So it appears you're all rather keen (mostly) on the
GranTurismo MC Stradale
Dan reviewed yesterday. In less than 24 hours, it's been described as 'pure automotive timeless art', 'a great way to go broke' and a 'wonderful car'.
First to say Mondeo or Impreza gets barred
But there's one comment that stuck out and prompted this YKYWT on a temptingly affordable 4.2 GranTurismo. It reads as follows: 'Fantastic looking thing - will be awesome when it hits £30K - which won't take as long as it should'.
So 405dogvan, this is for you. Alright, this 2007 GT isn't quite £30K yet, but £33,990 isn't too far off. It's the car we linked too in a recent blog also, the cheapest GranTurismo available by dint of its 52,000 miles. That's by no means a huge mileage, there are services to support it too, it's just more than GranTurismos of a similar age.
And what a fabulous thing in which to cover just over 8,000 miles a year in. Black with red leather is classy, timeless colour combo and still looks in decent condition and the 19-inch wheels are the ones you want for the best ride. Our ideal car wouldn't have the Skyhook dampers, but they could be left out of Sport quite easily.
Not quite as beautiful inside, but what is?
The common criticism of the early GranTurismos as grand touring cars was a torque deficit. Where you would want to leave the car in sixth and use the torque to undertake your touring, the V8 would demand revs to make real progress. 340lb ft for a 1,880kg car isn't an awful lot when you consider a BMW 650i makes 479lb ft to haul a similarly-sized car. Yes, it's turbocharged and nowhere near as covetable as the Maser, but it's a big gap nonetheless.
Maserati addressed concerns that the GT's operatic mouth couldn't live up to its very dapper trousers with the S in 2008. The additional swept capacity of the 4.7 meant an extra 35hp and 21lb ft of torque; it's still an engine that thrives on revs, but it's arguably the better GT if it's within reach.
But they start at £40,000, still a fair chunk more than the 4.2 car here. As the slightly less desirable GT (if such a thing exists) with a few more miles than usual, there may well be some negotiating room. 405dogvan, the £30K GranTurismo is close! Just don't ever drive a 4.7, right?
MASERATI GRANTURISMO 4.2
Price: £33,990
Why you should: A beautiful, capable Maserati for the price of a TT
Why you shouldn't: Later GTs are better all-rounders...
See the original advert here
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