What is the consensus on the GranTurismo MC?

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AlpineAlex

Member
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191
To give my background, I love cars that make you bellow with laughter, I like fun cars with personality and quirks.

My current garage:
Lexus LS460 with a custom exhaust for the fun of it.

Alpine A110 so I can treat the roads as a race track as it’s such a fun little car.

Ginetta G40 which I learn to race in.

Caterham Supersport for fun blasts.

I’m looking for a car which I can cross the continent in and still have fun driving it.

I settled on a Stradale as it seems to have a ton of character, amazing sound and characterful gearbox. It also looks amazing.

However, I’ve had my attention drawn to this:

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk

It had the Stradale body kit and exhaust, no skyhook, no carbon ceramics to worry about, no clutch to worry about and comes with a warranty.

Has anyone driven both one of these and a Stradale and found them to be similar or does it lose its character without the F1 box?
 
Mavster

Mavster

Member
Messages
427
There is a reason the MC shift is worth several £k more. ...Its far more involving

If you can afford it then go top of the range on one of these

Ps. Love the Lexus. :)
 
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Scaf

Scaf

Member
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6,586
IMO nothing beats a MC Stradale gear change at full chat, so yes it loses some of the charm and character.
 
A

AlpineAlex

Member
Messages
191
Mavster said:
There is a reason the MC shift is worth several £k more. ...Its far more involving

Ps. Love the Lexus. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks!

It's actually a great car. Can pick them up for as little as £5k and they come with heated and cooled seats front and rear, a fridge, radar guided cruise, park themself, 19 speaker sound system, rear dropdown TV, lane-keep assist, air suspension (reliable) and I've just had Apple Carplay retrofitted similar to how you would in a Maserati.

Video of my naturally aspirated V8 sounds

I actually worry that the 6-speed ZF will make the Maserati too close to the Lexus. I want the Maserati to offer something beyond just being a nice sounding cruiser.
 
Ewan

Ewan

Member
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6,815
I had an MC, and changed to a Strad. The key reason was that the MC, being an auto, was a tad too dull to be a proper weekend toy. The Strad, on the other hand, is a noisey firecracker.

So if you want a fun continent crusher, the Strad will be perfect for you. And it'll hold its value far better.
 
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Wattie

Wattie

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8,640
Ewan said:
I had an MC, and changed to a Strad. The key reason that was the MC, being an auto, was a tad too dull to be a proper weekend toy. The Strad, on the other hand, is a noisey firecracker.

So if you want a fun continent crusher, the Strad will be perfect for you. And it'll hold its value far better.
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You can also pick ‘em up far cheaper than that “trying to be car” priced at £85k!!!!!!
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
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34,632
If it does not have Skyhook, stick Zep’s big brake kit on it and an X pipe and I’m sure you will be happy. A Stradale it is not but the closest thing you will get to it.
 
c4sman

c4sman

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1,261
Sounds like you already know the difference between the MC and strad. Given your current motors and your wants, I would suggest a strad is the right way to go. I’ve owned a MC shift and currently have a ZF which is right for me. You’re in a different place. Enjoy!
 
MikeyMaser

MikeyMaser

Member
Messages
473
AlpineAlex said:
However, I’ve had my attention drawn to this:

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk
Click to expand...

What is going on with that suspension - so high?

108420

AlpineAlex said:
It had the Stradale body kit and exhaust, no skyhook, no carbon ceramics to worry about, no clutch to worry about and comes with a warranty.

Has anyone driven both one of these and a Stradale and found them to be similar or does it lose its character without the F1 box?
Click to expand...

I've driven both. As everyone says, the MC Shift/Strad is the one to get if you want character. I'd only get the auto if I was doing daily city/town driving in slow traffic. Also, the auto is higher geared so cruises at lower revs on the motorway.

Regarding carbon ceramics, don't believe the Internet! They are not as fragile as everyone makes out and it's pretty easy to spot ones that have been mistreated. In normal road driving, you'll have 50k+ without changing pads and 100k+ without changing discs. Also, the discs don't rust and no brake dust.
 
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A

AlpineAlex

Member
Messages
191
MikeyMaser said:
What is going on with that suspension - so high?


Regarding carbon ceramics, don't believe the Internet! They are not as fragile as everyone makes out and it's pretty easy to spot ones that have been mistreated. In normal road driving, you'll have 50k+ without changing pads and 100k+ without changing discs. Also, the discs don't rust and no brake dust.
Click to expand...

This is great to hear about the ceramics, thank you!

I agree about the suspension, haven't seen the car in the flesh but it definitely is high in the pics. I also noticed that Strads sit much nicer at the rear than the regular car.
 
Strad

Strad

Member
Messages
245
Regarding carbon ceramics, don't believe the Internet! They are not as fragile as everyone makes out and it's pretty easy to spot ones that have been mistreated. In normal road driving, you'll have 50k+ without changing pads and 100k+ without changing discs. Also, the discs don't rust and no brake dust.
[/QUOTE]
Agreed, the carbon ceramic brakes should be seen as a positive. They work better which is the point and you can definitely use man maths to justify the cost spread over the 100k +/- mile life.
I’ve just had the 6 year service at 14,800 miles and the pads show 8mm left and discs as 20% wear. The pads certainly look even thicker than that and I suspect there’s a bit of “main dealer“ rounding-up on the disc wear so it’s fair to say that few people will ever renew their ceramics.

You get a car that’s a couple of years newer with the GT MC but you don’t get the car you really want!!
 
Scaf

Scaf

Member
Messages
6,586
Strad said:
Regarding carbon ceramics, don't believe the Internet! They are not as fragile as everyone makes out and it's pretty easy to spot ones that have been mistreated. In normal road driving, you'll have 50k+ without changing pads and 100k+ without changing discs. Also, the discs don't rust and no brake dust.
Click to expand...
Agreed, the carbon ceramic brakes should be seen as a positive. They work better which is the point and you can definitely use man maths to justify the cost spread over the 100k +/- mile life.
I’ve just had the 6 year service at 14,800 miles and the pads show 8mm left and discs as 20% wear. The pads certainly look even thicker than that and I suspect there’s a bit of “main dealer“ rounding-up on the disc wear so it’s fair to say that few people will ever renew their ceramics.

You get a car that’s a couple of years newer with the GT MC but you don’t get the car you really want!!
[/QUOTE]
I have to say with mine, it’s not water that worries me (as you point out, they long a long time) it’s accidental damage whilst servicing/ tyre changes, cleaning fluid damage/ sticky callipers, all of which are easily managed if you pay attention.

The no brake dust is a real added bonus ….
 
MikeyMaser

MikeyMaser

Member
Messages
473
Strad said:
I’ve just had the 6 year service at 14,800 miles and the pads show 8mm left and discs as 20% wear. The pads certainly look even thicker than that and I suspect there’s a bit of “main dealer“ rounding-up on the disc wear so it’s fair to say that few people will ever renew their ceramics.
Click to expand...

I believe the main dealers plug the computer in to determine the CCM disc wear and it's not particularly accurate:

The only way to truly know the wear on the CCM discs is to weigh them. However, an examination of the surface is a good guide and they should be mirror smooth across the whole face.
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,796
MikeyMaser said:
I believe the main dealers plug the computer in to determine the CCM disc wear and it's not particularly accurate:

The only way to truly know the wear on the CCM discs is to weigh them. However, an examination of the surface is a good guide and they should be mirror smooth across the whole face.
Click to expand...

You sure? I thought the way of measuring them was to remove and weight them. @Zep to the very black coloured courtesy phone, please!

C
 
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