Skip to main content

Maserati is so proud of its fastback Alfieri concept, it named it for one of the founders

Maserati is celebrating its centennial this year. What better way to do that than with a concept car named after one of the company’s founders?

Unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the Maserati Alfieri concept is a voluptuous GT car that honors Alfieri Maserati, one of the most prominent of the brothers who founded Maserati a century ago.

All Maseratis are easy on the eyes, but this one more so. Its styling was meant to be sportier and more aggressive than the current GranTurismo, and the concept rides on a wheelbase that is 9.5 inches shorter.

Maserati identifies the classic 1954 A6 GCS-53 as inspiration for the Alfieri but – with its LED headlights and massive grille – it looks like it could have also been inspired by a prehistoric sea creature.

At the back, the Alfieir features three-dimensional “candy cane” taillights, with alternating red-and-white strips. The car also has a unique set of alloy wheels (20-inch front, 21-inch rear) intended to evoke 1950s designs.

Under the skin is a modified version of the GranTurismo’s platform and its 4.7-liter V8. The naturally-aspirated engine produces 460 horsepower, slightly more than the base GranTurismo’s output of 454 hp.

It’s linked to a six-speed MC Shift automatic transmission, and also has a special exhaust system design to produce a signature sound.

Maserati says the Alfieri is a fully-operational prototype, but did not confirm any plans to put it into production. It wouldn’t be surprising to see some of its styling elements end up on future models, though, or for an incredibly wealthy (and well-connected) customer to custom order one.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Honda unveils sleek electric sedan and SUV prototypes at CES 2025
Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV prototypes.

Honda’s next-generation electric vehicles are a step closer to production. At CES 2025, the automaker unveiled prototypes of the 0 Saloon and 0 SUV, the first two of its 0 Series EVs that will start rolling off assembly lines in Ohio next year.

The two EVs follow 0 Series concept cars Honda unveiled at CES 2024. These are closer to what buyers can expect to see in showrooms, hence the label of “prototype” rather than “concept.” How close exactly? When Honda unveils a prototype, that vehicle generally makes the transition to production with minimal changes. But that would be particularly remarkable here.
They still look like concept cars

Read more
Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2025 Awards
Top Tech of CES

Las Vegas is overrun. Every billboard in town is shouting about AI, hotel bar tops now sport a sea of laptops, and after hours The Strip is elbow to elbow with engineers toting yard-long beers.

That means CES, the year’s biggest tech bacchanalia, has come to town, and Digital Trends editors have spent the last four days frolicking among next year’s crop of incredible TVs, computers, tablets, and EVs. We’re in heaven.

Read more
Sony and Honda’s Afeela 1 EV makes more sense at CES than in the real world
Afeela 1 front quarter view.

The Sony car is almost here. After its creation via a joint venture with Honda in 2022 and two years’ worth of prototypes, the electronics giant’s Afeela brand is finally taking reservations for its first electric vehicle, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.

But will it be worth the wait? Coinciding with the opening of reservations, Sony Honda Mobility brought updated prototypes of the Afeela 1 (as it’s now officially known) to CES 2025, representing what California customers (Afeela is only taking reservations in that state) who put down a $200 refundable deposit can expect when they take delivery.

Read more