Maserati unveils unique GranSport

[Sting]

Did a search and nothing turned up about this car, so here goes.

February 16, 2006
Maserati unveils unique GranSport

As special editions go, the Maserati GranSport MC Victory is limited in every sense.

There's a limit of 180 being built to celebrate the Italian firm winning the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers' Cup with the MC12 supercar.

Unfortunately, the changes to the standard GranSport model are also fairly limited.

There are new front and rear spoilers made from carbon fibre, and an Italian flag badge is stuck on the front wings.

Inside, there's colour-coded carbon fibre trim and an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel.

The only mechanical modification is the steering has been quickened slightly over the standard model.

Maserati will announce prices at the Geneva motor show, but expect a £4,000 premium over the standard car's £66,000 price tag.

http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/522/

The carbon fibre front lip looks quite nice but overall I don't think it's worth the extra price.

 

[red70mach1]

That is one sweet coupe.

 

[YSSMAN]

Ive been a Maserati fan for quite some time, and this only makes me want to get one even more. Sure, they are overpriced and underperform... But when the looks are that good and they are more unique than any Porsche or BMW, Maserati has it easily.

Ive always wanted a Coupè or Grand Sport, but I would have a hard time deciding if I would want to go with the 6M transmission or the Cambrocasia auto-manual.

 

[Dave A]

I agree, I just wish they never changed the rear lights from the older narrow design on their coupe's.

 

[iceburns288]

This is really, really stupid. Don't get me wrong, I love the GranSport, but this model is stupid!

 

[Dave A]

It's not worth 4k more, but it's not stupid, just overpriced. It should have no more than a 2k premium.

 

[iceburns288]

What I mean is that if you're going to celebrate winning the FIA GT, do it in style. Do something that's a real upgrade...

 

[Dave A]

I agree with that, bette rperformance parts would have been better, bucket seats. More race inspired touches but not over the top, just little touches, the bodyworks pretty damn nice as it is, but it's pretty much a standard GranSport with a neat front splitter and sharper turning response. Nice car, but not worth 4k over the normal GranSport.

 

[Tourettes Guy]

Doesn't seem like anything special to me. Reminds me of the difference between a XK8 and an XKR.

 

[Dave A]

Theres a pretty decent difference between the XK8 and XKR, power goes up 100bhp thanks to a supercharger and you get better brakes and better suspension, better gearbox and more. I don't see how that's even close to this interms of slight changes.

 

[194GVan]

I guess if your looking for a car thats produced in very limited numbers then the extra $2k wouldnt be such a big deal.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, its like the difference between the 2004 Corvette Z06 and the 2005 Special Eddition Z06 that was used to celebrate the victories of the C5R at LeMans. All you got was a carbon fiber hood, special LeMans Blue with red and silver accent paint, and a few special emblums. Performance marginally increased, and for the extra grand or so that it cost, I personally wouldnt have gone for it, but then again it would be nice to have a limited eddition 'Vette.

 

[iceburns288]

At least you can see the difference on that Vette though. On this Gransport it's just the splitter... that's about it. Oh dear.

 

[Z32]

I agree, I just wish they never changed the rear lights from the older narrow design on their coupe's.

+1, back doesnt look italian anymore

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, I'm going to be honest... I'm not real big on Maserati. Just something about many Maseratis that just doesn't spark my interest in terms of looks. I'm more turned on to Ferrari in the sense of Italian autos, but I think this car is alright. Nice lines, especially on the sides. The front hood kind of has a sort of Enzo look to it. The blue color on this specific model is pretty nice.

Overall... I'm not really a Maserati guy. Having said that, I do think it looks pretty nice.

 

[franz]

I am not a fan of Maserati until I hear the exhaust notes of GranSport in person
It is indeed a nice car ... and I would buy a GranSport rather than a F430
at least it is rare and not very show off ... and cheaper as well

 

[YSSMAN]

The biggest problem with Maseratis is that they cost more than Jaguars but less than Aston Martins and yet completely underperform when compared to the two. Although the Quattroporte is the exception to the rule, the Coupe and GrandSport have not lived up to what we (or atleast some sports car fans) had expected. Maybe with Alfa Romeo running the show, they will try to boost Maserati's performance up a bit, that is of course assuming they still pull on Ferrari for help as well.

 

[Raghavan]

You would think that after winning their FIA GT thing, Maser would spruce up the car more than that.

 

[Encyclopedia]

Looks nice.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Beautiful car, especially from side, where it looks truly orgasmic. 👍
I wonder if the car will be coming with special rain tires since everywhere you go, you'll be driving on the drool of everybody on the streets staring at you in awe.

 

[TheCracker]

An extra £4k on a £66k car is nothing, its like forking out an extra £800 on a £12k car, ie the difference between specifying metalic over non-metalic paint on a basic Focus. Its a special edition, not a new model. Most Maserati buyers probably spend double the amount on 'extras' anyway - most 3-series buyers probably spend that on extras for their £25k 320i's!

I agree that they should have stuck with their original 'boomarang' rear lights - the newer ones look like they were lifted off the back of some early 90's Hyundai.

 

[YSSMAN]

I was amazed when I found out how many options are available on the Maserati, and when you configure one, the wide list of options turns the price up from about a seven to a eleven.