Last week our mates from parent-site Autoblog.it received an invitation to attend this year’s Maserati Master Ice & Snow in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and quite obviously they didn’t need to be asked twice. The event is basically an advanced snow driving course that the Italian carmaker organizes every year on the Swiss Alps, but it is also a unique opportunity to drive almost all of the models from the current Maserati’s line-up. Here is an overview of what happened.

With the meeting point set at 6 pm in the so called Maserati Igloo, our friends from Autoblog.it had all the time they needed to enjoy their trip from Milan to the suggestive Engadine Valley - including a fun-filled stint on the twisty roads of the Maloya Pass - before checking in at the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains and being greeted by the impeccable staff of the event, who led them to the Maserati Igloo for the welcome cocktail.

Drinks aside, the attendees also received the first briefing of the event hosted by former WRC driver Alex Fiorio, who also provided a few tips on how to be fast and safe when driving on the snow. Fiorio explained that the grip rate of the rubber might vary from 0.9 (dry tarmac) to 0.1 (ice), a condition that requires some adjustment to everyone’s usual driving style, especially as far as acceleration and braking distance are concerned. Read on after the jump.

View the full Maserati Master Ice & Snow in St.Moritz photo gallery

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The latest Novitec tuning project takes the lovely Maserati MC Stradale and makes it meaner. The sporty GranTurismo-based model is equipped with the 4.7-litre V8 engine but has 450 hp and 510 Nm of torque, together with the MC Race Shift transmission. All that combined gets a sprint time to 100 km/hr of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 301 km/hr.

But thanks to our German tuners, the Maserati MC Stradale gets a further boost in power with a new aspiration and engine mapping system, and a larger compressor which adds another 200 hp and 114 Nm. That gives the MC Stradale 646 hp and 624 Nm. Did we say wow?

The new-fast car with 3.9 seconds to 100 km/hr and a top speed of 306 km/hr gets a go-fast look, too with 21-inch Novitec NM3 wheels up front (22 inches at the rear) a new suspension setting which lowers the car by 25 mm. The Novitec Maserati adds an extra 23,900 euros to the price of the MC Stradale.

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We’ll probably upset a few people here, but Maserati does gorgeous better than any other Italian car manufacturer. Okay, you’ve got your supercars and your sports cars but the Tridente badge manages sporty elegance unlike any other. In this video we get to see the full 2011 Maserati line-up. Models shown off are the Maserati GranTurismo, Gran Cabrio, GranTurismo MC Stradale and the Quattroporte.

If you had a bad Easter, this will cheer you up - the MC Stradale is particularly adept at a little car dreaming on a Tuesday. The Maserati GranCabrio also has us looking to summer and thinking about how we’d enjoy the “bella stagione” even more if only we had this kind of car. The Quattroporte, although an Italian motoring icon, is the only model looking a bit long in the tooth and needs a restyling, Baby Quattroporte making an appearance or not.

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Here we get a track action video of the new Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale model with Johnny Herbert driving. The MC Stradale went to the Mugello track from the 2010 Paris Motor Show as a kind of guest star at the Maserati MC Corse racing series. You’ll have to be patient because it’s not until you get to about one minute, 15 that the MC Stradale takes to the track and it’s not until two minutes when they switch the music off and we get to hear the exhaust note instead. Herbert gives a rundown on hte driving feel of the MC Stradale and we learn that it’s not only a beautiful Maserati but that it also drives like a race car. This is likely to be the stuff of dreams for many trident fans.

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How hot is the new Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale? Not only does this number ooze sex appeal, it also marks a return to Maserati’s racing roots with plenty of substance under the bonnet. It’s a two-seater, track day special equipped with a 4.7-litre V8 packing 450 hp. The minimised interior is all about concentrating on driving feel. With a racing chassis and hearing the engine in the above video, we get the impression that the MC Stradale is a whole lot of fun to drive.

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The Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale is really very lovely and is giving purist Maserati fans a treat to see the brand get back to its sports roots before Ferrari stole the show on that count. It’s the first two-seater Maserati to have emerged since the MC12 disappeared and takes the Granturismo coupé into the world of track day events. The Mc Stradale is equipped with plenty of racing features including roll bar, four-point seatbelts, carbon single-shell racing seats, and a RACE set-up which modifies stability and traction control.

The MC Stradale is equipped with the 4.7-litre V8 engine but with a step up to 450 hp. It also has new carbon ceramic Brembo brakes, 20-inch Pirelli tyres and some aerodynamic improvements. Top speed is 300 km/hr and acceleration to 100 km/hr is 4.6 seconds. As part of the launch a dedicated minisite at maseratigranturismomcstradale.com is available and these new pics have been released. More details of the MC Stradale will be released over coming months as its international debut takes off, although the US and Canada might not see this model.

Continue reading: Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale more pics

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The gorgeous Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale is live at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and proves what Maserati can still do with a road racing model. The new Granturismo MC Stradale is based on the MC Trofeo track Maserati, and the new top-end coupé is designed to follow the same aerodynamic and track driving philosophy as the Trofeo. The Granturismo MC Stradale is equipped with a 4.7-litre V8 engine with 450 hp and 510 Nm of torque. It is also a lighter model with no rear seats (an interesting roll bar in the style of the Porsche GT3 RS is in their place), while carbon fibre has been used for the front seats and the interior trim. The weight of the new Maserati is now at 1,770 kg which is 110 less than the Granturismo S model.

The MC Stradale has a top speed of 300 km/hr and reaches 100 km/hr in 4.6 seconds. It has an MC Race Shift gearbox capable of gear shifts of 60 milliseconds. The dashboard features an MC Race button used for a high performance set-up with sports suspension and handling. It also opens up the exhaust valves and we can only dream of the sound that would emerge. The final touches have been done with Brembo creating a carbonceramic brake system for the Granturismo MC Stradale, which is also equipped with Pirelli 20-inch tyres, also custom created for this Maserati.

Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale - live 2010 Paris show

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The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale looks to have sheer performance in a hot package all wrapped up as it prepares for its 2010 Paris show debut. The MC Stradale is a road-going GranTurismo with the track pedigree of the MC Trofeo and the GT4. That track-road mix should make it an exciting prospect for Maserati fans (or at least those who can afford one), and the 4.7-litre V8 engine produces 450 hp and a top speed of 300 km/hr.

Details are still scarse but the GranTurismo MC Stradale should be lighter than the standard Granturismo model, with improvements to the chassis and maybe even some carbon fibre (that’s purely speculative though). If the MC Stradale proves as good as we hope it’s going to be, it will be the arrival of a model that was missing from the Maserati line-up and should go some way to making sure that Maserati can still make performance-oriented vehicles and not just poor, luxury versions that are a shadow of what Ferrari gets to make.

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