Road Test: Maserati Grancabrio V8 2dr Auto

In Italian opera, great singers are, by tradition, fat and plain. Luckily, this isn't opera. This is Maserati. And this convertible doesn't just sound absolutely magical, it looks delicious too.

Buy now, because this engine has limited years in it. All future Maseratis will be turbos. It's not just the engine that's old, though. Unlike modern GT rivals, the suspension has just one set-up and no adaptive choices - though, to be fair, it's pretty good. The body isn't rigid enough, so in this most sporty of the GranCabrio range, it quivers over bumps. You also have to do battle with a crazily primitive satnav and entertainment set-up.

Unlike the GranTurismo MC, this GranCabrio MC has a torque-converter auto 'box. It has just six speeds. It also has steel brakes where the GranTurismo has ceramics, and it's possible to set them smoking if you point this heavy car down a snaky mountain pass.

So it's a bit old-school, and it doesn't actually walk the ‘Maserati Corse' walk like the hard-topped sister car. But it has usable rear seats in the way a DB9 Volante doesn't. Anyway, why argue? It's impossible not to fall in love with something that looks and sounds this fabulous.