Maserati Gransport?

It is the best Maserati I have ever driven with out a doubt. My goal has always to purchase a nice 550M and if I could afford it right now I think my money would be heading to Modena...not Maranello.

 

From everything I've read it puts Maserati front and center for anything less than $110K or so. Distinct, potent, and so very chic, inside and out. I can't imagine why someone would buy a 911 S, TT or C4S, over a Gransport. The Gransport has so much charisma and it's a legitimate four-seater.

Forza,


Cavallini

 

What are the differences from the regular coupe?

 

You'll find a lot on the GranSport here as many are taking delivery around now:

http://www.maseratiforum.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=1

BTW, it doesn't have a "Ferrari" engine but was an entirely new Maserati engine (previously Masers has bi-turbos) now in all cars with some mods for the QP and GS. It was deisgned to be the basis for all Maserati and Ferrari V8 engines for all platforms - in a different configuration setup it is now in the F430.

 

I bit the bullet and had it for a month now. Unfortunately, car is under wraps for the winter. With 20" of snow on the ground its not going anywhere.

Phil
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Wow, beautiful car man....
I'd love a few high-res pics for my desktop if you have them.
Please send to [email protected]

Thanks.

 

Your car is absolutely beautiful, Phil.

The wheels look great as well

 

I just saw one of these at FCI, what are they actually taking price wise? I think the list was 115K.

 

Base is $98,172, but most I've seen are between 105 and 115 nicely equipped.

 

I think many 911 fans would consider it if it wasn't for the hellacious depreciation on Masers (though, admittedly, depreciation has been nearly as hellacious on 911s of late...) and the prospect of scary repair bills once the warranty is up.

fwiw, I think the concern over high maintenance costs is the primary reason for the major lack of demand for Masers in the secondary market.

 

Maserati is doing a very poor job on getting the word out on what I feel is a great product. Still cannot believe the number of people who tell me they did not know Maserati was being sold here again. My brother has one of the new Boxster S's on order and I have been to the dealer a couple of times with him finalizing things and every time I pull up I get this look from the salesman as just about every customer comes over to check out my car. I feel like I am a Maserati salesman as I explain my car to them. Before ordering my Spyder I had tried putting together an order for a 911 cab but got very turned off trying to get car close to what Maserati gave you with it's base price and dealer would not budge on price. This worked out to my advantage as it pushed me to try the Maserati and have never been happier with a car. Now I am eagerly looking forward to the next generation Spyder. If Maserati continues on this path I think they could compete with Porsche by hooking buyers for years to come

 

GranSport pictures from LA Auto Show.

http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=3828

 

Phil,

Any more pics of the car?? Thanks!

BTW whre are you located in Ohio?

Cheers

Mike

 

Ack! I saw one at the local dealership on Saturday. The running boards look really silly.

 

here are a few more pics for those who don't think the running boards look silly
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I don't think they looks silly at all, they Gransport changes make the coupe look 100x better IMHO. The best part is the Maserati Trident wheels, such a great variation on a traditional wheel design.

Somehow I managed to see one on Sunset Blvd back in October, it was gorgous. Typical LA, they have the car before it's even out yet.

 

I had an 05 spyder, brand new with only delivery miles offered to me for mid 80's and even that may have been negotiable. Sticker was 108 I believe. That should tell you something. Hopefully, the Gransport will not suffer the same steep decline. Phil, your car is beautiful and I agree, much preferable to 997, imo.

 

looking at the website, i see tha this car only has a 4.85 0-60....this seems rather high for all the changes and hype....wonder if the car can be 'improved' ?

 

Rather interesting comparison/debate between the new Porsche 997S and the Maserati GranSport. I was all ready to place an order for a 997S this year until I started reading about the GranSport, though I haven't had time to go to a F/M dealership in my area yet (either WWoC or F/MofCNJ).

There is a 3rd option that I'm putting on my list, and that's the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. All the photos and info I've read, especially in the British press not surprisingly (Evo and CAR are like bibles in my house), say the car will be absolutely brilliant.

The issue of depreciation does worry me even though it has never stopped me from changing cars. The V8 Vantage & GranSport are rather unproven while the 997 is making it a nightmare for 996 owners to trade/sell. Interestingly, I'm also considering a mint 993 (C4S or Turbo) and they continue to hold their values very well, especially the better specimens.

I'll keep my eyes on the market for a while longer, no rush to get into another car while my 6+ years old M3 (track car more than street car w/ coil overs and soon a pair of Recaro Pole Position seats...starting down that slippery slope of becoming a club racer I'm afarid) still lets me have fun on the tracks when my schedule allows!

 

Maserati Gransport brochure shows the 4.85 as 0-62 and a normally slower style car the Spyder 0-62 at 4.9, So agree that it seems Maserati held back in the tuning department or at least in their claims. Maybe they did not want to piss off Ferrari owners? Also Motor Trend tested a 2004 Spyder and got 4.8 0-60 but in their Gransport review they only use the manufactures estimate. Would have ben nice to see them rip one off and see what actual results would have been. If I were looking into getting my first Maserati I would go with the Gsport but does not seem improved enough to warrant a currant owner to upgrade. Especially not with the next generation Spyder's and Coups that are rumored to be 450-470 hp

 

just seems to me that the gransport is under-delivering. hell, even the new cadillac sts v does a 0-60 in 4.9.....
not that this is the ultimate test or anything, but to be taken seriously and to encourage people to pay more than $100k, it ought to at least be improved over the normal car, say something like 4.5, and a much better number to 100 mph.

 

We now know that the Cadillac has awesome acceleration in a straight line. Unfortunately, here in Europe we have quite a few curves... that's also the difference the GranSport has over the current Coupe/Spyder. Also the reason why EVO claims the GranSport is more than a good match for Porsche.