Who went from 3200GT to 4200GT/Gransport?

boomerang

boomerang

Member
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412
Driving the Gransport now, after owning and loving the 3200GTA before, i sometimes wonder: The extra money i had to put in, did it bring an equal amount of extra joy?

The GS is a much better drive, more stable, faster and is very good looking as well, but it seems to me the later cars lack some of "the soul" of the original concept, the 3200GT.
Not only because of the missing boomerang rearlights, but the whole car feels less like an exotic handmade one, much more a reliable massproduction car.
Am i wrong in that, do some of you feel the same?
At the same time i am wondering what made the GS such a much better drive!
If you examin the suspension of both cars, you can hardly see differences, some suspension parst can even be exchanged!
What did the trick, just shocks/springs, alignment/set up, or is there something i overlooked?

Would like to hear your thoughts guys!
 
conaero

conaero

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34,688
I came from a 3200 to a GS, and was blown away just how different the cars are.

The 3200 was the original hook for me, I just grinned everytime I drove it. On the downside it was horrendously unreliable and there was always something going wrong with it, but over the whole experience loved it, they are great cars and the interior was all leather, not the part leather that crept into the 4200/GS. In a straight line those turbos were addictive, but many a time, flying into a corner, it just felt so wrong, so unbalanced. Great car none the less.

Now the GS still has that soul for me and the reason that it handles much better than the 3200 is down to 3 things:

1. Weight distribution. The 4200/GS has the gear box at the back, and believe that this is the single reason why the handling is so much better.
2. Steering rack. Its much quicker and I instantly noticed this when I drove it, its spot on.
3. Suspension setup. It just been tuned to a greater degree.

But the 3200 has those light, but the GS has the CC box, which is brilliant in my opinion.

So the ultimate car:

2007 Gransport in black with tan/tobacco interior, bommerang lights, full leather interior of the 3200 but the GS seats, GS carbon fiber consul and steering wheel, with GT neptune wheels and the 4.7S engine.
 
lozcb

lozcb

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12,586
Unfortunately Luuk , my knowledge of the 3200 is very limited, but i should imagine the extra litre in cc helped and that the GS being N/A had slightly different /upgraded tbody and Maf components which adds to reliability, suspension wise , 42's and GS are lower and tighter and faster reacting , reducing body roll ,The assetto corsa was a definate move in the right direction . For sure the quality of the interior in the 3200 is better in than the GS but not quite as good as the 4200 , the 4200 has the best quality interior of the lot in my opinion , bar the Turismo and QP, Altho sportier in appearance, all the GS interiors seem lacking to me , and a bit plasticy (probably get shot down in flames for this ) but mine is an all black leather/piped appearance but still has a large % of plastic whereas the 3200 and 4200 have a lot more leather,

Most 3200's owners time in ownership is marred a little with the intermittent reliability and related repair costs , and i strongly feel that had they overcome this in later models the two would be more strongly matched for general ownership , possibly the turbo's clinching the overall ownership thrill of the two , and of course the added Kudos of those sort after rear Boomerangs


regards Loz
 
Parisien

Parisien

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34,927
Being totally honest guys.....I hardly knew the 3200/4200s existed until 2 years ago......hence my steep learning curve......had an interest in Alfas for the last 4/5 years...Citroen( classics) before that......so its been an utter delight over the last year or so getting to know the marque, the cars, the history and evolution ( bar near extinction!!!)

The cream on the cake though has indeed not been the cars...well not totally ....:)......but the camaraderie on the messages boards...... a truely rewarding experience...thanks guys!

P
 
boomerang

boomerang

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412
Parisien said:
The cream on the cake though has indeed not been the cars...well not totally ....:)......but the camaraderie on the messages boards...... a truely rewarding experience...thanks guys!

P
Click to expand...

Agree with you Parisien!
That is exactly what attracted me about the UK message boards!
Great manners, great guys!
 
white noise

white noise

New Member
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28
3200 to 4200? I think my comment would be - why? Both cars are so different if you like one, the other would probably be a let down - unless you chose the wrong one in the first place! 3200 to GanSport I can relate to but the only thing that will stop me buying another Maserati is the lack of a manual option from GS on.
 
ENZ525

ENZ525

Member
Messages
6,748
white noise said:
3200 to 4200? I think my comment would be - why? Both cars are so different if you like one, the other would probably be a let down - unless you chose the wrong one in the first place! 3200 to GanSport I can relate to but the only thing that will stop me buying another Maserati is the lack of a manual option from GS on.
Click to expand...

Slightly off topic, i know...but just goes to show how individual we all are,
Of the 30 plus cars I have owned, ALL have been manual except my current QP, and I absolutely love the paddle shift...wouldn't swap it for ANYTHING :thumb3:
Regards,
Enzo.
 
Parisien

Parisien

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34,927
ENZ525 said:
Slightly off topic, i know...but just goes to show how individual we all are,
Of the 30 plus cars I have owned, ALL have been manual except my current QP, and I absolutely love the paddle shift...wouldn't swap it for ANYTHING :thumb3:
Regards,
Enzo.
Click to expand...

Enzo....that aint off topic.......!!!.....its like....way off the playing area.......and half ways out of the stadium!!!!!....:)....:)

Still.....the paddles are kinda cute.......:)....;)


P
 
lozcb

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,586
ENZ525 said:
Slightly off topic, i know...but just goes to show how individual we all are,
Of the 30 plus cars I have owned, ALL have been manual except my current QP, and I absolutely love the paddle shift...wouldn't swap it for ANYTHING :thumb3:
Regards,
Enzo.
Click to expand...


Have to agree Enzo im a definate paddle shift convert , will never be without one now , best of all worlds as far as im concerned , up untill a few years back i was always sold on manuals , bought my first Merc auto for Kaz returning after working 10 years in China ,boring but reliable, and also an RX8 manual aswell , 2007 my first Masser a 4200 cc and never looked back , providing the engine has a large enough capacity paddles are excellent ,


regards loz
 
ENZ525

ENZ525

Member
Messages
6,748
Parisien said:
Enzo....that aint off topic.......!!!.....its like....way off the playing area.......and half ways out of the stadium!!!!!....:)....:)

Still.....the paddles are kinda cute.......:)....;)


P
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oooops,
as somebody recently said, I'll take the 90 lashes hehehehe
Regards,
Enzo.
 
conaero

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,688
Yep I am a converted man also. I still cant get that article out of my head where that 'tit' Clarkson list his top 5 dislikes:

"In a list of the five most rubbish things in the world, I'd have America's foreign policy at five. Aids at four. Iran's nuclear programme at three. Gordon Brown at two and Maserati's gearbox at number one. It is that bad."
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Conaero said:
Yep I am a converted man also. I still cant get that article out of my head where that 'tit' Clarkson list his top 5 dislikes:

"In a list of the five most rubbish things in the world, I'd have America's foreign policy at five. Aids at four. Iran's nuclear programme at three. Gordon Brown at two and Maserati's gearbox at number one. It is that bad."
Click to expand...


You are not serious.................am taking a dislike to the man.......still as long as he doesn't start dropping pianos on 4200s........won't be so bad!


P
 
Andyk

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,371
Not owned a GS or 4200 but driven many...For me the 3200 felt totaly different to the GS I've driven...from power delivery to handling. Some miss the peaky delivery of the 3200 when hey first get into gs. The S is without a shadow a big step forward over the 3200 as far as driveability, reliability and ownership....Thats not to say the 3200 isn't a great car. I loved mine to death....bt the big question is...Is the GS worth 15/20k ore than a 3200 in todays market....Now for me the answer woould be yes.
 
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