After its European "vernissage" at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 550 hp Levante GTS now comes to California for the prestigious event that attracts enthusiasts from all over the world. The most powerful Maserati SUV – the 590 hp Levante Trofeo – was presented earlier this year at the 2018 New York International Auto Show in April.

The rich programme will include a large number of test drives and society gatherings at some of the Californian coast's top locations.

What's more, from 22 to 26 August, Maserati will be involved in a whole series of activities.

The first, at The Quail Meadows, will be the “Destinazione Maserati: A Grand Day Out” event. The culminating point will be on Thursday 23 August, with a “Special Event” organised by Laura Brown, Editor in Chief of Instyle Magazine, including a special Maserati hospitality area open to owners with their cars of the famous Modena brand.

The next day, Friday 24 August, at The Quail Lodge, the “The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering” event will focus on the Maserati racing tradition. As well as the Levante Trofeo SUV, a Quattroporte S Q4 MY19, the Maserati flagship, will also be on show.

After this, on Sunday 26 August, attention will shift to the Pebble Beach Lodge, for the Concours d’Elégance. Here, the Levante Trofeo will be displayed in the Modern Concept Cars area.

Maserati has chosen the Monterey Car Week for these events because this annual festival is the USA's top automotive gathering and one of the biggest worldwide.

Car enthusiasts are attracted not only by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance but also by the whole corollary of prestigious events organised during the week, many of them charitable fundraisers, where all the great and good of the international automotive industry may be found.

Maintaining the V90° architecture, the 3.8-litre eight-cylinder Twin Turbo engine of the Levante GTS has been re-engineered to work with the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive System and retuned to deliver 550 hp at 6,250 rpm and 730 Nm peak torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. The Levante GTS surges from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of over 292 km/h.

The Levante Trofeo is “the Maserati of SUVs” as it is driven by one of the most powerful engines ever installed in a Maserati: the 3,799 cc V8 Twin Turbo with Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system delivers a massive 590 hp at 6,250 rpm, with a peak torque of 730 Nm at 2,250 rpm. The Levante Trofeo surges from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of over 300 km/h. Like all Maserati petrol engines, this V8 is produced by Ferrari in Maranello.

In terms of irresistible looks, the Levante’s unmistakable design reaches new levels of sportiness in the Trofeo version and the GTS has adopted the same line, noticeable above all in the restyled lower front fascia and rear bumper, providing a sportier yet sophisticated presence.

Interior designers have come up with elegant ideas to create a distinctive environment within the Levante GTS cabin, providing it with standard Full Premium leather or full-grain Pieno Fiore natural leather as an option, sport pedals and Harman Kardon Audio system with 14 speakers.

Specific details of the Levante Trofeo, like the lower splitter, the side blades in the front air intakes, the side skirt inserts and the rear extractor, are made of ultralight, high-gloss carbon fibre, further underlining this model's racing look. The hood is new, featuring two aggressive air intakes for better cylinder head cooling. Inside the Levante Trofeo cabin, a wealth of elegant features create an environment of pure luxury. The sculpted sport seats again feature a premium full-grain “Pieno Fiore” natural leather available in black, red and tan, all with contrast stitching and “Trofeo” logo embroidered on the headrests.

The Levante Trofeo is built at the refurbished Maserati plant in Mirafiori, Turin. The fastest Levante of all time is initially intended for overseas export markets, including the U.S. and Canada.