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
This is one of those cars that has flown under the radar because the GranSport in general wasn’t allowed to be the car it could have been. Frank Stephenson, who was in charge of adding the GranSport styling flourishes to the Giugiaro 3200 and the 4200 original, said that the GranSport was originally supposed to be much more hardcore than it ended up being - think Challenge Stradale in 360 terms.
However, Ferrari saw this as too much of a threat and demanded it be softened up and made more GT like. That’s why the GranSport has a peculiar mix of rock hard ride ‘comfort’ for a much sportier car, yet steering that’s a bit too light.
The MC Victory solves all that by aligning itself much more with the GranSport’s original purpose, before Ferrari said no. There’s a lot of unknowns and rumours about this car - it’s thought that the steering racks were the original ones ordered from TRW before Ferrari said no. There’s also persistent rumours that the engine has more power and the gearbox is sharpened up - there are different part numbers for parts of the engine, for example, compared to the standard GranSport.
Of course, there’s the MC12 seats - £10,000 each - which do change the feel of the car too. It’s no lightweight but it feels so much more engaged, honed and trustworthy than a standard GranSport. It is very different and the steering response is among the sharpest I’ve encountered.
I’m not a fan of the MCV’s carbon splitter - it doesn’t improve the lines, it looks like a moody toddler and will cost many thousands of pounds to fix if you bend it, if you can actually fix it.
It is one of the great unsung cars of its generation; sadly very few will have driven it and if you do try one back to back with a standard GranSport the difference is abundantly clear.
It’s the Ghibli Cup of the 2000s.
This is one of those cars that has flown under the radar because the GranSport in general wasn’t allowed to be the car it could have been. Frank Stephenson, who was in charge of adding the GranSport styling flourishes to the Giugiaro 3200 and the 4200 original, said that the GranSport was originally supposed to be much more hardcore than it ended up being - think Challenge Stradale in 360 terms.
However, Ferrari saw this as too much of a threat and demanded it be softened up and made more GT like. That’s why the GranSport has a peculiar mix of rock hard ride ‘comfort’ for a much sportier car, yet steering that’s a bit too light.
The MC Victory solves all that by aligning itself much more with the GranSport’s original purpose, before Ferrari said no. There’s a lot of unknowns and rumours about this car - it’s thought that the steering racks were the original ones ordered from TRW before Ferrari said no. There’s also persistent rumours that the engine has more power and the gearbox is sharpened up - there are different part numbers for parts of the engine, for example, compared to the standard GranSport.
Of course, there’s the MC12 seats - £10,000 each - which do change the feel of the car too. It’s no lightweight but it feels so much more engaged, honed and trustworthy than a standard GranSport. It is very different and the steering response is among the sharpest I’ve encountered.
I’m not a fan of the MCV’s carbon splitter - it doesn’t improve the lines, it looks like a moody toddler and will cost many thousands of pounds to fix if you bend it, if you can actually fix it.
It is one of the great unsung cars of its generation; sadly very few will have driven it and if you do try one back to back with a standard GranSport the difference is abundantly clear.
It’s the Ghibli Cup of the 2000s.
Looks a great car, an interesting alternative to 997s, M3s etc.
It’s probably a good investment, but on balance I think I will continue to wait for a cup to come up for sale again … even if it means a long wait.
It’s probably a good investment, but on balance I think I will continue to wait for a cup to come up for sale again … even if it means a long wait.
I do get what you mean about the n/a V8 lacking some of the manic energy of the Maserati twin turbos, but the GranSport for me is the sweet spot of the n/a V8 Maser coupes. The later GranTurismos, even in MC Stradale mode, were a bit too soft for my tastes, even if they did sound fabulous.
However driving it, was amazing, the noise was fantastic, the, the experience felt like I was driving a supercar, loved every minute of owning it.
Sadly had to sell it because my wife didn't like driving it... This is my main car selling regret, hey ho.
- Pete
It’s probably a good investment, but on balance I think I will continue to wait for a cup to come up for sale again … even if it means a long wait.
I do get what you mean about the n/a V8 lacking some of the manic energy of the Maserati twin turbos, but the GranSport for me is the sweet spot of the n/a V8 Maser coupes. The later GranTurismos, even in MC Stradale mode, were a bit too soft for my tastes, even if they did sound fabulous.
It’s probably a good investment, but on balance I think I will continue to wait for a cup to come up for sale again … even if it means a long wait.
I do get what you mean about the n/a V8 lacking some of the manic energy of the Maserati twin turbos, but the GranSport for me is the sweet spot of the n/a V8 Maser coupes. The later GranTurismos, even in MC Stradale mode, were a bit too soft for my tastes, even if they did sound fabulous.
Good car that, I’ve driven it.
The article fails to mention that the 3200 and 4200 had true manual options. It’s a shame that the Gransport was never offered with a manual box it would have been a cracking combination.
On the boomerang lights, Maserati wanted to retain them in the 4200 but they fell foul of new EU regs sadly.
Frank’s story of Giugiaro’s reaction is hilarious, but Montezemelo’s plan worked on the whole, but to the detriment of the 4200/GranSport.
This is one of those cars that has flown under the radar because the GranSport in general wasn’t allowed to be the car it could have been. Frank Stephenson, who was in charge of adding the GranSport styling flourishes to the Giugiaro 3200 and the 4200 original, said that the GranSport was originally supposed to be much more hardcore than it ended up being - think Challenge Stradale in 360 terms.
However, Ferrari saw this as too much of a threat and demanded it be softened up and made more GT like. That’s why the GranSport has a peculiar mix of rock hard ride ‘comfort’ for a much sportier car, yet steering that’s a bit too light.
The MC Victory solves all that by aligning itself much more with the GranSport’s original purpose, before Ferrari said no. There’s a lot of unknowns and rumours about this car - it’s thought that the steering racks were the original ones ordered from TRW before Ferrari said no. There’s also persistent rumours that the engine has more power and the gearbox is sharpened up - there are different part numbers for parts of the engine, for example, compared to the standard GranSport.
Of course, there’s the MC12 seats - £10,000 each - which do change the feel of the car too. It’s no lightweight but it feels so much more engaged, honed and trustworthy than a standard GranSport. It is very different and the steering response is among the sharpest I’ve encountered.
I’m not a fan of the MCV’s carbon splitter - it doesn’t improve the lines, it looks like a moody toddler and will cost many thousands of pounds to fix if you bend it, if you can actually fix it.
It is one of the great unsung cars of its generation; sadly very few will have driven it and if you do try one back to back with a standard GranSport the difference is abundantly clear.
It’s the Ghibli Cup of the 2000s.
Put it in Sport and it's the car it always needed to be.
The article fails to mention that the 3200 and 4200 had true manual options. It’s a shame that the Gransport was never offered with a manual box it would have been a cracking combination.
On the boomerang lights, Maserati wanted to retain them in the 4200 but they fell foul of new EU regs sadly.
I decided to get something else with a manual 'box, 2/3 of the weight and half of the power instead, which much better suited the Norfolk and Suffolk B-roads.
Maserati, and definitely one for the collectors. Similar price to a Ghibli Cup in today’s market, but better built and more driveable.
As Nathan says, they are more different to a standard GS than you would imagine, thanks to the transformative effect of the steering rack and bucket seats.
I sold my last Cup for an MCV, and later sold that for an MC Stradale. All great cars and hugely underrated by most.
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