Maserati just announced a new version of the GranCabrio to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Maserati GranCabrio Sport is a harder-edged model of the GT with a more powerful engine and better handling.

The all-alloy 4.7-litre V8 engine in this car develops 331 kW (450 horsepower) and has 510 Nm. Thanks to Maserati’s Friction Reduction Program they’ve achieved 6 percent reduction in fuel consumption and better responsiveness and performance with top speed of 285 km/h.

GranCabrio Sport also benefits form a new ZF six-speed automatic transmission equipped with the super-fast MC Auto Shift software. It also gets an upgrade and revision of the Skyhook active-suspension system – now with a sportier tuning – and the adoption of grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.

Visually the GranCabrio Sport features a a black grille and a Trident with red accents. The headlights now have a black look with white sidemarks, while front corner splitters and the redesigned side skirts are both body coloured. The car also comes with a new body color called Rosso Trionfale inspired by the red Italian national colours used on 1950s racing Maseratis.

The car will go on sale from Summer 2011. Pricing will be announced later.