RE: Maserati GranSport MC Victory | Spotted
Discussion
NathanChadwick said:
Having driven it, and written about it several times (for Modern Classics and Auto Italia) it is drastically different, in the same way an E46 M3 CSL feels different to a normal E46 M3.The steering rack completely changes the way the car feels.
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.
I shared a track with one of these a few years ago.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.
Edited by NathanChadwick on Tuesday 30th April 07:01
I couldn't believe how quick it was for something I perceived to be primarily a GT.
Matt_T said:
Is the 3.2 an Alfa Romeo engine or something from Ferrari?
The 4.2 seems to be the F136 engine that's in the California etc - is this quite robust?
The 3.2 is the twin turbo V8 that originated in the Shamal as an adaptation of the V6 Biturbo engine, later adapted for the QPIV. The last purely Maserati engine until the MC20’s Nettuno.The 4.2 seems to be the F136 engine that's in the California etc - is this quite robust?
I have a normal GS, and it is a total bargain for what it is, and lovely to drive, with a very special interior. I don't even mind the F1 box, and I live in London. Just drive it in Sport. There is a mod that gives you the Sport gearshift with normal ride: I must investigate this.
MCV is special. Not long ago people were asking a lot more than £42k for them, too...
I'd do it just for the seats and the semi Alcantara interior, let alone the cool mechanical stuff. Even the standard GS is a sportier drive than the GranTurismo that replaced it (MC Stradale excepted, obviously!)
My normal GranSport, being pretty.
MCV is special. Not long ago people were asking a lot more than £42k for them, too...
I'd do it just for the seats and the semi Alcantara interior, let alone the cool mechanical stuff. Even the standard GS is a sportier drive than the GranTurismo that replaced it (MC Stradale excepted, obviously!)
My normal GranSport, being pretty.
Despite received wisdom, the 3200GT was not undriveable. The Assetto Corsa manual in particular was an outstanding car, I did a great deal of miles in one and it was much faster than people thought or the statistics suggested - I did a track day at Brands Hatch full circuit and it kept up with the 355s and 360s, and I’m not a racing driver. The brakes faded a bit eventually, but it was after quite a lot of laps.
The facelift with the new rear lights was forced on Maserati as they could not homologate the LEDs for the US market, where the “4200GT” coupe and Spyder were to be launched, and with that decision the car looked so much worse and less exotic than the 3200GT that a fair number of 4200GT and Spyder owners have gone to great lengths to retrofit the boomerang lights, which is a big job.
The facelift with the new rear lights was forced on Maserati as they could not homologate the LEDs for the US market, where the “4200GT” coupe and Spyder were to be launched, and with that decision the car looked so much worse and less exotic than the 3200GT that a fair number of 4200GT and Spyder owners have gone to great lengths to retrofit the boomerang lights, which is a big job.
Unusually there is another for sale in the UK and this is the car Nathan Chadwick actually wrote about in that article if you can find it online. There is a fair bit more detail in this ad anyway though:
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1558486
Great car, great drive, gearbox suitably calibrated by Maserati for the MC-Victory suits it really well and the seat and the steering make the whole package sublime.
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1558486
Great car, great drive, gearbox suitably calibrated by Maserati for the MC-Victory suits it really well and the seat and the steering make the whole package sublime.
Love all of these 3200/4200 models and based on the comments, this seems good value like most of them are. Would be scared to sit in 10K seats though. This is way outside my potential budget and prefer the simpler styling of the earlier ones. Has anyone gone from a TVR Chimaera or Griffith to one of these ‘normal’ ones and if so, how did it go? Seriously tempted at current prices!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ZD... video here with some more details
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