The stylish new GranCabrio from Maseratir - just £95,000

WHEN it comes to style, the Italians take some beating and Maserati makes the most beautiful cars in the world.

Their latest offering is the GranCabrio, a convertible you can customise with an innovative new configurator.

Simply go online at www.configurator.maserati.com and there you can create your very own special exterior and interior. Choose from 14 exterior colours and six soft top colours and better still, you can even select the stitching on the leather.

Maserati continues its appeal even to greater heights with their new convertible, a full four seater convertible, penned by Pininfarina, a vehicle which combines comfort with usable performance.

To launch such a car in the current climate may seem a strange decision. Perhaps not, last year in the luxury market, one quarter of sales went to convertibles and the GranCabrio is special in that it offers four seats and I will admit very limited boot space.

First shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and with 440bhp, a possible top speed of 175mph and rest to 62mph in a mere 5.4 seconds, if the need arises to get somewhere in a hurry the GranCabrio can certainly deliver.

For most it will not be a journey taken at high speed, but one to be enjoyed with the roof down and should the weather dictate otherwise, a mere 28 seconds and the roof can be automatically stowed. It can be operated at speeds up to 22mph.

This is the first four seater from Maserati and this Italian carmaker has a wonderful history of producing convertibles, cars such as the A6G Frua Spyder and the Mistral Spyder. However, the GranCabrio packs not only outstanding style, but it is packed with technology, a thoroughly modern mode of transport.

A car for all seasons; its roof is composed of three layers, thus ensuring less noise and very good insulation.

The new Maserati has a voice; the musical notes of the big V8 are powerful, yet subdued when in cruise mode, but reach the strength of a tenor’s high tomes when you demand max performance. Select Sport on the ZF transmission and above 3000rpm the sound becomes a powerful roar, especially with the roof down.

Music of the real variety and on the move, Maserati and Bose joined forces to produce an excellent system with 12 speakers, good enough to satisfy the demand of any audiophile.

Sinking into the comfort of the quality leather and taking control of this gorgeous Latin, performance is matched by balance. With the soft top raised, up to 49% of weight is over the front axle and when the soft top is down, 48% of weight is over the front axle.

Skyhook suspension features continuously adjustable gas dampers which adapt to the ever changing road conditions thus providing a very smooth driving experience with comfort.

There is no compromise on safety with this Maserati. Should there be a roll over, then in one hundred and ninety milliseconds, less than the bat of an eyelid, and the extendable roll bars positioned behind the rear seats are deployed. This is just one example of the safety equipment package.

Amongst the many information systems onboard is a state of the art navigation system and the interface consists of a seven inch screen displaying all of the relevant information. Yes this car has the looks of a classic with all of the up to date technology that we have come to expect.

The new GranCabrio is a very special car, every inch Italian and currently one of the most handsome cars available, but at a price - 95,630.