are they comparable to Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, or more to Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar?
If the Ferrari 599 and California are sports cars, then the Maserati Granturismo is a sports car. IMHO, they've all gone fat and flabby. I think Porsche has the right idea with the GT3 and the Boxster Spyder. I'm sure Ferrari will follow suit with a 'Scuderia' version of the 458.
I would have to say modern day Masis are more Grand Tourers then sports cars, rather comparable to a Bentley or an Aston.
It's been that way with the bigger more expensive Maserati models for quite some time. They did produce a couple of more pure sports type models in the 1990s like the Barchetta and the Ghibli Cup model which was a BMW M3 killer in the mid 90s but the rest of the "Biturbo" line were certainly not pure sports cars. The grand GT models from the 60's and 70's were certainly decent handling cars but they too were oriented more for Grand Tourismo than say Ferrari. Given the technological advances made in the last 10 years bigger heavier cars can do some amazing things now. That huge and poundish Bentley Supersport is a great example of this. So you might be surprised by how the car responds. But these Masers ain't going to be no GT3. Bob S.
Maserati as a car brand is known for making some excellent sports cars. For example, below are pictures of the Birdcage and MC-12. But the newer road cars are more GT than true sports cars. Nothing wrong with that - they are fast, powerful, beautiful looking, comfortable for road trips, hold more luggage than the typical sports car, but they are not as nimble through the corners. I especially like the look and style of the QP - a great looking four-door sedan. Compare it to the new Porsche Panamera to see really how beautiful the QP is. . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just arrived back home in Oslo from this year's Maserati International Rally in Båstad, Sweden. We had an excellent track day yesterday at Ring Knutstorp with all kinds of Maseratis out on the track, including the current QP IVs and Gran Turismos; those cars got around the very twisty and technical track in great speed and style! The Gran Turismo has performed very well in the European GT4 series - competing against the usual suspects (i.e. Aston Martin, Lotus, BMW, Corvette, Porsche etc.) - and the GT4s cars aren't that far from the stock models... Cheers, Gabriel
Hi Gabriel, The Merak runs just fine with the 308s and 328s, but then you probably knew that already! I hope some pictures are forthcoming from the meet. Ciao, George
+1 The car of the future will be the Porsche 918 Spyder. Lean/low and powerful. Maserati is not allowed to follow that formula, Ferrari has either abandoned, or forgotten that concept. Lamborghini appears to be hanging on to that concept. Ciao, George
The Birdcage is not a sports car. It's a race car. Here's my 2 cents on the rest mentioned (about all it's worth too ...) The MC12 ... well it's certainly not a boulevard crusier like the GT cars were but it is awfully big. For me it's just too big but it's definitely a super super car. What a terrific track toy! It's also unobtainium though I did have a lovely ride in one once. Thanks again for that Doug. As for the Shamal and Karif. Plenty of grunt and fun too. But the handling at the limit is not sports car like. You are correct. They are a bit more than a big GT. But then so are all the GT Maserati's. They're all nice. Best thing to do is drive one and decide for yourself. Bob S.
Hi George, The Merak was great fun on the track, but being a novice to such things I wasn't pushing it at all. Pictures from the meeting will be posted soon! Cheers, Gabriel
very smart marketing,from what i see many owners of the new stuff are nouveau riche and a lot of slappers drive the 4 door cars around,a favourite with gangsters and crims downunder
WAs there too! My blue little Merak SS went like hell on that circuit...until the stupid driver of a modern Ferrari ITALIA tried to overtake me just before the hairpin when I went to the left to get the hairpin on the right correctly. Both cars had only a distance of very few inches and the Ferrari went into the green! He was black-flagged little later! Ciao! Walter
That's right Walter; and you and your Merak made most cars out on the track look slow... The newer GTs such as the Gran Turismo, Gran Sport and 4200 Coupe did clearly have a power advantage though... Cheers, Gabriel
There is one car people miss and thats the Barchetta. They were made as a Stradale but only a few even as a 2ltr they were up there with the F40 in performance mainly due to the weight. one of my favorite pics take at the Maserati 90 Birthday in Sydney Graeme Image Unavailable, Please Login
A focused sports model would do wonders to Maserati's credibility as a sports car manufacturer. Not necessarily a replacement for the MC12, but perhaps a Bora or Merak for the 2010s, which could provide the basis for a GT2 or GT3 competition car. When the MC12 saga in the GT1 class is over, probably later this year, the Gran Turismo GT4 will be the only Maserati presence in international racing. It is truly a pity that Fiat lets Ferrari have their way in the internal corporate pecking order... Cheers, Gabriel
Eric Andersson has posted a link to his photo album from the meeting: see the Maserati International Rally thread on this forum, post #24. Cheers, Gabriel
I doubt that will ever happen. Why cannibalize Ferrari? Maybe with Alfa but then again that beautiful but silly 8C is what they came up with so far. Just too expensive by at least 3 for the Alfa consumer. Grand Tourismo as a race car ... oh boy. Don't forget, we never really saw the MC12 in competition over here in the USA. When it did show up it was less than impressive. Have you seen the latest review in the WSJ of the new convertible? It's STUPID and not a very flattering review but it gives you an idea of how some folks view Maserati over here. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882304575465672538656964.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6 So I agree completely with your sentiment. Bob S.
Thanks for the link Bob. You are absolutely right. That review isn't going to do much good for the marque. A strange review really; he praises the car technically and for its driving qualities, and finds it extremely good looking, but manages - and rather irrationally so - at the end of it to more or less trash it completely due to the antics of a handful of Hollywoods stars and people with a lot of money in their hands... so, what else is new? Good taste and manners etc. never come automatically. Cheers, Gabriel
It depends on the models being compared. I would consider my Spyder more a GT than a sports car when comparing it Ferrari 360 of similar vintage, but more sports car compared to something like a most M-B's etc, (or say a Ferrari 400). Overall, I think current Maseratis lean more to GT cars, but generally somewhere between the FPL's and the M-B,B,J's. Jon
If anything, the Gran Turismo can be made to look like a rather serious sportscar! Mansory's go at it is not bad at all.... see http://www.mansory.com/ Cheers, Gabriel
In a word, "NO". Maserati has never built a production sports car, they build Grand Touring cars. Joe
Really Joe? Is an M3 a sports car or just very small sports saloon? Certainly the Ghibli Cup is the equivalent of one of those? I think a lot of people would consider those sports cars. What about the AG6CS? They're sports/race cars no? Maybe mostly race but hardly GT cars. Bob .
Really?! I think one has to distinguish between - at least - three phases in Maserati's history: - Before WWII: almost only racing cars (for private teams and customers). - Between 1945 and 1957: a mix of racing cars, sport cars (the A6GCS etc.) and GTs. - After 1957: overwhelming majority of GTs, but a few sport cars (e.g. MC12, the Ghibli Cup) and a few racing cars (e.g. Birdcage (and derivatives), Cooper-Maserati F1, Barchetta) Then, there were of course sport cars with Maserati engines such as the Ligier JS2 (and racing derivatives, which had some success in the mid 1970s). Also, although the post-1957 Maserati road cars have tended to be GT oriented, they competed on the market with cars that most people would regard as sport cars; e.g. Bora versus Boxer, Merak versus 308. An unqualified "NO" doesn't seem correct at all... Cheers, Gabriel
