As fast as a Maserati
 

A theory of mine was proven yesterday. On our weekly Bullitt Mustang drive to our favorite pool hall, I merged onto I-5 North to find myself behind a Maserati Gran Turismo. This is not one of their hotter mid engine cars, rather a classy looking understated coupe. This one was in a dark silver gray color and was absolutely gorgeous. Low? Man, it couldn't have had more than 6" clearance from the road, yet I could see that it's suspension was working well at absorbing surface irregularities. Just a drop dead gorgeous car. Very subtle in it's beauty, I doubt that many of the non car aware around us had a clue what it was.

This is Maserati's "entry level" car, base price $132,835...but I'm sure most sell for $150K or more with a few options added. It runs a Ferrari built 4.7 V-8 boasting 434 horsepower, with an advertised top end of around 180. Not extremely fast by today's standards, but plenty fast for street and highway driving.

It's driver was good. Driving rapidly but not stupidly. Always aware. No tailgating, but moving out well to pass whenever slower traffic pulled over.

I followed at a respectable distance for about 30 miles....until my exit showed up.

My point being...the Maserati couldn't drive that stretch any faster than I could in a lowly cheap Mustang. Traffic simply wouldn't allow anything faster than we were cruising. Just as well, I suppose, since my V-1 told me we were both painted with radar at one point, and with Laser a few miles further on.

Dense population, crowded roads, onerous traffic laws...all now combine to make driving a pain in the ass instead of the pleasure it should be.

Oh well...it indeed was a pleasure to witness a fine automobile being driven well.

I'm fortunate to live in an area with hilly, curvy roads, light traffic, and extremely rare law enforcement.

The perfect car is my early Mazda Miata. With only 115 hp. I can drive it hard and have a ball.
With 400+ horsepower, one can step on the gas for only a few seconds before being silly dangerous.

Way more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slowly.

When it comes to comparisons on the road, I really don't care.

My XK lacks the raw white knuckled feeling that you should hang onto the wheel and buckle up as the dern thing is about to explode impression that my beat up 944 has. The 944 is far more engaging to drive.

However, my XK is FAR FAR more comfortable and less fatiguing to drive.

I think the Porsche wins in braking as its not ABS, for some reason the Jaguar, even full pedal travel, just feels castrated in stopping power.

Cornering the Jaguar is probably faster, but the Porsche will be more fun doing it.

Straight line, the XK wallops it.

But yet I own and enjoy both. :rolleyes:

The Jaguar has a clear advantage at the old folks home when it comes to the little old ladies. :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1478892122.jpg

And my experience from karting, most drivers are pretty darn cruddy.
If you want to talk as fast as, its got to be relevant by having the same poor or good driver on the same day in the same conditions.
Once you get two different drivers, with two different risk tolerances, on public roads, forget comparisons. You'll only look dumb.

Maserati doesn't sell a mid-engine car and their 'low-end' is the Ghibli that starts in the 70k range

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1478892122.jpg

Nice car!

Ms gogars XK-R totally walks my buddy's 997, all day long. Never had to turn very fast because I'm always so far ahead by the time we get to a turn.

But, like Paul mentioned, there's never really an opportunity to use it. If there were an opportunity I'm certainly not good enough to use it.

I love my Mach 1. Absolute joy to drive. Would it follow a P-car through the twisties? No. But that's not its raison d'etre. Pulls like a train off the line, and it's a joy to drop it into 4th on the hwy. The sound of the V-8 is fantastic. Mine has cherry bombs on it, nice deep sound, not barking or harsh. When you get off the throttle, you get great pops and crackles from the exhaust.

A 24hr take home from the Porsche dealer last year of a 2015 911 put me in search mode for something new/nicer than the 944.

The 911 was *far* better handling, and won in a lot of points and places. Ultimately, the Porsche dealer is an hour away across some of the highest wreck density roads in the area. I pass 2-3 wrecks, even at non peak times, getting there. Also had the person in charge pass away, and things went downhill in service badly. My 944 left after an alignment with about a 2 degree steering wheel tilt to the right to drive straight. If I can't trust them with a cheap car, how could I trust them with a nice car?

A XKR and a 911 Turbo would be an interesting comparison. My only real ding about the Jaguar is the lack of manual transmission. Its the only modern car that gives me my 2+2 and an open reach to a hatch back that my 944 does. Because of my karting, I'd favor the 911 just for the rear biased weight balance closer matches the natural feel of a kart.

The 911 and XK are both great models, I would love to have a 911 too, but the dealer situation is not favorable to that.

The Jaguar has absolutely amazing magnetism with opposite sex. I've never driven a car, mine or borrowed, that has equaled it in that respect.

Is her XKR a 5.0, or 4.2? If its that darn fast to drive away, I'm leaning 5.0.

Shows ya how little I know of the Marque...didn't know they didn't make a mid engine car.

There might not be a car around that loses value faster than a Maserati. Though I do think they look amazing.

It's the 510 hp 5 liter.

Meh, doesn't matter, your point is valid and well made. Nice story.

It's not always about having what you want, it's about wanting what you have.

I'd happily drive a Moosetang. ;)

My Maserati does...
Now I don't drive :(

I don't see the point in these 500+ hp cars myself, but I'd gladly drive one until...

Nothankyouverymuch...:)
.

You could also substitute a rental spec Chevy Aveo into that story and it would be just as relevant. I don't think most enthusiasts buy cars because they are infinitely superior at 70 MPH on the highway.

It's fun to lap and/or pull away from those 500+HP monsters on the track in my 245HP Lotus. Drivers are often dumbfounded as they fishtail out of every corner. Tons of fun in a straight line I'm sure but that's not my thing.

fast street cars are pointless

:rolleyes:

That was my first thought... no disrespect to Paul but when I was riding a Honda XL500 I could kick any cars butt in traffic.

Or for a better perspective there are probably guys on the Miata boards chatting about those guys in their silly wasteful V8 American cars.

Lol I think there's a few that dream of a American v8 swap;)