the French company, and a modified version powered the Merak, whose smaller engine left room for two small rear seats, with 2,965 cc and 190 hp in the first Merak. Citroën’s high-pressure hydraulics arrived too: on the Bora they operated the brakes, headlights, driver’s seat and pedals, on the Khamsin the variable steering assistance, clutch, headlights, seat and brakes, and from 1973 the Indy used Citroën’s hydraulic braking. The Quattroporte II went furthest, sharing the Citroën SM’s engineering with front-wheel drive and hydro-pneumatic suspension. Later, under De Tomaso, the Merak 2000 GT received a 1,999 cc V6 because Italian law heavily taxed engines over two litres.

What made the Biturbo engine new?

The Biturbo of 1981 introduced a compact 90-degree V6 of 1,996 cc with a single overhead camshaft per bank, three valves per cylinder and two small turbochargers, which Maserati calls a world first on a production car. The Biturbo S of 1983 added twin intercoolers, and fuel injection arrived in 1986 and 1987 with the Biturbo i and Si. By the 1992 Ghibli the aluminium V6 had twin-cam four-valve heads and 306 hp from 2.0 litres, with a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, and export cars had a 2.8-litre version. Otto explains the principle in turbocharger vs supercharger.

How did Maserati’s twin-turbo V8 develop?

The Shamal of 1990 replaced the V6 with a completely new twin-turbo V8 with four camshafts and 32 valves, of 3,217 cc and 326 hp, coupled to a new Getrag six-speed manual gearbox. From 1996 the Quattroporte IV offered the same 3.2-litre V8 alongside twin-turbo V6 engines of 2.0 and 2.8 litres, and the 3200 GT used a substantially modified version with 370 hp, with a six-speed ZF manual or a four-speed automatic gearbox.

What changed with the naturally aspirated V8 and the transaxle?

The Spyder of 2001 replaced the twin-turbo engine with a completely new, naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 with dry-sump lubrication, 4,244 cc and 390 hp, developed in close technical collaboration with Ferrari. Its gearbox moved to the rear, forming a single transaxle unit with the differential, and the 2002 Coupé offered a manual or the Formula 1-style electro-hydraulic Cambiocorsa gearbox with paddles on the steering wheel. The fifth Quattroporte combined a 400-hp dry-sump V8, mounted well back in the chassis, with a transaxle for better weight distribution, in Duoselect and Automatica versions. The final 572-hp twin-turbo V8, celebrated with the Ultima editions, was phased out from the end of 2023.

How does the Nettuno engine work?

The Nettuno, introduced in 2020, is a 90-degree 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 designed and built by Maserati in Modena and protected by international patents, the first engine Maserati had developed and produced at its Modena headquarters in twenty years. Its MTC (Maserati Twin Combustion) system places a pre-chamber between the central spark plug and the main combustion chamber, linked by specially designed holes, while a conventional side spark plug keeps combustion steady when the pre-chamber is not needed. Fuel is injected both directly, at 350 bar, and into the ports, and Maserati says this Formula 1-derived technology was the first of its kind on a road engine. In the MC20 it gives 630 CV at 7,500 rpm and 730 Nm from 3,000 rpm, or 210 CV per litre.

Which cars use the Nettuno?

After the MC20, it went into the MCPURA, with 630 CV and 720 Nm, and the GT2 Stradale, whose 640 CV Maserati calls its most powerful combustion-engined road car. In 2026 the GranTurismo and GranCabrio use it in 490-hp and 590-hp forms with cylinder deactivation. The Grecale Trofeo’s 530-hp V6 is based on it, and in 2026 a 390-hp Nettuno V6 arrived in the Grecale; Maserati says the Grecale’s V6 has the highest specific output in its category, 177 hp per litre.

What hybrid and electric systems has Maserati used?

The Ghibli Hybrid of 2020, Maserati’s first electrified car, combined a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 48-volt alternator, an electric supercharger (e-Booster) and a battery in the rear, for 330 hp and 450 Nm, and today’s four-cylinder Grecale versions are mild hybrids. The Folgore cars are fully electric. The GranTurismo Folgore uses 800-volt technology and three 300 kW motors, one at the front and two at the rear, for more than 1,200 hp installed; in 2026 it delivers 760 hp continuously, uses the rear motors for torque vectoring and has a 92.5 kWh battery. The Grecale Folgore uses 400-volt technology and a 105 kWh battery, with 550 hp. Otto compares these drives in hybrid vs plug-in hybrid vs electric.

Which gearboxes and drive systems does Maserati use?

The Levante combined all its engines with Q4 intelligent all-wheel drive, which can transfer torque between the axles instantly when needed, and an eight-speed automatic, and the last Quattroporte used a ZF eight-speed automatic. The MC20 has an eight-speed oil-immersed dual-clutch gearbox with six power ratios and two overdrive ratios; Otto explains how dual-clutch gearboxes work. In the 2026 GranTurismo and GranCabrio every version has all-wheel drive, the combustion cars with a front differential aligned with the engine to lower the centre of gravity, and the Folgore’s AWD Disconnect sends drive to the rear axle alone in 500 milliseconds by physically disengaging the front half-shafts.

What should a Maserati owner in Oman keep in mind?

Maserati’s six- and eight-cylinder engines are complex, highly tuned units, and the hybrid and Folgore cars add high-voltage systems: never touch or work on high-voltage components yourself, as they are for trained technicians only. Otto found no manufacturer information on common faults, so any concern should begin with a proper inspection rather than a guess. Keep to the service schedule Maserati approves for your model and year, allowing for Oman’s heat and your own driving pattern. At AutoTronix, Maseratis are looked after by PERFORMANCE, which starts with an inspection and covers performance maintenance, mechanical assessment and the Performance Vehicle Health Report.

Common Questions

  • What does Nettuno mean? Nettuno is Italian for Neptune, and Maserati’s English texts also call it the V6 Neptune engine. Maserati says the name is an homage to the brand’s origins: its Trident emblem was inspired by the statue of Neptune in Bologna.
  • Did Ferrari build Maserati engines? Maserati describes the 2001 Spyder’s naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 as developed in close technical collaboration with Ferrari, and the MC12’s V12 as Ferrari-derived. Otto could not confirm engine codes or suppliers for other models from official Maserati sources, so this article does not state them.
  • Which car gave Maserati its first V8? The 5000 GT, presented in 1959, with an engine taken from the 450S racing car.
  • Was the Biturbo the first twin-turbo production car? Maserati says so: it describes the Biturbo’s use of two small turbochargers on its V6 as a world first on a production car.

Related Otto explanations

Related Services

More about Maserati · All Otto Explains topics · Book a Service