Maserati GranSport MC Victory | Spotted

One-of-180 special costs nearly double a standard GS, but sweetens the deal with MC12 seats and blue carbon

It’s been a little over 25 years since Maserati ditched the blocky design language of the old Shamal, Ghibli and Quattroporte for the sleeker, more curvaceous silhouette of the radically different 3200 GT. The Italian marque had pinned its hopes on the 3200 GT taking the fight to the popular Aston Martin DB7 and Jaguar XLR, and while it would fall short of that ambition it was comfortably the best-selling Maserati for quite some time. Having been stuck in the doldrums for decades, the manufacturer was finally back in the game.

However, for all its boomerang rear light charm, the 3200 GT did have its fair share of shortcomings. The chassis couldn’t keep up with the punchy 370hp delivered by the 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8, and the power delivery was notoriously spiky - which apparently made it quite a handful in the wet. Revisions came with the follow-up 4200 GT, spearheaded by the arrival of the 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 co-developed by Ferrari and, sadly, the innovative rear lights (the first LEDs used on a production car) making way for a more conventional cluster. The engine was a big step on from the old turbocharged unit, but it was still hampered by a wayward chassis and dim-witted automated manual 'box.

It wasn’t until the GranSport came along that Maserati would get on top of the Coupe’s early issues. New software for the Cambiocorsa auto meant faster shift times and a longer sixth gear was installed for better cruising performance, while tweaks to the Skyhook adaptive suspension sharpened up the handling and dialled out some of the steering numbness afflicting its predecessors. This made the GranSport much more focused than the older cars, which in turn is said to have made it vastly more pleasing to drive.

On top of that, there was a bit more grunt from the part-Maserati, part-Ferrari V8, which developed an extra 10hp in the GranSport for a nice round 400hp. The soundtrack also earned a boost thanks to a new exhaust system, which featured a set of valves that opened above 4,000rpm to amplify the rumble from the cross-plane crank V8. Factor in the revised styling that not only gave the Coupe some welcome edge but was also said to generate more downforce, and the GranSport emerges as the one out of the three you’d be best spending your hard-earned cash on.

Unless, of course, an MC Victory comes along like the one we have here. This ultra-rare special edition arrived in 2006 to celebrate the success of the gorgeous MC12 GT1 racer - Maserati's icon had won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers' Cup. The Victory boasted a bunch of delicious upgrades inside and out, most notably a new splitter at the front made from blue-tinted carbon fibre. There’s more blue carbon on the inside on the paddles, wheel and centre console, while the squishy seats of the standard car were ditched in favour of sportier buckets taken from the MC12. It’s said a faster steering rack was fitted, too, and each of the 181 cars was finished with Italian flags on the wings and a build plaque in the centre console.

Admittedly, it’s not drastically different from a standard GranSport, but all the bits that have been changed (especially the MC12 seats) contribute to a car that felt like more than the sum of its parts. Even more so on this car, as most of those parts were finished in Blu Victory whereas this example is clearly black. At £42,595, it’s not far off double what you’d expect to pay for a tidy GranSport, like this 2004 car for £22,950. But the MC Victory is the sort of car that will stop those in the know dead in their tracks once they've clocked all the minor details that mark it out from the standard model. For some of us, that’s worth its weight in gold.

SPECIFICATION | MASERATI GRANSPORT MC VICTORY

Engine: 4,244cc V8
Transmission: six-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 400@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 333@4,500rpm
MPG: 15.2
CO2: 430g/km
Year registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 59,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £42,595