MASERATI CARS ULTIMATE PORTFOLIO 1999-2007

Maserati is one of those deliciously Italian names that rolls phonetically off the tongue with a slight roll of the 'r' sound and a short 'i' at the end. Said properly it sounds beautiful, just like the famous cars to which it is attached. After some years in the doldrums Maserati is back with a vengeance. The resurgence began with the 3200 GT coupe back in 1998 and, slowly but surely, there has been a re-emergence of one of the motoring world's most iconic makes that has a fabulous history. This includes World Championships in Formula One with Juan Manuel Fangio winning the driver's championship and the company winning the Constructor’s Championship in 1957 after an amazing drive by Fangio on the tough Nurburgring against the Ferraris of Hawthorn and Collins. I

t was one of the epic drives. Over the past decade the coupe (and the later convertible) have been upgraded with larger capacity engines and the Cambiocorsa semi automatic paddle shift gearbox that has drawn its fair share of criticism from the media in particular. Today's range is, for the performance connoisseur, nigh on perfect. If you want a beautifully styled coupe there is the delectable 4200 GT; if your heart desires a convertible then there is the drop-top version of the 4200 GT; and if you have family matters to contend with and need a high performance long distance limousine there is the gorgeous Quattroporte. The coupe and convertible were styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign and the big Quattroporte was the work of the Pininfarina studios.

Many critics have said that it is the best looking high performance limousine ever made and they may well be right. Technically all three models are bang up-to-date with light weight alloy quad cam V8 engines under their hoods driving to a rear-mounted transaxle-gearbox and differential combined in one unit, that helps to balance the weight distribution; the suspension systems are wishbone and coil springs at all four wheels and there are electronically controlled dampers plus huge ventilated brake disc rotors to cope with the enormous speed these cars can be driven at. And inside all passengers travel in sybaritic comfort on beautifully crafted leather seats and in a climate controlled environment listening to their favourite music on a top quality audio system plus all the electronic toys needed to keep in touch with the world while crossing the Continent. All will exceed 170mph given the right conditions and will blast from rest to 60mph in around 5.0 seconds and use fuel at a rate close to 15mpg, if you can afford these cars filling the tank should be a minor concern.

For the extreme extroverts there was the MC12, a 630bhp 6.0 litre V12 engined powered race and street car of which only 50 were made and sold. Capable of over 200mph and a storming 3.8 seconds 0-62mph acceleration time, it was developed by Maserati's engineers from a Giugiaro idea with the idea that the trident would return to the international racing scene. Few marques have put the word Grand into Grand Touring the way that Maserati has. A total of 200 pages all in full colour. Included are road & comparison tests, new model intros & buying guide. Models covered: 3200 GT, Assetto Corsa, 4200 GT, Trofeo, GranSport, Quattroporte, Sport GT, MC12 & GranTurismo.