Mega trip proves no problem for retired driving
instructor or his trusty car, writes ANNE BAIN25Daily Record, July 4, 2008ROAD RECORDDriven byFactfileModel:
Maserati GranT
urismo S
Engine:
4.7-litre V8
P
ower:
440bhp
Top speed:
183mph
F
uel economy:
17.2mpg
CO2emissions:
387g/km
W
arranty:
Three years/
unlimited miles
Price:
16389,900
On sale:
SeptemberI8217M often asked what
sort of machinery I would
buy if money really was
no object.U
ntil r
ecently
,
it would have been
the super sexy Audi R8 for those fun
days and a B
entley C
ontinental for
daily use.
B
ut after sampling the delights of
the recently-launched Maserati
G
r
anT
ur
ismo S, I8217
v
e
found the
dr
eam machine that combines the
speed and luxury of both the Audi
and B
entley
.
Ok, it won8217t arrive on these shores
in r
ight-hand-dr
iv
e
for
m
until
ar
ound S
eptember, but for me, the
few months of waiting would be
w
ell wor
th it.
Powered by a new 4.7-litre 440bhp
engine
,
the two-door G
r
anT
ur
ismo S
pulls like an express train.
The bottom line is the 16389,900
new
comer is good for a mind-
boggling top speed of 183mph and
is capable of per
for
ming the
0-62mph dash in just 4.9 seconds,
making it the fastest r
oad-going
pr
oduction M
aser
ati ever built.
But it8217s the way the car performs 8211
and sounds 8211 that makes it that little
bit special when compared with its
competitors.
The car8217s state-of-the-art
electr
o-actuated tr
ansmission giv
es
But the most striking visual
changes have been reserved for the
gr
ille
,
no
w
r
esplendent in matt
black paintwor
k, and the lar
ger
20-inch seven-spoke diameter
N
eptune alloy wheels which
incorpor
ate the Maserati trident
logo into their design.Inside,the cabin is another
work of art,
with P
oltr
ona
Frau leather and alcantara
featur
ed as standard on the
seats and steering wheel.Thanks to the curr
ent
Quattroporte and GranTurismo
models
,
M
aser
ati ar
e
on a r
oll and
hav
e
enjoyed a massive leap in sales
o
v
er the past y
ear and ar
e
looking to
continue that tr
end.
With the company now
embar
ked on a tr
aining
pr
ogramme which will
see mor
e
y
oung wor
kers
joining the staff, don
8217t
be surprised to see
mor
e
new models
being intr
oduced into
the line-up in the near
futur
e, including
per
haps a soft-top
Spider model.
I
f
that8217s the case,
maybe I8217
ll hav
e
to have
y
et another rethink.
near-instantaneous gear changes
and allows drivers to choose from six
modes: manual,
manual spor
t,
MC-Shift, auto, auto sport and ice.
While the latter limits the engine
speed to 3000 revs when road
surfaces become slippy and the
other four settings are pretty much
self explanatory, MC-Shift offers
lightning-fast gear changes when
changing up while the car is set in
manual sport mode.
Thismakes for exhilarating
high-speed drives such as those
experienced on track days.
The G
r
anT
ur
ismo S has also been
fitted with a special exhaust system
which, with the
8220
spor
t
8221
button activ
ated, adds a deep
throaty note to the engine.
W
ith the button pressed, exhaust
gases ar
e
channelled do
wn a
shorter-than-normal route, giving
the car its distinctive sporty growl.
On the outside, there are a series of
discreet changes which make the
GranTurismo S look sportier,
compar
ed to its 4.2-litr
e
G
r
an
T
ur
ismo sibling without destr
o
ying
the gor
geous lines of the or
iginal
Pininfar
ina-designed masterpiece
.
The sleek spoiler integr
ated into
the boot lid and the r
evised side
skirts also help improve air flow
ar
ound the car.S
PEED FREAK:
The Gran Turismo S
is the fastest production Maserati
ever built. Pulled by 440 horses,
the 16389,900 machine can
blast from 0-60mph in
an amazing 4.9 seconds
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