Gadgetory

there are loads of fast cars out there a myriad of SUVs saloon sports cars GT supercars you naina and they're each perfect for their intended audience but when it came to the likes of Maseratis I was always left a little bit blank why should you go for a Maserati or a Lambo the Gran Turismo may be a little on the older side now it was introduced in 2007 after all but it manages to look fresh you can't not think that it's a stunning car to look at its lines just work now it's fresh look maybe because you don't see them all that often but still it's a thing of beauty you'll also notice that the Trident is a theme that recurs around the car is dotted all over the place and even features in the wheels the interior is a pretty decent place to be yeah it's a a bit dated and that might be being a bit kind but I think it will overall aged quite well providing you a timeless bubble to enjoy your journeys in and enjoy your journeys you will especially in this one because the MC Stradale isn't a softly-softly GT oh no this is one of the mad ones it's back in a 4.7 liter v8 with 454 brake horsepower and 384 pound for naught to 60 2 takes four and a half seconds it's top speed is just shy of a hundred and ninety miles an hour but it's not just big power that delivers those numbers there's also lots of aero trickery going on so the side skirts the spoiler at the back the splitter at the front and it's carbon-fibre bonnet there's three vents in there one feeds cold air into the engine and the other to relieve pressure and get rid of excess heat as the longer side effect are not only reducing drag but also the way it's sculpted means it adds downforce for when you're really tonking it the MC Stradale is a hundred and ten kilos lighter in the standard gran turismo as well it's all very race inspired especially the exhausts at the back they remind me a lot of the ones you find on the Maseratis Trofeo race cars in theory then this is kind of like Maseratis take on a gt3 but not quite let me explain the original MC Stradale have no rear seats it was more pared back more race bred if you will but now they've popped those back in it's really quite a comfortable car when it's in these normal auto modes you can just cruise up and down the motorway the VA isn't too intrusive if you want to give it a tickle it'll get very noisy then there's sport mode which is sporty but race is where it's at because everything just gets better the steering gets heavier and the exhaust is just out of this world or in sport now but if I switch it's a race drops a cog and you get a little bit more noise or it sounds proper this car does have an Achilles heel in the form of its 6-speed automatic gearbox it's a robotized manual what that means is there's a normal gearbox in there and a robot is doing the bit that you would be doing that's very late member that's how I get my head round it so if you flip a paddle or if the car decides to change up a gear while you're driving along the whole thing lurches forward it's not pleasant at all it's it does feel it's aged remember this is technically a seven-year old cars Ferraris dual clutch gearbox Porsches dual clutch gearbox all these BMWs they all show just how dated this really is however there is a workaround for it if you want to change up do it on the paddle so when you do flip up flip and there's lift off the throttle and then get back on it as you would a normal gearbox and then you'll be okay but still in a hundred and ten thousand pound car that's quite a concession to have to make the acceleration you get admittedly in the lower modes is quite muted but in race it is Savage it is truly savage it just fires you off into the distance or if you have a day like today when it's a bit greasy in a bit slippery it will want its bottom to go exploring elsewhere it's something you have to be very smooth with as with any car like this big power up from wheels driven at the back so yeah if the weather's a bit adverse maybe keep it out of race no matter how good the noise sound negatives aside it's a really really lovely car the noise just ah it's beautiful is the kind of noise that you end up thinking about for days and days after just how rich and how smooth it is it'll really really leave its mark on you and the fact you can drive it admittedly in Auto mode you can drive it and you won't be uncomfortable the suspension won't jar you it's a proper GT all that said I want to know who would buy one now look at the alternatives Ferrari Lamborghini Porsche Aston Martin McLaren even Aldi Mercedes BMW and jag to an extent they're all very very good at what they do so maserati's has to offer something different it has to offer something special I really don't think that's a problem you 2014 saw Maserati centenary its past as seen racing cars take World Championships in the hands of legends a wonderful collaboration with Citroen the form of the SM and some genuinely beautiful cars the 3200 GT the birdcage the MC 12 and the Bora to name a few the company was founded in 1914 in Bologna Italy by the Maserati brothers and they made racing cars very very good ones as it happens they want championships and things like the Targa Florio and all the time the Maserati Trident logo stood proud on their cars the logo got its inspiration from the fountain of neptune in the piazza maggiore in the lawn year not only is it a symbol of strength and all that malarkey but it's also a really nice nod to the company's heritage in the late 30s the Maserati boys sold up to the Aussies and the company moved from its original home belonging to modern aware it still lives today Maserati has been owned by a handful of people the Aussies Citroen de Tomaso Fiat and Ferrari now it appears to be in rude health the lineup is strong the Quattroporte the Ghibli Gran Turismo Gran Cabrio will holding the fort for now but soon they'll be an SUV and the Alfieri named after one of the founding brothers a sports car with a 911 f-type and Merc AMG GT in its sights so that's what a Maserati is today is luxurious its powerful its elegant it's really quite quick and it makes a hell of a noise and it's pretty damn good fun to draw so why should you go for this over all the others well that's easy because it isn't a Ferrari and a sterner McLaren a Porsche a Lamborghini or any of the others Maseratis are undeniably more rare than the rest of the pack and that means are the people that do choose them they want to stand out but not be obnoxious about it they want the power the luxury the elegance the speed and the style but they don't want to look like the rest of the Italian supercar owning masses they want something they can call their own and you can't blame them for that especially when it's one of these Oh