Let me clarify that a little. Subjectively I love the standard GranSport.
Objectively, there are a few problems that arise from its somewhat difficult birth. I covered it in the MC article but because MC no longer exists the website has been taken down. Frank Stephenson revealed in an interview for Evo/Car that the GranSport was originally supposed to be a much more hardcore car along the lines of the 360 Challenge Stradale. However, pretty late in development Ferrari decided to stick their oar in - it was deemed too sporty.
Reading between the lines, and with anecdotal reports from those who shall remain nameless, the GranSport was simply too good. After all the packaging is excellent and the performance good for the time; Ferrari were worried that it might eat into sales of its cars, so demanded it be tuned down and made more of a GT.
This is why the GranSport’s steering is so drastically out of step with its suspension. The steering is sharp, but lacking much in the way of feel. Harry Metcalfe uses the term glassy to describe later Maseratis (GT/QPV.2) and while not quite as remote as those two, the GS doesn’t have the finger tip precision you’d expect from a suspension setup that errs so much towards sportiness. Compare the ride to that of a Carrera S 997 or a Vantage V8 of a similar era. The GranSport is a similar mini-GT to those two, but the ride is about as uncompromising as my 147 GTA on aftermarket oik coil overs. If the GS was an out and out sports GT, then the suspension would make sense.
I truly believe the MC V is close to what the GS was originally intended to be. I’ve heard it was to be a 2 seater (like the eventual MC Stradale), I’ve heard it was always a four-seater. I’ve heard that the steering racks in the MC V were originally built for the GS and were simply using what was on the shelf that had been left when the plan for the original GS steering had changed. I’ve also heard that it was developed exclusively for the MC V.
Ferrari could see the threat from Maserati - not for the first time (Chubasco/Ghibli Open Cup etc) nor for the last (California/Roma), but the MC V is a fascinating car. It feels quicker than a standard GS - not by much, maybe a revised intake, ECU, pistons, gearbox settings, but that could be down to the way that the driving experience is changed (seating position, mainly). It’s interesting to note on online parts catalogues that many items are bespoke to the MC V. We’ll never really know for sure unless someone rolling roads a GS vs an MC V, and even then that’s down to an individual car.
The key thing is that rack. The steering is even sharper, in fact if you drive it like a standard GS you’ll be shocked. But critically, there’s a connectedness that’s absent from the standard GS, which only encourages you to drive it harder and harder. It feels like a Ferrari. As connected as a 550 I’d say.