Maserati 3200GT: You Know You Want To

Yes, the one with the boomerang-shaped taillights - yours for surprisingly little cash, it seems

Yesterday’s reveal of Maserati’s tweaked GranTurismo MC Stradale and the previous day's Maserati timeline got us thinking about Maseratis old and new. And among mentions of Meraks, Ghiblis, Boras and even Biturbos, talk soon turned to the 3200GT.

Elegant taillights were unique to 3200GT

The 3200GT was the car that, in 1998, reinvented Maserati. Gone, suddenly, were the dated, slightly gawky lines and cranky panel gaps of the Biturbo-derived Ghibli and Shamal, and in their place, nothing but sweeping curves and elegant proportions. It was a looker, and it remains one of Maserati’s most successful designs to this day.

That’s not to say that the 3200GT was universally loved. Critics derided its firm ride, and complained that the hair-trigger throttle and turbo lag made delivering the power accurately slightly tricky, often resulting in lurid and somewhat wide-eyed oversteery moments. They also pointed out that some of the switchgear felt a bit cheap and … well … Fiat-derived. Which, to be fair, it was. Live with those flaws, however, and the 3200 revealed some splendid benefits. Tame the turbos, for example, and the chassis offered a relatively rewarding driving experience. The interior, meanwhile, was richly upholstered with thick carpets and supple leather, and up front sat a sonorous 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8 that propelled it to 62mph in 5.1 seconds and a notably unrestricted top speed of 174mph.

Blue interior is an acquired taste

It didn’t last for long, though. By 2002, the 3200GT had been superseded by the Coupe – also known as the 4200GT – which, despite looking broadly the same, was a much-improved car, with a naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre V8.It did, however, lose a little of the character and charm of the original, most notably at the back end, where those slender taillights were replaced by more generic elephant-foot items.

But with the 3200GT now available at sub-£10,000, it’s still a very tempting proposition. This one’s the cheapest in our classifieds, and while we’d normally advise against buying the cheapest around, it has to be said that it looks like a sound example. It’s been in storage for two years, so there’s no MOT or tax – one of the reasons for that low price – but then again, the car’s only covered 51,000 miles, and comes with a full history that shows evidence of clutch and cambelt changes. It’s a manual, too, which is the one to have – a six-speeder that’s way better than the slow old four-speed in the Automatica. And while the rather blue interior is a little bilious, it does at least sit acceptably with the silver paintwork. So, a curvy V8-powered Maserati for £7,500, then. Yep, we’re tempted!

MASERATI 3200GT
Price: £7,500
Why you should: An Italian GT that looks this good, for this price? Are you kidding?
Why you shouldn't: An Italian GT with no MOT and a blue interior? Are you kidding?

See the original ad here.

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Dominicc01

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197 months