Comments:
An Oldie but a Goodie
12 years old but what a hoot to drive.....
Maserati Gransport. 4.2 litre blueprinted V8 engine, automated manual gearbox.
Very Italian interior but really clever packaging, 4 proper seats and a decent boot in a car of a size you can actually park and drive along country lanes.
Loving it as a fun daily.
Maserati Gransport. 4.2 litre blueprinted V8 engine, automated manual gearbox.
Very Italian interior but really clever packaging, 4 proper seats and a decent boot in a car of a size you can actually park and drive along country lanes.
Loving it as a fun daily.
Thanks Nick but you would not prefer the 3200 over this in any other way...
OK maybe the bonnet grilles but that would be it! The Gransport is what the 3200 and 4200 always should have been and, very sadly, the 3200 is becoming very difficult to keep on the road for various reliability and parts supply issues which do not affect the later cars such as this one.
That's a strong point. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, as I am still considering it as a future purchase. [nt]
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PM me if you ever need any info on these cars.
I would not rule a 3200 out but you need to be very careful. 4200 needs to be a later facelift version. Gransport is fully sorted as long as you are happy with automated manual paddle shift only.
Yes that is the answer if you want a manual. A later (post 2005) 4200 would suit nicely, though manuals are quite rare they do exist [nt]
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The cambiocorsa gearbox is NOT an automatic
It is an automated manual gearbox. It has a clutch. There is just no clutch pedal or gear lever. You change gear with the steering wheel paddles the same way you would with a full manual. It is actually great fun and very intuitive.
More info...
Cambiocorsa (Italian, meaning "race change") is an electrohydraulic manual transmission that uses a Formula One-type gearbox with hydraulic operation and electronic management operated by F1-style paddles behind the steering wheel, similar to the system used in Ferrari vehicles. The system allows the driver to choose between four different operating modes: Normal, Sport, Auto and Low Grip. Each of these programs is selected by means of console-mounted buttons, corresponding to different types of operating mode. By switching between the Normal and Sport modes, the driver can select between different electronic stability control settings and, if installed, different active suspension settings. The Normal mode provides a more comfortable ride, whereas the Sport mode stiffens up the suspension and provides fast gear shifts of around a quarter of a second - these are actually faster again in the Gransport version.
More info...
Cambiocorsa (Italian, meaning "race change") is an electrohydraulic manual transmission that uses a Formula One-type gearbox with hydraulic operation and electronic management operated by F1-style paddles behind the steering wheel, similar to the system used in Ferrari vehicles. The system allows the driver to choose between four different operating modes: Normal, Sport, Auto and Low Grip. Each of these programs is selected by means of console-mounted buttons, corresponding to different types of operating mode. By switching between the Normal and Sport modes, the driver can select between different electronic stability control settings and, if installed, different active suspension settings. The Normal mode provides a more comfortable ride, whereas the Sport mode stiffens up the suspension and provides fast gear shifts of around a quarter of a second - these are actually faster again in the Gransport version.
Aston Martin have a similar system on the Vantage range...
called Sportshift. It is really great but the trouble is with this and the Maserati cambiocorsa gearbox is that they put a button in the car marked 'Auto'
Journalists would jump in the car and press that button, drive along like a nodding dog, and pronounce the gearboxes as rubbish! But they are not meant to be driven like that. Never press auto, use the paddles and drive it as you would a manual (for that is what it is). Simples
Just be ready to potentially change the clutch every 20-30K miles!
Journalists would jump in the car and press that button, drive along like a nodding dog, and pronounce the gearboxes as rubbish! But they are not meant to be driven like that. Never press auto, use the paddles and drive it as you would a manual (for that is what it is). Simples
Just be ready to potentially change the clutch every 20-30K miles!
Clarkson also called the gear box rubbish in the Vantage
Do you think he missed the point?
To me the Vantage is the most spectacular looking Aston. Never drove one myself.
There was a good review on Top Gear about your Gransport, too. Very appealing car!
To me the Vantage is the most spectacular looking Aston. Never drove one myself.
There was a good review on Top Gear about your Gransport, too. Very appealing car!
Well if you would stop spending money on watches :)
With Aston you do still have the choice of Manual, Automated Manual (Sportshift) and full Auto (ZF 8-Speed) depending on the model.
I went from Vantage Sportshift to Vanquish Auto and as good as the Vanquish is (it really is) I missed the rawness and need to change gear in the Vantage (you have paddles in the Vanquish if you wish but it is not the same thing and there is less need to change gear with the V12) and thus convinced myself to scratch the Maserati itch and have the choice of both.
So I still have this for the sublime GT experience but bizarrely this version with its lightweight seats is a 2+0 and the Maserati is a true 4-seater and more practical.
Still a nice choice to make..
I went from Vantage Sportshift to Vanquish Auto and as good as the Vanquish is (it really is) I missed the rawness and need to change gear in the Vantage (you have paddles in the Vanquish if you wish but it is not the same thing and there is less need to change gear with the V12) and thus convinced myself to scratch the Maserati itch and have the choice of both.
So I still have this for the sublime GT experience but bizarrely this version with its lightweight seats is a 2+0 and the Maserati is a true 4-seater and more practical.
Still a nice choice to make..
Yes Clarkson missed the point, probably deliberately to make good TV :)
though the early versions of these type of gearboxes were not great as they went through a learning curve.
The 3200 GTA
was a fab drive. Easy cruising and wafting around town with a delightful burble. The suspension was firm but not harsh. A little body roll,,,,but there again I don't go racing.
But if you are going to get one be VERY careful, they can cost a fortune to put right. Provenence, and FSH is a must. My one had been owned by a very entusiastic enthusiast: he kept a log of every time he drove it and of each service etc.
Kind regards,
Antony
But if you are going to get one be VERY careful, they can cost a fortune to put right. Provenence, and FSH is a must. My one had been owned by a very entusiastic enthusiast: he kept a log of every time he drove it and of each service etc.
Kind regards,
Antony
yes Nico,
I owned a 4200 Spyder manual for around 7 years. It was the later, facelift version and in the seven years of ownership never had anything wrong with it at all. I searched for a while to find a good manual Spyder in right hand drive. Difficult, but not impossible, to find. Mine was Mediterranean blue with cream leather. Perfect! It did two separate tours from the UK down to Italy and has given us some of our best driving memories! I may have mentioned it. The GT is also wonderful but bigger. It is definitely a step up though from the 4200 in many ways.
Indeed, I always preferred this version, the definitive version for me.
Many years of development sorted the chassis, powertrain, and body details. Mechanically, this is the best, but the style refinements complete the evolution. The final changes made to grille, wheels, rocker panels, and valences on the Gransport brought out the underlying potential of the basic shape and a muscularity that was missing in the earlier models. While I love the original boomerang tail lamps, the 3200 looked best only from an angle that revealed its design "hook"; the Gransport looks athletic and even sensuous from every approach.
Best,
Tim
Best,
Tim
Almost bought this car a long time ago.
The engine is great and sounds great. It's also good looking. But there is one huge downside, IMO: The suspension is problematic and much too soft for a sports car. Best, Volker
More a GT than a sports car, don't you think? And you can always solve that issue.... [nt]
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You are right, it is more a GT.
It may be a stupid approach but I do never any customization on cars, not even suspension or exhaust system.
Ah Volker you are lucky with the German autobahns
Most in the UK think the suspension is too harsh for the potholed UK roads
That said the UK cars had Skyhook suspension as standard so there is so called 'comfort' (or GT mode) and 'sport' mode. Sport mode may well have suited you better.
That said the UK cars had Skyhook suspension as standard so there is so called 'comfort' (or GT mode) and 'sport' mode. Sport mode may well have suited you better.
Yeah, I remember. The skyhook was an improvement.
But the engine is simply superb. You can easily tell where it comes from.
I remember how the maserati biturbo was problematic back then.
Italian cars are very nice and flamboyant. The quattroporte was and is a nice car but I would be cautious about long term reliability and durability. I would consider something german like an older w126 s class 560 sel or w140 s class 600 sel. I am not even mentionning about the maintenance on italian luxury cars and supercars which is insanely expensive.