Some cars debut and they stay pretty much the same over the course of their lifetimes. But some, like the Porsche 911 and Ford Mustang, spin off endless variants. The Maserati GranTurismo lies somewhere in between. The original debuted at Geneva in 2007 and has since given birth to the more powerful GranTurismo S, the hard-core MC Stradale and the latest GranTurismo Sport. Then there's the GranCabrio, which has itself bred a few varieties, of which this is the latest.

Unveiled just the other day at the Moscow Motor Show, the Sport version of the GranCabrio (known as the GranTurismo Convertible in America) receives the cosmetic and engine upgrades from the GranTurismo Sport, only in drop-top form. That means a more aggressive front end (reminiscent of the MC Stradale), a recalibrated suspension and a 460-horsepower version of the Trident marque's venerable, Ferrari-designed 4.7-liter V8 engine with six-speed automatic transmission sourced from ZF. Best of all, it has oodles of Italian class for effortless, open-air driving in the grandest of style.