The Docile Beast

Written by Nicolas Bates

I know what all of you are saying – “that title is an oxymoron”. No. No it is not. Not with Maserati’s 2010 Gran Turismo. Not when Maserati couples their infamous luxury with a motor designed by Ferrari. Do not forget, Maserati’s heritage spans just four years short of a century. Not then, dear friends. Not then is it an oxy moron.

Pininfarina, responsible for such iconic designs as the ‘66 Alfa Romeo Spyder, The Ferrari Enzo and F40, among other classics, designed the Gran Turismo’s cutting lines. The car has an extremely sleek and refined look, yet the front end may start to masticate upon your extremities, should you let it. Proudly flaunting its trademark trident, the large, oval grill is reminiscent of that of the 1960 Maserati Tipo 61(Birdcage), made famous for its runs at Le Mans, although immensely smaller than that of that Tipo’s. The Gran Turismo’s headlights and tail lights make you ponder whether safety was a concern when designing these integral units, or whether designers just wanted the meanest looking head and tail lights on an automobile they could conjure up. The car almost gives off the feeling that the wind itself molded the lines of the body.

Looks are just that: looks. But do not taunt the Gran Turismo. Sure, it is comfortable driving leisurely around town. It is also comfortable at wide-open throttle through the canyons. The Gran Turismo S coupe is outfitted with a 4.7 liter 8 cylinder power plant with 4 valves per cylinder and variable valve timing, which outputs 433hp and 361lb/ft of torque. Fast enough to get you from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. I do not think such a number can be complained about. Not in a 4,000 lb + vehicle. The base model will yield a respectable 405hp from a 4.2 liter V8. If you need a manual gearbox, however, you are out of luck. The Gran Turismo comes standard with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The good news is you do have options, even though paddles control those options. The Gran Turismo’s power is filtered through a ZF automatic, and has four basic modes: Auto, for normal, “around town” driving, Auto Sport, for a little more thrill, Auto ICE, for low grip conditions and Manual mode, where the car will not shift, even at redline, until your little heart desires and you flip that paddle. If you are going to be forced into an automatic, this is the one I would choose.

The Gran Turismo’s interior is elegant, intuitive, and not flashy. After all, what is flashy cannot be elegant. The interior comes with your choice of 10 shades of Poltrona Frau leather and 3 wood trim options (no additional cost). Amenities like heated seats, garage door opener, parking distance sensors, auto rear view mirror, front reading lights, and vehicle speed proportional power steering will make you glad you are sitting in the Grand Turismo. While the interior keeps you comfortable and in style, it will also keep you safe with driver and passenger side multi-stage deployment front airbags and front side curtain airbags.

The Maserati Gran Turismo comes from a long line of race and luxury inspired vehicles. This heritage shines through as we see both comfort and sheer brawn come through to make one desirable automobile. And if you are looking for more power, more exclusivity, then be on the look out for The Gran Turismo MC Trofeo, a real race spec version of the docile beast to be sold directly from Maserati Corse (MC) in Italy.

For more info go to:
Maserati.com