Drastignac
Junior Member
- Messages
- 22
@Roberts This is exactly the spec I was looking for! Actually, to be more precise, I was looking for a GT S or Sport MC shift with the MC Sport Line handling pack - larger diameter roll bars, 10mm lower suspension, re-calibrated MSP as per the MC Stradale and grooved and drilled brake discs (although I think the carbon fiber is a nice touch inside, I'm not a big fan of the carbon fiber rearview mirrors, door handles and rear spoiler). My preference was for a Sport mainly because of the new sport seats (I'm quite skinny and I felt it offered significantly better lateral support), and to a lesser extent the additional horsepower and torque. Arguably the biggest improvement was the Auto MC shift gearbox but that's irrelevant for an MC shift + having driven a MC Auto shift and MC shift back to back the MC shift was 100% the right car for me.
I took me 6 month but I was lucky enough to find a forum car that had been cherished and looked after by a Maserati enthusiast (see thread here: https://www.sportsmaserati.com/index.php?threads/granturismo-sport-mc-shift-2013.34525/). I have had the car for 2 month now and couldn't be happier. Driven in Sports mode on a country road is just pure bliss - I literally can't stop smiling.
I hear the Strad is amazing, but if you are like me and can't quite justify buying a £60-80K weekend toy (at least, without going through an expensive divorce...), I think the MC Shift with MC Sportline/Handling pack is your best option. I have never test driven a Stradale but I did drive a few GT S and GT Sport both in automatic and MC shift (with and without skyhook) and, in my opinion, purely based on driving pleasure this is by far the most exciting one. I don' know if I would say it's a poor man' Stradale but I would agree with @Sam McGoo that this is the closest you'll get to a Strad without owning one. Interestingly the previous owner actually sold me the car after finding his dream Stradale.
Now there are a few caveats:
- Only 46 Sport MC shift were registered in the UK. According to Maserati, only 10% of GTs have the MC handling pack, so that means that there is possibly only 5 Sport MC shift with the handling pack ever registered in the UK. If on top of that you are quite picky regarding colours (personally I didn't want black or white), don't expect to have loads of cars to choose from. That's the reason why I was looking at both GT S MC Sportline and GT Sport with handling pack. Your budget could allow either but it's going to be down to availability/luck.
- I don't necessarily think the GT Sport MC shift is a better car than the GT S MC shift. Apart from the sport seats which is a personal preference, and the engine issue with some early GT S, I think the pre-facelift is absolutely gorgeous (this is highly subjective but I think I slightly prefer the original shape) and the S MC shift soundtrack is definitely the best of all models (most GT Sport owners end up fitting a X pipe - it will then sound nearly as good as the original but not quite). Lastly you can easily save £5 to £8K between a S and Sport with similar age/mileage. Ask Richard Grace or Nareman from Nuvola (probably the 2 most respected Sport Maserati sales specialist in the UK) and they would probably tell you that you are better off buying a good S than a Sport in poor condition.
- Although Skyhook can be a nightmare to maintain and service (as Aldous Voice from AV Engineering would confirm), it does makes the car more comfortable when driving in town or when you are stuck traffic. The MC handling pack means the car is 10 mm lower and has a much firmer suspension. That's glorious on open roads (countryside or even motorways) but not so much if you use the car to commute with loads of humps and bumps on the way. I would argue that it's also true of the MC shift gearbox versus the MC auto shift. For this reason I tend to think that the skyhook suspension is better suited to the auto, when the standard or MC suspension is a better option for the MC shift. Once again just my opinion.
I hope this helps a bit and good luck with your search.
