Granturismo MC Stradale 4 seat

Just to throw a cat amongst the pidgeons...

If you are thinking of a 4-seat Stradale, do consider the Thinking Man's 4-seat Stradale too - the 2013 to 2017 Granturismo Sport MC Shift. It's the rarest Gran Turismo in the UK - 44 cars registered over the lifespan of the model.

You get the same 460PS engine as the Stradale, the same robotised transaxle, with marginally slower shift times, a recalibrated Skyhook, which is head and shoulders above the earlier cars, the same modern seats as the Stradale. No scare stories due to steel discs all round. Best of all - while a Stradale would set you back £45k for a good one, a Sport from someone great like Richard would be £33k. The 4-seater Stradale is at best 25 to 30kg lighter than the Sport, so the performance difference isnt worth the near 50% premium...

Go and drive one, you may be pleasantly surprised...

P.S. If you are coming from a Lotus - with the risk of offending other fellow forumistst, a slushomatic ZF6 equipped car, as good a job Maserati and ZF did, won't cut it as a substitute...
 
Thanks for the food for thought folks. The clutch life on the MC shift doesn't concern me too much - as long as I know about the potential costs, I can factor it in to any purchase. When the weather warms up a bit I'm going to try and get a drive in an MC Shift and ZF equipped car to get a feel for their different characteristics.

@cheburator - your logic is totally sound and it does make complete sense from a driving perspective... Alas I'm extremely vain and I'm a sucker for the 'MC' styling additions:love2:
 
I did just that, ZF then MC shift. If you enjoy driving it will be the MC shift every time. In comparison the ZF felt very mundane.
Drive a Strad it will make your mind up stantly.
 
Having recently bought a Grancabrio MC (auto box) and still have my 2-seat strad they weirdly do seem like two different cars. I like the Grancabrio for the easier manoeuvring with the auto, it feels like a normal car. The Strad on the other hand is totally different, unlike the Grancabrio it feels like a race car before you even start the engine. I suspect it's the seats but also the fact the gearbox requires input, you feel like you are there to drive. Since having my calibers re-built on the Stradale, I also can't explain how good the brakes are. I'd say the noise is slightly different, less the exhaust but the downshifts on the Strad "snap" where as the auto isn't as extreme (still sounds lovely though!).

Two different cars, two different use cases. One is an amazing weekend car you can go anywhere in and is easy to live with, the other is a bit more of a pain (I wouldn't want to be stuck on the motorway in it) but feels much more special for those solo drives without the family in tow.
 
woody1144 said:
Having recently bought a Grancabrio MC (auto box) and still have my 2-seat strad they weirdly do seem like two different cars. I like the Grancabrio for the easier manoeuvring with the auto, it feels like a normal car. The Strad on the other hand is totally different, unlike the Grancabrio it feels like a race car before you even start the engine. I suspect it's the seats but also the fact the gearbox requires input, you feel like you are there to drive. Since having my calibers re-built on the Stradale, I also can't explain how good the brakes are. I'd say the noise is slightly different, less the exhaust but the downshifts on the Strad "snap" where as the auto isn't as extreme (still sounds lovely though!).

Two different cars, two different use cases. One is an amazing weekend car you can go anywhere in and is easy to live with, the other is a bit more of a pain (I wouldn't want to be stuck on the motorway in it) but feels much more special for those solo drives without the family in tow.
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That's a really informative summary, thanks @woody1144. It's extremely rare to find someone who can give a back to back comparison like that :drinks:
 
Oh I forgot to mention I have a very similar situation to you in that I wanted a nice car to also be able to take the little one out in so having the 4 seats/isofix is great. For those trips, not having the enhanced brakes, MC-shift, deafening sound it doesn't really matter as you aren't going to be pushing on too hard with the family in tow anyway. This is where these cars in general are great though as you can be doing 30mph with the family on the for a Sunday dinner but still hear the amazing exhaust note. Not many cars do that!

I think someone mentioned earlier to try a Strad out. I think that's your best option would be to see If you can cope with the gearbox for general family weekend stuff. If you can, go for it as it will also allow you to have the "you time" trips where you want something sportier in a closer vein to your lotus and can push on a bit harder. If you feel it's hassle, grab one with a auto.

Either option you go for you will be winning, all of them are fantastic cars!
 
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