When Maserati launched the third-generation Ghibli executive sedan in 2013, the automaker announced that the new proprietary V6 twin-turbocharged petrol mill is manufactured by Ferrari in Maranello. But did you know that more recently, some V6 blocks are cast in a plant in Indiana and machining is done at the Trenton Engine Complex in suburban Detroit?
Yes, you heard that right. The 2,979 cc twin-turbo V6 available with either 330 or 410 horsepower is, at heart, an American product. Workers from the Chrysler foundry in Kokomo, Indiana, have been casting aluminum blocks for the Italian executive sedan since Ghibli sales started to rise by a huge margin earlier this year. Then the blocks are shipped to the Trenton Engine Complex, where workers machine them under the supervision of Ferrari engineers.
These blocks are shipped over the Atlantic all the way to Italy, where Ferrari S.p.A. puts the finishing touches on the 3-liter twin-turbo petrol powerplants, before these go under the hood of the 3.0 V6 S Quattroporte, the base Ghibli and the slightly more powerful Ghibli S variant. Presently, Chrysler machines around 50 blocks per day, but expects to hike that figure to 80 in the near future if sales numbers continue to rise. Until recently, Weber Automotive in Europe was the company that handled these duties, but increased demand extended production to the aforementioned Chrysler facilities.
In the golden era of American automotive industry, when the streets of Detroit were alive with Motown music and drag racing from traffic light to the next one was a favorite pasttime activity, the Trenton Engine plant was the place where a number of powerplants we regard these days as classics were made.
Just to name a few of them, we'll highlight the 440, which is the largest V8 mill ever made by the automaker, as well as the super reliable Slant-6 inline six-cylinder engine. How about that? The same facility that produced the Dodge Charger's 440 Magnum 7.2-liter RB block is now making Maserati's aluminum 3-liter V6 twin-turbo powerplant. All hail the wonders of automotive industry globalization.
Source: autoevolution.com
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