It’s a great bit of Italian auto-labeling with a great history, and Maserati is clearly pleased to have rehabilitated it into the modern idiom—as the banners behind the unveil said in huge graphics, “GranTurismo is back!”

It’s a word with fantastic resonances for a traditionalist like Maserati—the true grand tourer, a car “suitable for everyday use, with excellent handling, a very sporty feel and a thrilling drive…car which pays attention to comfort, materials, details, with a capacity of up to four people and inside space in the unique Maserati style.”

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And while we might have to get back to you on “suitable for everyday use”, but we can tell you right now that with its Pininfarina lines and more than a hint of latent power, it is very, very handsome, and looks for all the world like a car that would be extremely good company on a long run to the Cote d’Azur, or high into the Sierras with time to spare and the right companion(s) in the other seats. Because on the bedrock level, that’s as good a description as you’ll find of what a classic “granturismo” is supposed to do.

But it doesn’t just look stunning, it promises all the performance, too, that was always the other side of the grand touring coin, and there still aren’t many marques that can do that better than Maserati operating at their best. So the GranTurismo is powered by the classic Maserati 4.2-liter V8, delivering 405 horsepower and a widely spread 339 ft-lb of torque, which promises a top speed of 178 mph and 0-62 mph in 5.2 seconds—but more than that it offers the long-legged refinement and reserve to go with the more than usually descriptive name.

It isn’t a full four-seater, of course, and you’ll still have to send most of the luggage on ahead as the real “grand tourists” did in centuries gone by, but two kids will be more than happy in there forever, and a couple of flexible and tolerant adults would stand being encased in the very special “Poltrona Frau” leather seats for long enough to enjoy all the other bits.

So yes, on first inspection it’s a worthy new platform for a name that Maserati first used at the Geneva Show in 1947, on the A6 GranTurismo that was also styled by Pininfarina and was the very first Maserati road car after so many requests from the company’s original racing customers. Great name, great car.