Maserati takes on the super-coupes

By Alastair Sloane

When Ferrari trotted out the many pre-production models of the new Maserati 3200GT, one of the test drivers said he hoped Ferrari fixed a few niggles "because inside the car there is a great car trying to get out."

Among the early problems were a too-heavy six-speed manual gearbox, an engine-management system that struggled below 3000 rpm, oddly weighted steering and an adaptive damping system that gave an inconsistent ride. Ferrari's president, Luca de Montezemole, said the company was aware of the problems and that they would be fixed before the car went on sale.

Just how successful Ferrari has been will be known at Auckland's Formosa Golf Club this weekend when New Zealand and Australian motoring writers give the two-plus-two Maserati its first shakedown Down Under. The Sydney organisers planned to launch the car at the Millbrook resort in Queenstown but images of Maseratis windscreen-deep in snowbanks on the icy road to Arrowtown turned them towards Auckland.

The Maserati 3200GT is the latest offering from the almost forgotten Italian supercar-maker, bought by Fiat in the early 90s and taken over and given an injection of $100 million by Ferrari in 1997.

The two-plus-two coupe, weighing 1590kg and powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.2-litre V8 engine producing 271kW and 490Nm of pulling power, sprints to 400 metres in 13.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 280 km/h. Highlight of the engine is its flexibility, where an English report said there was no hint of lag from the twin-turbo, even in sixth gear low down in the rev range.

The 3200GT has been built to take on Jaguar's XK8 and the Porsche 911. It is slightly longer than the Porsche and from the front looks a little like the Aston Martin DB7, which shares bits and pieces with the Jaguar. The 3200GT will be exclusive - Maserati is building only 250 right-hand-drive examples, most of which will go to Britain, Japan and Australia.

The car is styled by Italian design house Giugiaro and engineered by Ferrari. It borrows from the Ferrari parts bin, too - the steering wheel, for example, is from the 456 and the indicator stalk from the F355. The 3200GT might not be as glamourous as the cars from the Ferrari stable but its pedigree is just as illustrious.

The marque was founded by Alfieri Maserati in 1914. Since then it has won the Indianapolis 500 twice and gave the great Juan Fangio his fifth world championship. Stirling Moss was also one of its Formula One drivers. The price of the 3200GT in New Zealand will be known on Sunday. As a guide, the car will apparently cost about $NZ240,000 in Australia.