V8-powered sports car is a steal at current prices. And yet…
JOHN EVANS
MASERATI GRANSPORT
As I write this, there’s a 2007 Maserati Gransport coupé, finished in Blu Mediterraneo, the most desirable colour, and with only 30,000 miles on the clock, for sale by a reputable dealer for £20,000. Repeat: twenty thousand pounds for an authentically Italian, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2 sports car trimmed in fine leather and carbonfibre and powered by a 395bhp 4.2-litre cross-plane Ferrari V8 for 0-62mph in 4.8sec.
Writing about the Gransport Spyder back in 2006, Autocar said: “It is a mightily stirring and fast car. The steering is incredibly quick-witted and in Sport mode it corners flatly, grips strongly and accelerates through the upper rev range with incredible urgency. In fact, when the glorious Maranellomade engine is burbling deliciously in your ears, you’re drinking in the classy ambience of the tactile cabin and there’s nothing but smooth, empty mountain asphalt to tear along, few cars make a more persuasive case for themselves.”
Of course, it is customary at this stage of a buying guide to point out what a grave mistake you would be making by buying such a car. To the usual horrors, high running costs and questionable reliability among them, you can add almost zero availability of certain crucial spare parts. It’s £20,000 for a reason.
Still, park those niggles for a moment and the Gransport is clearly a charismatic car worthy of further investigation.
It was launched in 2004 as a sportier version of the already sporty Coupé (commonly known as the 4200 GT, being the successor to the 3200 GT). Its additional fizz derived from an extra 10bhp, the standard-fit faster-acting version of Ferrari’s Formula 1-style Cambiocorsa six-speed semiautomatic paddle-shift gearbox with a taller sixth gear, Skyhook active suspension that reduced the ride height and brought more composure and an exhaust that sounded growlier, especially in Sport mode.
In addition, it enjoyed a full body makeover: restyled bumpers with chrome mesh grilles, new side skirts, a rear lip spoiler and Trofeo 19in spoked alloy wheels.
Underneath, there was new cladding designed to smooth airflow and reduce lift.
Inside, sumptuous sports seats necessitated a slimmer centre console crafted from carbonfibre, which also covered the dashboard.
A handful of special editions followed, most notably the MC Victor
