The Maserati 3200 GT- The Last True Maserati Coupe? | The Car - Flamboyance GT

  Yes, you read the title right. Don't know much about the 3200? I wouldn't blame you. But it's still a true automotive crime since we're talking about a car that's much more than what it looks like. The 3200 is simply put, an Italian exotic that's been unfairly overlooked, except of course, by the purists who know what they are. This car can be called, the last true Maserati. Do allow your impatient mind to allow me to explain more. But before I do that, do take your time to have a good ol' look at the picture above. Feast your eyes on the beautiful curves and lines of the brute lovingly hand drawn. Yes. Hand drawn. By me. (Do forgive me if the "artwork" is not pleasing enough to your perceptive eyes).

  Now, the question arises. How can an exotic of this pedigree be overlooked? The answer is simple. Fairly poor marketing on its part, not much of media publicity and fairly low numbers in terms of production ( they built about 4,795 3200s). Now this can be both a boon and a bane. Wanna know why? Read on till the end.

  Haha. Time for a good laugh? But seriously, that is the mechanical heart of this beast. Its a 3.2l v8 with twin turbos bolted on, churning out 365 italian ponies, or stallions, I say. While that may be not as much as more modern cars, it produces 362 lb ft of torque which is good enough for hauling it from 0 to 62 in about 5 seconds, which is not bad at all considering the fact that this is a fairly heavy GT. That, combined with a throttle (or "fwottle" as the British say) straight out of Hades world makes it insanely fun to blast across.. well, try continents. The car has a top speed of 174 mph or 280 km/h. All these numbers were possible because of the two turbos, which in this case do not actually spoil the sound, but add to it. I'm talkin blow off valves. Fantastic bit of kit.

  The sad part is that, it is the last v8 designed by Maserati themselves. It was derived from the outgoing Maserati Shamal, the 3200's predecessor. This was the time when Maserati was facing trouble. The brand was purchased by Fiat, then taken under the control of Ferrari as Fiat owned a part of Ferrari as well. The result was that all Maseratis produced after that had Ferrari designed engines, starting from the 4200.

  Look at that interior. Its beautiful and exotic. Certainly one of Maserati's best, I dare to say. It seems to be designed and put together, just like your favourite chronograph watch straight out of Switzerland. These cars have a beautiful and minimal steering wheel. Why do I mention this? The steering wheel is what you face while driving a car. Bet you can understand the rest.

  The car came in both manual and automatic iterations in terms of transmissions.(We don't want the latter, hehe). The automatic was an old fashioned torque converter system, but fairly reliable. But we purists deserve the manual. It offers the best performance, the best fun and the absolute true GT experience.

  Speaking of grand touring, the 3200 is actually a practical car.... in case you even bother. It has a generous sized trunk for a supercar GT. But the most interesting part is the rear seats, which can actually... here me out... Fit a fully sized human being! This is extremely unlike other cars of that era like the porsche 911 who's rear seats are only good for storage or transporting toddlers or people cut in half.

  Look at those iconic boomerang taillights embracing the progressively sculpted rear end. Too bad they had to go, in the case of the 4200 GT, its successor, but that's another story..

  Now this brings me to the important point. The Maserati 3200 GT is an incredibly versatile machine. It can be used as a daily driver, since it won't break your back or sear up like a furnace in traffic, it can be used for those long trips with family and friends, yet have some insane fun hooning on B roads as well as tearing up the track. The best part is that you can use it as a long distance GT, just as what it was built to be. It has an amazing engine to do the job and keep you entertained, putting a tremendous smile on your face the whole time.

  Now, if you have really made it till this point, you would remember that I mentioned the lack of publicity, proper marketing, etc was a boon? It's because the Maserati 3200 is one of the best kept secrets of motoring. This means that prices are ridiculously low. Haha. Don't believe me? Do check it out. You can pick this Italian exotic second hand or less than 20 grand in the UK, and in some cases, less than half of that! ( Wheeler dealers, anyone?) This makes it an extremely affordable GT dream.

  But do be sure to do your homework when it comes to Maserati GTs. While they are cheap to obtain, they are italian, so they have the potential to ruin you with expenses. But one thing is for sure. By one, look after her well, drive her like she was meant to be driven and she will look after you even better. She will reward you immensely, putting a huge smile to your face when you turn the key to ignite that glorious v8 and go for a drive.... Pure bliss, I'm sure.

                                             - Abhyjith Ashokan



               "Keep The Passion Strong"


For suggestions as well as constructive critisism, shoot me an email at flamboyancegt@gmail.com

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