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| Maserati
Gran Sport |
Broadcast
date : 18th June 2006 |
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The Maserati Gran Sport is a
special-equipment version of the Maserati GT coupe, which has
been available in South Africa since the late 1990s. It’s
styled by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro, who has brought many
great shapes to the world.
The Gran Sport adds front and rear spoilers, nineteen-inch
wheels, low-profile tyres, quad exhausts and special finishes
to the grilles. Yet it’s a name still strange to the man or
woman on the street.
And that Ferrari-performance claim is well-founded. The 4,2
litre V8 is based on the same device found in the Ferrari 430,
although in the Mazza it’s mounted north to south.
The beautiful crackle finishes on the engine are
unsurprisingly echoed in the bespoke interior, which can be
ordered with a number of trim options, including this
space-age Kevlar-like cloth.
And the pedals are the real cast racing items… No fong-kong
add-ons here!
That’s the beauty of a car like the Gran Sport. It truly has
a dual nature, and Hendrik proclaimed it as the first paddle
shifter he has really enjoyed.
The sport setting on the console also stiffens up the ride,
and straight-line stability is confidence-inspiring right up
to its 285 km/h top speed.
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The first Maserati GT’s here
used a turbocharged engine but a few years ago they were
restyled and re-engineered with the astoundingly tractable
naturally aspirated V8. The way the torque curve is profiled
you still get a turbo-like rush, even at Reef altitude!
The only minor criticism that Hendrik had of the car was a
slight deadness to the steering feel in the straight-ahead
position.
Real sound, real leg room for the rear passengers. To sum up a
real supercar.
Maserati Gran Sport
- Engine: V8 petrol,
4 244 cc
- Power: 295 kW @ 7
000 rpm
- Torque: 451 Nm @ 4
500 rpm
- Transmission:
Six-speed paddle-shift manual, rear-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h: 4,85
seconds (claimed)
- Top Speed: 290 km/h
(claimed)
- Fuel consumption:
20 litres/100 km (estimated)
- Price: R1,3-million
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