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This feature on the Maserati GranTurismo comes from our friends at Modified Cars, the site filled with "All things Sexy and Cool". |
By Danny Cobbs
Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a car into a supercar? I had never actually thought about it before until the question was asked of me by my 10-year old nephew, Jake. And, if you think about it, it’s not so easy to answer.
We all know a Ferrari (irrespective of model) falls into that elite bracket but a Rolls Royce Phantom, which costs twice as much, doesn’t. Same story for the Bentley GT Speed and a Lamborghini Mercielago; the Lambo every time. Line-up an Aston Martin DB9 and Jaguar XKR side-by-side and however good the Jag is, and it is very good, the Aston always gets the cigar.
So if it isn’t about being the most expensive, is it to do with power to weight ratios? No. If it were then the Lotus Exige or the Caterham 7 would be rubbing shoulders with the Bugatti Veyron.
If it’s not price or engine size then it must be aesthetics. For sure, beauty is another factor to take into account. It has to look the part, too. It’s no good having a box of metal capable of breaking the land speed record if it looks like a pig on wheels. So, sinuous flowing lines are a must and undoubtedly crafted by men who go to bed dreaming of nothing more than making the smoothest and most coefficient metal panels in the universe.
Perhaps the biggest quality a supercar has to possess is desirability. When we see one, we want to own it. We covert them to the extent we’d even consider swapping our spouse for one (how many middle-age men have given up their safe, suburban lives for the pipe dream of owning a bright red F430 and the chance to rekindle dwindling youth)? or find the lucre though ill-gotten gain just to have the chance to put one on the driveway.
Above all, a supercar has to be sexy. It has to ooze sexiness from every nut and bolt: It doesn’t just have to smell of octane fumes it has to reek of testosterone and pheromones. There’s no getting away from the fact; a supercar must be the automotive version of Angelina Jolie.
And all this brings me neatly to the Gran Turismo S which is a variant of Maserati’s two-door, four- seater, bite-the-back-of-your-hand gorgeous sports coupe. This is a supercar in every sense of the word, yet half the money of others. But before you start throwing your hat in the air and yippie-yi-yahaan, it still costs £83,395.
Forgetting the fiscal commitment for just one moment, the ‘S’ is a more refined version of the car that we first saw in the earlier part of last year. The 4.7-litre V8 engine remains, yet it is the new silky-smooth, 6-speed automatic gearbox which now makes it a supercar. Tame enough for everyday use; Maserati has achieved to teach the ‘S’ some table manners. That doesn’t mean to say it has forgotten how to devour a piece tarmac when it’s given the opportunity.
By selecting the ’sports’ mode, the change of cogs happens 40 per cent quicker on the up-shift, while on the down-change there’s a flamboyant blip to the throttle - a constant reminder of the heritage of this car. On bends and corners the intuitive dampers stiffen up, it hankers down to the given course, and feels flatter and taught. The Gran Turismo might be capable of carrying four people - and the rear seats aren’t just for the vertically challenged either - but it still acts like a supercar should; there’s a sense of communication between road, car and driver, too.
Beyond all its ability to be so beautiful – and it could stop rivers flowing with its looks. Beyond it being able to catapult itself from a standing start to 62 mph in 5 seconds (and boast a top speed of 183 mph).Way beyond it having the grace to kiss, not snog, the tarmac. In fact all those factoids pale into insignificance when its valves are opened wide and the exhaust-pipes bellow a piercing disturbance which sounds as if Hades has woken-up in a bad mood. It is the roar, and the voice of a car which shows it knows exactly what it is.
For more images of the Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic click on the links below.
FOR: The dazzle factor, the attention seeking roar and the rear seats which means more people can experience its intensity.
AGAINST: Sexy enough to provoke vindictive gestures, try-hard tailgaters and ladies of the night.
VERDICT: I still don’t know the true, definitive, answer to what makes a supercar different from any other car. All I do know is that if I had to name an exemplary supercar then the Gran Turismo S would fit the bill nicely.
