The Granturismo Is No More

[daverichardson]

Well guys my two pence worth
We are where we are with Maser,
a modern Ghibli which looks to be a fine car,
a dead in the water QP6 - too big
an aged GT in dire need of a face lift at least
a Levante with decent prospects
and a pipe dream Alfieri
It is not a bad range, but needs work and a direction plain to everyone
I would ditch the QP6 and revamp the GT or develop the Alfieri
What they will probably do is - er not much

 

[ChrisQP09]

Well guys my two pence worth
We are where we are with Maser,
a modern Ghibli which looks to be a fine car,
a dead in the water QP6 - too big
an aged GT in dire need of a face lift at least
a Levante with decent prospects
and a pipe dream Alfieri
It is not a bad range, but needs work and a direction plain to everyone
I would ditch the QP6 and revamp the GT or develop the Alfieri
What they will probably do is - er not much

To be fair, even if the GT looked a little more aggressive like the Stradale thats enough. The design is perfect already.

 

[Guest 1678]

Picked up the GT MC Shift yesterday from the main dealer. Really relaxed day and have to say they have been an absolute pleasure to deal with. Dick Lovett Swindon and Ross Thorley take a bow.

So - to add to the story ... had a chat with a separate senior member of their team and we were discussing the GT. They have a potential customer looking to order a Stradale, but wanting a very specific build. The feedback from the factory is to get on with the order, but no guarantee the build will be to that specification or that the car will be built at all. The man from the dealer was clear - the GT is no more.

The focus is on the Levante and it would seem all the eggs will be in that basket. We then touched on the Alfieri and I was clear there were a number of us GS owners who thought it was the perfect replacement. He agreed, but I have to say completely pessimistic about it ever seeing the light of day. His view was that Maserati was effectively walking away from the sports car market for the time being. It was a most dispiriting twenty minutes, salvaged by pressing the Sport button and taking the new car for a 3 hour drive home.

Grab a N/A V8 coupe while you can team. We will be the guardians of the last of the breed.

 

[Andyk]

Truly gutted to hear that.

 

[hilts uk]

The news on the GT fits in with what I have heard from Maranello. They said the Stradale they have Coming in will be great one and the GT is going this year. When you see the volumes I'm not surprised as total UK sales are around 100 now. If the Alferi ever comes it's won't be the car we saw 2 years ago. It will be 6 or 7 years from concept car to launch so expect plenty of changes

 

[StuartW]

Yes, since I visited my local MD I have phoned around a few of the dealers and they are all saying the same thing. You can still order a new GT & a Strad but you need to get on with it. After the factory's summer shut down, they will be taking a long hard look at their order book and the end could be very soon after that for the GT and the n/a V8.

 

[conaero]

Sticking with the GranSport then, may go Centenary Edition (Magma) Strad next year complete with the Halford wheels.

 

[StuartW]

Yes Matt, that Centennial edition is special and will be a rare beast, there will not be any more last run out special editions either

 

[daverichardson]

That red is fantastic
If only I had some money!

 

[MrCoop]

It certainly is depressing news. That a brand like Maserati are putting all their eggs in the Levante (and Ghibli). I was contemplating parting with the GS and then coming back into a Strad next year but think I may just hold onto the GS now..

 

[highlander]

the problem with having all your eggs in one basket is what do you do if someone knocks your basket over leaving you with no eggs?

 

[conaero]

It certainly is depressing news. That a brand like Maserati are putting all their eggs in the Levante (and Ghibli). I was contemplating parting with the GS and then coming back into a Strad next year but think I may just hold onto the GS now..

GS's will go at some point you can be sure of that, probably another 5 years though, when the world has tired of the the new breed and harp back to the brands past.

 

[StuartW]

They expected to sell so many units in China and when that didn't materialise, there was no plan B and I'm sure that was a factor in the Alfieri being delayed / postponed / cancelled (delete as appropriate)

 

[MAF260]

Sticking with the GranSport then, may go Centenary Edition (Magma) Strad next year complete with the Halford wheels.

View attachment 35102

I really quite fancy one of these, even if it has 4 seats. The wheels in that picture are the original Strad wheels, Matt, although with some painted accents on the centenary models.

 

[MAF260]

the problem with having all your eggs in one basket is what do you do if someone knocks your basket over leaving you with no eggs?

You still have eggs, but they're maybe broken so you make an omelette!

 

[Felonious Crud]

You still have eggs, but they're maybe broken so you make an omelette!

Sounds like a parts-bin special. Also sounds like we won't even get one of them with a N/A V8 in it. *sigh*

 

[MAF260]

n/a V8s are dead as far as modern cars are concerned. More power can be extracted from smaller units with better fuel efficiency and lower emissions - there's no going back now.

 

[m1980k]

n/a V8s are dead as far as modern cars are concerned. More power can be extracted from smaller units with better fuel efficiency and lower emissions - there's no going back now.

If the new TVR is any good then they'll be on to a winner. And as long as 'gas' prices remain relatively low in the US I expect the likes of the Mustang and Corvette will soldier on with n/a V8s.

But revvy European engines are dead... sniff...

 

[Swedish Paul]

Talking of smaller Engines, I see Porsche now only offer the standard 911s with a 3L unit for both standard and S variants. And the new Boxster in a 2L 4 cylinder with Turbos. Maybe folks will start to buy the last gen Boxters and Caymans as the last 6 cylinder variants and the prices will go through the roof. Ahem.

 

[bigbob]

The only flaw in all of this is what happens to all the people on the line at Modena. I know the 4C is made there but I struggle to believe that they will go through a period of no Maseratis' being built in Modena.