Maserati is keen on equipping future limited-run models with a manual gearbox. Speaking to Autocar UK after the global unveiling of the 2026 GranCabrio, GranTurismo and Grecale, Cristiano Fiorio, chief marketing officer at Maserati and general manager at BottegaFuoriserie, said, “Mainly 50 percent of BottegaFuoriserie customers demand a manual gearbox and a petrol engine. We can say they are retro-seekers.” BottegaFuoriserie was unveiled in November 2025 as a bespoke special projects division established by Maserati and Alfa Romeo.
Future Maserati limited-run models
BottegaFuoriserie programme central to Maserati’s manual gearbox plans
This is not the first time Maserati has mentioned its plans for a manual gearbox in future products. Santo Ficili, chief operating officer at Maserati, previously told Autocar UK that the brand is working on a new limited-run super GT based on the GranTurismo and that it’ll get a V6 engine with a manual gearbox. Fiorio reaffirmed the brand sentiment recently, saying, “The day we will be ready to present a new programme for Bottega for Maserati, I hope, will be one day soon in the future. I believe we will have to have a manual gearbox as well in our offering for a Bottega product.”
Joining the conversation about a future Maserati featuring a combustion engine and a manual gearbox was Davide Danesin, the brand’s head of engineering. Danesin told Autocar UK that there are still customers looking for pure mechanical cars, and there’s a bad feeling among them regarding a battery pack on a supercar, especially given its extra complexity and weight. Mentioning the Nettuno V6 engine, Danesin said it’s “getting to 210hp per litre with very efficient combustion”.
“A manual gearbox is an opportunity, but I don’t see that in a series production model. But why not do a special version with a manual gearbox? By doing a purely mechanical car, it does make sense to have a mechanical gearbox with a shifter. It could be the right choice for a limited edition of a car,” explained Danesin. He went on to say that this fits the brand’s approach and mindset perfectly. “So honestly, I think one day we’ll do it.”
Maserati and Alfa Romeo collaboration
Maserati previously offered the McPura’s (formerly the MC20’s) 620hp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 to Alfa Romeo for its limited-run 33 Stradale supercar. Similarly, the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was also based on the Maserati GranTurismo of the time.
When asked by Autocar UK about future collaboration between the two brands for a limited-run supercar, Ficili replied, “We built the 4C and 8C in Modena, so why not? We can imagine a ‘few-off’ Maserati. It’s easy because you can look at the past of these two brands, and you can find a nice car like the 33 Stradale, and we can invent something like this.” Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo has already confirmed a new limited-run supercar from the BottegaFuoriserie division, as per Autocar UK.
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