In a small, out of the way basement, some men of genius authored the birth of a racecar. A Maserati racecar. A century ago, a carefully welded chassis, hand forged engine blocks and pistons, sheets of bent steel, locally produced leathers and wood were measured precisely, riveted, bolted and stitched around the clock.

And then one day, out of a dark, non-descript basement in Via De Pepoli, a humble Alfieri Maserati and his brothers, quietly ushered their master piece onto the racing stage to face the "Giants".

The death defying Targa Florio appeared, and amazingly, won.

And today, a century after, a new generation of equally passionate and determined carmakers at Maserati are repeating this feat, they are writing the next chapter of the history of this brand, faithful and mindful of how this brand was born and its obligations to tradition.

This car is our homage to Maserati's sports heritage, and it is the future of Maserati design.

Out of our Centro Stile in Italy, a group of our designers, have been hard at work shaping what I think is one of the most beautiful sculptures on wheels.

Alfieri is the essence of Maserati style. A classic 2+2 sport car that conveys the marque's design language of the future. Like all concept cars from Modena, it has a desire to be real. It has very strong, yet subtle features. Alfieri confirms Maserati's sporting vocation. It proves that Maserati is always Maserati.

Maserati unveiled the Alfieri, a 2+2 concept car to celebrate the brand's centenary at the Geneva Palexpo today. Discover all the details on http://www.maseratialfieri.com and on Maserati Stand, hall 5 stand 5241.

The Alfieri is an exciting but realistic and 100% functional prototype that says much about the design DNA of future Maseratis. In fact, the Alfieri could well be a door to the future of Maserati.

The Maserati Alfieri concept wowed audiences at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, helping the Italian brand celebrate its 100th anniversary in style. However, it wasn't just a piece of auto-show tinsel: Maserati noted that the Alfieri was a drivable prototype and, indeed, it may see production.

Autocar reports that a production Alfieri would use the same platform as the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans, along with their turbocharged V-6 engines. That would be a major change from the concept, which was built on a shortened GranTurismo chassis and features that car's 4.7-liter V-8.

Maserati currently has two versions of a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 in its arsenal. The base version produces 345 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, while a more potent one produces 404 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It's all part of a reported plan to position the production car below the GranTurismo in Maserati's lineup, where it would serve as a sportier, more affordable alternative that could compete with the Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911.

While the name Alfieri itself is laden with heritage--Alfieri Maserati was the most prominent of the six brothers that founded the company--the production version could be named GranSport instead. This isn't the first time we've heard a report of a revived GranSport that would compete against the F-Type and 911. Maserati first confirmed the car back in 2012, but the details have been in flux ever since.

A sports car with the Alfieri's styling would further expand Maserati's sales volumes, but it probably won't arrive anytime soon. Maserati will launch the Levante SUV before considering another model.

Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Marco Tencone and Giovanni Ribotta, designers at Maserati Centro Stile, illustrate the development process of the Alfieri, the latest concept car from Maserati, debuted at 2014 Geneva International Motor Show.

A century ago, out of a dark, non-descript basement in Via De Pepoli, a humble Alfieri Maserati and his brothers, quietly ushered their master piece onto the racing stage to face the "Giants".

And today, a century after, a new generation of equally passionate and determined carmakers at Maserati are repeating this feat, they are writing the next chapter of the history of this brand, faithful and mindful of how this brand was born and its obligations to tradition.

It’s a big day for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, with the roadmap for all group brands through 2018 being released in a series of presentations this morning. Among the news is Maserati’s future, which will see the addition of both coupe and convertible forms of the Alfieri sports car, the production of the Levante SUV, and the end of the Gran Turismo Convertible, or Grancabrio as it’s known outside the U.S.

Fans of the Gran Turismo hardtop can remain calm, however, as a new version of that car is scheduled to reach the market around 2018. Details haven’t been revealed as yet, but it’s likely to continue its grand touring status in the range, with the smaller Alfieri below it to fill the sports car role. There’s even a chance the Gran Turismo will transmogrify into a four-door coupe, to better complement the Quattroporte sedan.

Also included in the future model lineup is Maserati’s plans for its powertrains, which will see significant increases in power and a much wider rollout of all-wheel drive.

Existing products will see upgrades, including a power increase for Ghibli and Quattroporte, with the 350-horsepower turbocharged V-6 becoming the base engine, and a new 450-horsepower turbo V-6 joining both lines with available all-wheel drive. Both Ghibli and Quattroporte will also receive a 560-plus-horsepower V-8 engine with all-wheel drive only. The diesel engine offerings for the Ghibli and Quattroporte will remain unchanged, though the Quattroporte will add a 340-horsepower diesel engine that will be shared with the Levante SUV.

The Levante, due to enter production in 2015, will likewise make use of the 350-horsepower gasoline V-6 found in the Ghibli and Quattroporte, but will forego the upgrade to the 450-horsepower V-6 in favor of a 425-horsepower option. The Levante will also offer the 560-plus-horsepower V-8. All Levante variants will come with standard all-wheel drive.

Maserati’s new sports car line, the Alfieri, will skip the V-8 and diesel engines entirely, subsisting on a trio of gasoline V-6s. The base engine will offer 410 horsepower, with 450-horsepower and 520-horsepower upgrades available. The base model will offer rear-wheel drive only, while the two upper-tier variants will be all-wheel-drive only.

When it returns as an all-new model, the Gran Turismo will be available in just one form: rear-wheel drive with a 560-plus-horsepower V-8 engine.

Precise timing and more detailed product information has yet to come from Maserati, but with 2014 already almost half in the books, expect to begin seeing and hearing more about the four-car product assault due over the next four years very soon.