Got this in my email - not sure what the link is. I would argue that it is already out of production and already a classic in my mind
Here is the article
There’s actually one very good reason why the Maserati GranTurismo might not yet be considered a classic, and that’s because it remains in production. While there are some cars that become instant classics, the GranTurismo, for all its quietly elegant beauty, is not one of those. But it feels like it’s fast making the metamorphosis because it’s been around so long, besides being quite rare and carrying that glamorous Italian name.
The GranTurismo is 12 this year, making it one of the oldest new cars you can buy, along with the Fiat 500. Only the Mitsubishi Shogun is more ancient. The GranTurismo will not be replaced directly, as was once the plan – the two-seat Alfieri coupé now scheduled to do that job from 2020. It will lose four-seater convenience, but the new coupé will be offered both with highly potent battery-electric and plug-in hybrid power. Appealing, although the fact that the Alfieri is now almost half the age of the GranTurismo, having appeared as a concept in 2014, has you once again wondering how FCA goes about its product planning. But that’s another story.
None of which alters the fact that the GranTurismo remains a great-looking car, and a great-sounding one too. Its V8 gargles with a satisfyingly rich air of menace during low-speed drive-bys, and welling venom when you let it rip. The ripping could be a bit more frenetic, in fact, because early GranTurismos come with a 400bhp 4.2-litre V8 that only sounds ample until you discover that this four-seater coupé was born overweight – its 1880kg heft more what you’d expect from an SUV. So its thrust is a little blunted, 62mph arriving in 5.2sec, its all-out speed 177mph. You’d feel further bluntings if you fail to realise that this is an engine to be revved, the 7250rpm redline there to draw you to the fruitiest zones of the power band. Besides getting your Maserati to get a move on, you’ll get to hear the V8 singing one of the finer songs to emerge from beneath a bonnet.
The chassis is well able to handle these orchestrations, Maserati having pursued its regular quest for equal weight distribution by mounting the GranTurismo’s six-speed ZF automatic in unit with the back axle, to achieve a 49:51 front-to-rear weight allocation. The road below you’ll feel via either conventional dampers or Maserati’s electronic Skyhook shockers, these optional self-adjusters achieving slightly more accomplished results than the standard items.
The Maser’s springing medium was in any case not the key limiter to making bold commitments through curves – the GranTurismo’s sheer size ensured that, on back-woods twisties, you’ll be very much occupying all of your side of the road, and more than that if you want to show the tail-lights a slice of nearside verge. As a mate mentioned the other day, this is a car that’s a good 15% bigger than it needs to be.
Those frustrated by the 4.2’s absence of impetus may be semi-sated by the GranTurismo S, which arrived a year later in 2008. Powered by a 434bhp 4.7 version of the Maranello V8, this is the engine that the car should have had in the first place. It yields 22lb ft more torque, too, while the rev limit stretches to 7500rpm and the 0-62mph time shrinks to 4.9sec.
Over the years, those outputs have continued to rise, to reach their current peak of 454bhp and 384lb ft – this output was also granted the GranCabrio that made its debut in 2010. The fastest production GranTurismo to date has been the race-inspired MC Stradale, the removal of the car’s two sumptuous rear seats and much other luxurious superfluity paring enough weight to launch it to 62mph in 4.5 gloriously wailing seconds.
And glorious still describes this car – its Pininfarina styling bestowing it with a beauty rare in modern showrooms, its Ferrari-manufactured V8 only heightening its allure. These days, you can pick up an early 4.2 for a little over £20k – a temptation that your reporter almost succumbed to over Christmas, before remembering the Maser’s 18mpg. Never mind – a classic it almost is, and a classic it will be.
Richard Bremner
Senior contributing editor
Here is the article
There’s actually one very good reason why the Maserati GranTurismo might not yet be considered a classic, and that’s because it remains in production. While there are some cars that become instant classics, the GranTurismo, for all its quietly elegant beauty, is not one of those. But it feels like it’s fast making the metamorphosis because it’s been around so long, besides being quite rare and carrying that glamorous Italian name.
The GranTurismo is 12 this year, making it one of the oldest new cars you can buy, along with the Fiat 500. Only the Mitsubishi Shogun is more ancient. The GranTurismo will not be replaced directly, as was once the plan – the two-seat Alfieri coupé now scheduled to do that job from 2020. It will lose four-seater convenience, but the new coupé will be offered both with highly potent battery-electric and plug-in hybrid power. Appealing, although the fact that the Alfieri is now almost half the age of the GranTurismo, having appeared as a concept in 2014, has you once again wondering how FCA goes about its product planning. But that’s another story.
None of which alters the fact that the GranTurismo remains a great-looking car, and a great-sounding one too. Its V8 gargles with a satisfyingly rich air of menace during low-speed drive-bys, and welling venom when you let it rip. The ripping could be a bit more frenetic, in fact, because early GranTurismos come with a 400bhp 4.2-litre V8 that only sounds ample until you discover that this four-seater coupé was born overweight – its 1880kg heft more what you’d expect from an SUV. So its thrust is a little blunted, 62mph arriving in 5.2sec, its all-out speed 177mph. You’d feel further bluntings if you fail to realise that this is an engine to be revved, the 7250rpm redline there to draw you to the fruitiest zones of the power band. Besides getting your Maserati to get a move on, you’ll get to hear the V8 singing one of the finer songs to emerge from beneath a bonnet.
The chassis is well able to handle these orchestrations, Maserati having pursued its regular quest for equal weight distribution by mounting the GranTurismo’s six-speed ZF automatic in unit with the back axle, to achieve a 49:51 front-to-rear weight allocation. The road below you’ll feel via either conventional dampers or Maserati’s electronic Skyhook shockers, these optional self-adjusters achieving slightly more accomplished results than the standard items.
The Maser’s springing medium was in any case not the key limiter to making bold commitments through curves – the GranTurismo’s sheer size ensured that, on back-woods twisties, you’ll be very much occupying all of your side of the road, and more than that if you want to show the tail-lights a slice of nearside verge. As a mate mentioned the other day, this is a car that’s a good 15% bigger than it needs to be.
Those frustrated by the 4.2’s absence of impetus may be semi-sated by the GranTurismo S, which arrived a year later in 2008. Powered by a 434bhp 4.7 version of the Maranello V8, this is the engine that the car should have had in the first place. It yields 22lb ft more torque, too, while the rev limit stretches to 7500rpm and the 0-62mph time shrinks to 4.9sec.
Over the years, those outputs have continued to rise, to reach their current peak of 454bhp and 384lb ft – this output was also granted the GranCabrio that made its debut in 2010. The fastest production GranTurismo to date has been the race-inspired MC Stradale, the removal of the car’s two sumptuous rear seats and much other luxurious superfluity paring enough weight to launch it to 62mph in 4.5 gloriously wailing seconds.
And glorious still describes this car – its Pininfarina styling bestowing it with a beauty rare in modern showrooms, its Ferrari-manufactured V8 only heightening its allure. These days, you can pick up an early 4.2 for a little over £20k – a temptation that your reporter almost succumbed to over Christmas, before remembering the Maser’s 18mpg. Never mind – a classic it almost is, and a classic it will be.
Richard Bremner
Senior contributing editor