Maserati Event at the TT Circuit Assen

On the 8th September there was a Maserati event held at the TT Circuit Assen (Netherlands) organised by the Maserati Club International.

I was fortunate enough to receive an invite in the post a couple of days before the event and prompty re-organised my schedule to attend. I'm glad I did, since there were plenty of classic Maserati cars there to admire and I even got the opportunity to race against a few on the track!

I've posted some pictures from the event which you can view by clicking on the picture below.


I also managed to capture some video footage of the cars out on the track which you can view below.


And my wife captured a bit of footage of my car driving down the start/finish straight which you can see below:


It was great to drive around the tight and twist TT circuit and gave me the opportunity to test out my car on the limit. My first lap was a warm up to get accustomed to the track and I was joined by my wife in the passenger seat. But unfortunately she only lasted one lap before politely asking to be excused since she was feeling a little motion sick... unfortunate because I'd liked her to have taken some in car video footage around the track!

With my wife out of the car, I really got to give it all around the track and found my car handled very neutrally around the bends. As I expected, the car has a high tendancy to understeer on tighter corners, but this is soon compensated with some extra throttle, upon which the car can be made to drift relatively easily and in a very predictable and controlled manner. About one third into the course is a very tight second gear corner where I nearly lost the rear end... but the skid pan training that I had a couple of years ago paid off and I was able to catch it by applying considerable opposite lock. I wish I'd caught some video footage of that!

Twice I blew off the inlet piping connection to the throttle manifold (the one on the left side) which resulted in me having to do a lap with no boost. This made me realise what a huge effect the turbo chargers have on the performance of this car... with no boost I struggled to keep up with an old Citreon that was on the track!

The second time the inlet blew off I asked an ANWB roadside assistance guy for help and he kindly replaced the clamp with a new one. He then timidly asked if he could sit in the passenger seat, so I ended up doing my final three laps with him smiling and giggling alongside me. I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into, but he certainly seemed to enjoy the experience!

I was very impressed with my Mov'it brakes. They performed extremely well with not a hint of fade. I even suspect that I was out breaking the Ghibli Open Cup and Barchetta that were also out on the track; although these cars were undoubtedly quicker on the straights and around the corners, I felt I caught them on braking, although admittedly I was getting a little too confident towards the end and found myself carrying more and more speed into the corners.

I need to do something about my front wheel arches, since around the right hand bends there was a fair amount of fouling occuring, particularly with the additional weight of a passenger. Maybe the wheel spacers I've order will sort this out?

Also, after completing my laps the engine oil pressure gauge dipped low and the warning lamp lit up. I immediately checked for leaks and measured the oil level, but both were fine. I therefore suspect that my oil got a bit too hot, which doesn't surprise me given that my car doesn't have an oil cooler like the later versions.

Driving the car on the track was a great experience and one that I'd love to repeat some time soon. However, it wrecks road tires... my fronts especially over heated and show signs of damage. If I'm to take my car on the track more often then there's a couple of ugrades that I'd invest in... an oil cooler and some stiffer suspension springs would be on the top of that list.

Zagato's Maserati GS

I received an email from Enrico this week with pictures of Zagato's concept Maserati GS with the following text:

"Fashionable Italian custom car builder Zagato, which is based in Milan, is to unveil a dazzling two-seater at the Concours d'Elegance Villa d'Este.

The Maserati GS by Zagato is set to be a real showstopper.

It is based on the Maserati GranSport Spyder but is about 25cm shorter.

According to Zagato the GS has "excellent handling and stability on curves, with extraordinary torsional rigidity".

The car is striking with its all-aluminum bodywork and prominent logos: the trident on the bonnet and the Z on the wing.

Zagato said the vehicle was commissioned by Italian entrepreneur Paolo Boffi. The company said it proposed a vehicle "that evoked the historical Maserati A6 G Zagato of 1954."

I read in a magazine article the other week an interview with Maserati's chief designer, who hinted that Maserati were going to releas a third car in their line up which would be of a more sporting nature, to complement the GranTourismo and the executive Quatroporte. Could this be it?


It's certainly a stunning looking car, with a nice blend of creases and curves, but it doesn't sit well with the current family styling shared by the Pininfarina designed GranTourismo and Quatroporte. My guess is that the third car will come from Pininfarina, since they seem to have forged a bit of a relationship with Maserati of late, with the two current cars and also with last year's concept Birdcage 75th.

Record sales for Maserati at AutoRAI

My wife was browsing through the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and spotted a short report on Maserati, reporting that they sold thirty-two cars at the motorshow this year, twenty-nine of the new GranTurismos and three Quatroportes.

Looks like the future's looking rosy for Maserati!

Amsterdam AutoRAI

Of course, there were some other cars at the Amsterdam AutoRAI motorshow apart from the Granturismo, such as the oh so pretty Alfa 8C Spider pictured below, which the soft top version of probably my favourite modern production car.


I've uploaded some pictures of non-Maserati cars (including the lovely Alfa) which you can view below. I should take this opportunity to thank my lovely wife for getting me a free ticket to the show, since I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise (instead putting the money in the piggy bank for either a new GranTurismo or an Alfa 8C, but most likely the former since the Alfa is limited edition and I think they're already sold out).

AutoRAI

Enjoy the pictures!

Maserati at the AutoRAI

Well, I managed to get onto the Maserati stand at the Amsterdam AutoRAI... rather easily in the end. I asked if I could enter the stand and was told it was by invitation only. So I told them that I'd been invited the Geneva show but couldn't make it and they let me straight on!

I'm glad I did... since the GranTurismo is far nicer in the flesh than it looks on the pictures! Maserati have come a long way in build quality and the car looked and felt very solid and well put together. The car is a little larger than I anticipated, much wider than my Ghibli and certainly a lot longer. I think the majority of this extra length is at the front of the car, with that very long bonnet. The front wheels are set very far forward, leaving very little overhang at the front of the car.

Inside, there's undoubtedly more space than in the Ghibli, but not as much as you'd be led to believe from press articles. Since I'm pretty tall at 1.99m, I had to have the seat all the way back, which only left 15cm of so behind the driver's seat and the rear paseenger seat. Still, that's 15cm more than in my Ghibli, where the drivers seat is right up against the rear passenger seat!

When I first saw pictures of the new Maserati, I was a little uncertain as to whether I liked it. I left the AutoRAI with good impressions of the car though and if I had the money I'd certainly be considering getting one. It's a class above a Porsche 911 and offers much more value... it's an exclusive brand and won't fail to turn heads when driving down the street. I'd love to have heard the engine... will maybe have to pay a visit to the dealer just for that I think.

Anyway, as promised, here's some exclusive pictures of the car!

Maserati GranTurismo