Hi, another forum newby here and, hopefully, a fairly imminent Granturismo owner.
While I'm new to Maserati ownership, I'm a long-term admirer of things Italian and automotive, having been seduced by desmodromic valve-trains and Guigiaro GTV's (& 105 GTAs) as an impressionable sprog in the 1970's (which will give some clue about how long it has taken me to move from the "affordable exotica" of various Busso-engined Alfas to the more rarified stuff). At last count, three V6 164 (12 valve Lusso, 24 valve Super & 24 Valve Cloverleaf) and a GTV V6 (as opposed to a GTV6) have been and gone, while a 2002 156 GTA will be sharing drive-space with the Granturismo, and a 996r and a Hypermotard lurk in the garage.
Over the years, I occasionally toyed with the idea of a bargain-priced BiTurbo , a Shamal or a 4200 to scratch the Trident itch, but it was the last generation Quattroporte that genuinely started me thinking of transferring at least some of my allegiance from Arese and Bologna to Modena. I can't actually remember whether I saw a Granturismo first or heard it (whichever way round it was, the one followed the other in very quick succession), but my internal response was pretty much "****-me, one way or the other, I've got to have one of those things".
Well, finally I'm in a position to go ahead, although there has been a bit of budget-creep... I started off looking for an early model 4.2...raised my budget to a 2012(ish) 4.7 when I heard about the variator issue and, somehow, ended up sticking a deposit down on a cancelled factory order GT Sport MC Auto. The cancelled order was due mid-May, but Maserati took it out of the queue so I could re-spec it to my preference, and it's now due in mid-July. May has already been my personal longest-month on record, and I have a feeling that June is going to take even longer.
Anyway, I might as well start as I mean to go on and fire off the first stupid question...
Has anyone on the forum taken the opportunity to collect their new Granturismo from the factory? I'm interested in this option, but don't want to put the dealer on the spot if it is a pain in the rear for them to organise, or if the factory frowns on the process, or if there is not enough time, or it's too close to the August shut-down etc,etc. If anyone has any insight into the procedure I'd be really grateful for any info. In return, I will, of course, post pics of the new arrival when it (finally) arrives.
Many thanks, Ian
While I'm new to Maserati ownership, I'm a long-term admirer of things Italian and automotive, having been seduced by desmodromic valve-trains and Guigiaro GTV's (& 105 GTAs) as an impressionable sprog in the 1970's (which will give some clue about how long it has taken me to move from the "affordable exotica" of various Busso-engined Alfas to the more rarified stuff). At last count, three V6 164 (12 valve Lusso, 24 valve Super & 24 Valve Cloverleaf) and a GTV V6 (as opposed to a GTV6) have been and gone, while a 2002 156 GTA will be sharing drive-space with the Granturismo, and a 996r and a Hypermotard lurk in the garage.
Over the years, I occasionally toyed with the idea of a bargain-priced BiTurbo , a Shamal or a 4200 to scratch the Trident itch, but it was the last generation Quattroporte that genuinely started me thinking of transferring at least some of my allegiance from Arese and Bologna to Modena. I can't actually remember whether I saw a Granturismo first or heard it (whichever way round it was, the one followed the other in very quick succession), but my internal response was pretty much "****-me, one way or the other, I've got to have one of those things".
Well, finally I'm in a position to go ahead, although there has been a bit of budget-creep... I started off looking for an early model 4.2...raised my budget to a 2012(ish) 4.7 when I heard about the variator issue and, somehow, ended up sticking a deposit down on a cancelled factory order GT Sport MC Auto. The cancelled order was due mid-May, but Maserati took it out of the queue so I could re-spec it to my preference, and it's now due in mid-July. May has already been my personal longest-month on record, and I have a feeling that June is going to take even longer.
Anyway, I might as well start as I mean to go on and fire off the first stupid question...
Has anyone on the forum taken the opportunity to collect their new Granturismo from the factory? I'm interested in this option, but don't want to put the dealer on the spot if it is a pain in the rear for them to organise, or if the factory frowns on the process, or if there is not enough time, or it's too close to the August shut-down etc,etc. If anyone has any insight into the procedure I'd be really grateful for any info. In return, I will, of course, post pics of the new arrival when it (finally) arrives.
Many thanks, Ian