AIMS: Maserati GT partners Fangio's 250F

It's a sighting as rare as Kate Moss at an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord, but there it was, Fangio's Maserati 250F.

The car, which carried Argentina's most famous son to the Formula One World Championship in 1957, is doing the rounds of the international motor shows and we in Australia are fortunate enough to be able to appreciated this glorious vehicle from close quarters.

Likely to be a bit more commonly seen in Australia, the Maserati GranTurismo is now that on sale in Australia.

The new car has only just arrived here and the local distributor has already pre-sold its launch allocation of 130 units for Australia and New Zealand, so don't expect to see them in your local Maserati showroom anytime soon.

GranTurismo has been a big hit for Maserati overseas and the car is shaping up to be a lucrative hit for Ateco in Australia also. Why are the sales so important? The GranTurismo has been almost a messianic model for Maserati, helping them reach a profit for the first time in years.

Local deliveries of the new car will commence in December and new orders will not be delivered before mid-2008, according to the importer.

For the moment at least, the price of the Maserati GranTurismo is pegged at $292,800 and Maserati is targeting the BMW 650i, Mercedes-Benz CL500, Jaguar XK and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

In the GranTurismo that money will get you the same 4.2-litre V8 fitted to automatic variants of the Quattroporte sedan.

Peak power of 298kW registers at 7100rpm and maximum torque is 460Nm, produced at 4750rpm. According to Maserati, 75 per cent of torque is available from as low as 2500rpm.

A ZF-built six-speed automatic transmission with adaptive, sequential shifting feeds the power to the rear wheels and offers optimised ratios for the 0-100km/h dash, which takes just 5.2 seconds. The transmission will hold gears right up to 7200rpm.

20-inch wheels are shod with tyres measuring 245/35 R20 at the front and 285/35 R20 at the rear. This combination and an almost ideal weight distribution (49 per cent front/51 per cent rear), contributes to the sort of poise to handle and hold the road in the bespoke Maserati tradition. The weight distribution is a by-product of the car's engine location, aft of the front axle.

To cap that off, the GranTurismo comes with a stability control program, which has been tuned by Maserati for optimum cornering performance.

Interior trim is Poltrona Frau leather in ten different colour options and applied selectively to seats, dashboard, rear shelf, steering wheel and gear shift knob. These items can be specified to colour-coordinate with the stitching, mats and headlining.

Other dynamic features fitted to the GranTurismo include road-speed sensitive power steering and a Brembo braking system comprising ventilated discs and four-piston callipers all round.

Vital statistics for the car include a drag coefficient of 0.33CD and a kerb mass of 1880kg.

To comment on this article click here