So what do we know about the GranTurismo? Well, we know it needs to capitalise on the company’s hard-won momentum to win plaudits in a burgeoning sector crammed with high-performance cars from premium brands. Were we not such big fans of the Quattroporte, we might think that too great an ask, but a tireless programme of constant improvement has honed the ‘four-door’ into a truly great car, and as the GranTurismo is, in overly simplistic journalistic terms, ‘a shortened Quattroporte’ the omens are good.

As all GranTurismos currently come with six-speed paddle-shift ZF auto ’boxes, Maserati’s ubiquitous 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8, and 330mm drilled and vented cast iron discs with Brembo callipers, there’s little scope for any major hardware changes.