THE storyline is not entirely new by any stretch of the imagination.

Most of us have at one time fallen for the charms of the unlikely romance between Beauty and the Beast.

The tale has been told countless times on the big-screen and in books, all to good heart-warming effect.

Now it is about to be brought to life on the road thanks to the skills and expertise of one of the world's most passionate and evocative motoring marques.

Even the very mention of the name Maserati is normally enough to seduce most people into immediate submission like no other brand can.

Whether it is the exquisite head-turning styling or the guaranteed rapturous performance this Italian supercar specialist has become something of a legend in its ability to excite.

Its latest fabulous offering - the GranTurismo MC Stradale - takes its passion and drive to produce the ultimate road-going sports car to even greater heights.

Not only is it the fastest and most powerful Maserati ever built, it is also the lightest, most fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly as well.

Perhaps it sounds slightly crazy to be even mentioning the fact that this speed monster doesn't gargle the juice like some of its siblings, or rivals, especially when you remember the price tag involved in actually owning one.

But Maserati is keen to be seen to lead by example at all times and set the benchmark for the others to follow.

All of which explains, rather adequately, why the company has recorded the best yearly sales figures in its history despite the deepening economic pessimism and general global downturn.

Crisis...what crisis? This seems to be the message from Maserati after it posted a 17 per cent worldwide increase during 2010 when a total of 5,777 new cars were purchased and resulted in a 24 million euro profit.

The American market remains the sales leader with the UK now grabbing second place ahead even of its hugely-patriotic homeland.

Most noticeably China's emergence in the luxury and specialist car scene was again borne out as Maserati reported a substantial rise in business there. It also plans to move into India in the coming months.

Much of this achievement has been down to the arrival and brilliance of the GranTurismoS which immediately captured critical acclaim for its razor-sharp handling as well as breath-taking energy and athleticism from its 4.7-litre V8 powerplant.

Buoyed by its reception Maserati hinted of even greater things when the MC Concept broke cover at Monza in 2008, promising even more startling dynamic performance.

This has now been fulfilled by the arrival of the ‘beast' -  the GrandTurismo MC Stradale -  which incredibly  combines every-day driving capabilities with a racing track proven pedigree thrown in just for good measure.

Boasting an almost identical curvaceous shape as its less-expensive brother, albeit there are a few design tweaks such as air intakes on the bonnet, new side skirts, front and rear bumper design, not forgetting new 20-inch wheel rims, it is hard to tell them apart.

That is until you step inside to find just two specially-designed carbon-fibre sport seats and a new dashboard layout to accommodate the ‘racing' mode button, more on which later.

Maserati designers have, in fact, created a leaner, meaner fighting machine that is 110 kilos lighter. Even the carpets have been given the weight-saving treatment.

Nothing has been left untouched in the quest to make this racehorse the fittest and most balanced thing on four tyres - and, oh yes, these have been redeveloped by Pirelli to achieve even greater grip.

Pirelli was not alone as world-renown brake specialists Brembo were told to come up with a new system to accommodate the extra performance of the car.

Capable of a knee-trembling 187.5 miles per hour when pushed flat out thanks to the 450 brake horsepower now generated from the V8 that has also been boosted to an impressive 510Nm of torque.

Boil it all down and the MC Stradale takes just 4.6-seconds to go from 0-62mph which is almost less time than Jordan takes to change her husband.

The newcomer now features three settings for its automatic transmission, including for the first time ever, a ‘race' choice which dramatically cuts gearshift timing.

The end result is absolutely devastating to say the very least as I discovered while testing in the hills above Barcelona.

On twisting country roads littered with hairpin bends the Maserati responded magnificently and never put a tyre wrong.

The car is as agile as the local soccer hero Lionel Messi , sloping beautifully into corners, correcting any aggressive or over-zealous speeds, while the razor sharpness of the brakes gave you added confidence at all times.

The F1-inspired paddle-shift gearchange set-up became almost an extension to your arm. Nothing seemed to be beyond its remarkable capabilities.

You were arriving at the next bend before you came out of the first one but it didn't seem to bother this creature one little bit.

It almost single-handedly challenged you to push it to the limit.

The sound from the exhaust system in all three settings is immense, although the ‘race' one delivers a massive ear-shattering explosion of devastating proportions.

Initially the good folk of Barcelona loved the sound which was akin to 1,000-strong army of MC Hammers rapping along in a telephone box.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, their attitude changed somewhat at siesta time.

With a price tag just short of £110,000 this motoring marvel is outwith most pockets but, for some lucky people, Maserati will put them on the road to happiness.