Saturday, April 17, 2010

Maserati 3200 GT - great and distinct rear light design

We loved these boomerang rear lights at the Maserati 3200 GT, didn't we? And it fitted the car so well that some people buying the 4200 GT actually changed the rear bodywork design to fit these unique lights. But it was not just the rear lights. The whole car was a beauty and quite a good design given the size and the ability to actually seat four people. And there was a lot more space for the rear seat passengers than in a Porsche 911 or a Lotus Evora for example, so no alibi seats. I tried it myself, it works! Of course the 4200 GT even had a bit more space but the 3200 GT was okay already. It drove well also, was pretty fast and had a decent handling. Most of these things the 4200 GT could do a bit better even, but as said, they removed the boomerang lights to fit the preferences of the American market. Sad! I almost bought one of the early cars and the guy offering me a test drive was a former formula one driver. He showed me what the car can do and it was impressive! From a financial point of view it was probably a good decision not to buy the car, because depreciation was hefty and maintenance cost for these cars is significant. And what all of these early cars sort of lack is the great sound engineering applied to the new GranTurismo Coupés of Maserati. Despite the same ingredients (engine) the new cars sound so much better. Other than this though the old car seems to be the more desirable one to me, as it was more nimble, more light and was available with a proper manual gear box. Will the 3200 GT ever become a true collectors' car? This is unclear and all depends on whether we will be able to maintain the complex electronics of these cars in 10 or 20 years from now (see also other previous blog entries on this topic).

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