[radgts3bk]

I had a personal viewing at Ferrari af Denver prior to the "show" on saturday a few weeks ago. The styling is absolutly stunning.

Front View: The nose is awesome. Imagine seeing it in the rear view mirror and going WOW!!. Pictures do not do it justice.
Side Views: very nice lines, however, this is a big car (built on QP platform)
Rear View: not so thrilling, the lighting doesn't accent the car enough.
Did I mention the front : AWESOME!!

Interior: very refined, taylored and attractive. 2 CUP Holders across the console means wider.

Bigger, heavier, more refined means different market. No more Porsche sports car competition, going for the Merc, Jag, Austin market. From a business perspective, probably a good decision. However, my "high end sports car" options are dwindling.

All I want is a spyder SPORTS car with a Manual Trans and room for 1 or 2 golf bags in a trunk (back deat doesn't work for me). The Maser Spyder GT is the right car but the choices are getting slimmer. And I like choices.

the endless search for the perfect car continues (as if perfect will ever be achieved!!)

 

[milanojess]

exact same feeling, the rear's not exactly consistent with front...

Was speaking with personnel at factory, he pointed at those cup holders and told me that's an "American car".

Still, i'd love one, and wife would be happier knowing she's no longer the cup holder anymore.

Jess

 

[MikeA]

The only car I have found that has the same basic charactistics of our spyders is the AM V8 Vantage roadster.

- 400 hp
- Sportshift (same as Cambiocorsa) or manual tranny choices
- Trunk that (barely) holds two carry size golf bags. It was pretty
easy to fit two bags in the Maser Spyder, although you had to remove
the long clubs from the second bag. The AM trunk is smaller, so you
have to remove long clubs from both bags and do some Houdini stuff!
- Very nice interior styling
- A NAV unit that is better than Maser, but still pretty clumsy. But we
all know that being better than the Maser isn't saying much...
- Both cars work well as daily drivers
- And....both cars are really good looking!

The downsides of the AM I have figured so far are:
- Trunk quite a bit smaller
- Doesn't seem to have as much instant torque. The AM max torque
is about 8% less than the Maser. Probably even less at lower rpm.
- You sit lower in the AM. It is very uncomfortable to rest your arm
on the window sill - it is too high. I like driving with my left arm on
window sill.
- The AM is about 20% more expensive for the same basic car

Anyway, my 03 Maser has nearly 43k miles now, and the warranty runs
out in two months, so I have put a deposit on the latest marketing spin
of the AM V8, which is the N400. Won't show up for 9 months or so, so
I'll just enjoy my Maser a bit longer. By the time I want to sell my Maser
it will probably get $35-40K at most, so I just might keep it for fun.
Good luck.
Mike

 

[M!]

nice. i was considering the N400 as well.
the windows are fairly high.
the good thing is tubi has made a set of exhaust for it now.

 

[DeaneG]

The AMV8 is a great looking car. Makes my Spyder look a little narrow and tall in the rump.

One interesting opinion from a new owner - he said that the F1 transmission is so well-behaved, you might as well leave it in automatic and just let it to its thing. Sort of a compliment, but not what he was expecting for the experience.

I put my GS in auto just to try it out, and was amused to find out that it does not kick down when you mash the gas on the freeway, bogged along in 6th. The auto function is truly there just to make up for the lack of a cupholder.

 

[MikeA]

More background on the AM V8.
Their F1 tranny is very well behaved. All shifts, up and down, that I
tried during a test drive were very smooth, much smoother than my
Maser. In fact, the whole driving experience was smoother, which
is a bit worrying. If you floor the AM at 3000rpm for example it
just doesn't feel like it jumps like the Maser. The Maser has a more
raw experience.
Before I close my order on the AM in the next month or so, I am going
to do a more thorough test drive to see if my initial impression is
correct here.
Also, on the AM, I don't know what the tubi adds/subtracts from the
performance, but you can evidently just remove "fuse 22" which then
leaves the exhause bypass open all the time (not just above 4000rpm)
and the Vantage sounds nasty all the time. I suppose you could also
have a switch installed for those late night returns home to the
neighborhood.
I hate to promote the AM on this board, as I am totally sold on my
03 Maser but totally disappointed that Maser has decided to pursue
a GT class car in the Granturismo (as gorgeous as it is) and not
follow our current coupes and spyders with an upgrade, like more
HP and a quicker shifting F1 tranny. I guess our Masers at their price/
performance were just a bit too close to Ferrari. They also didn't seem
to sell that well in the US inspite of the price/performance. Bad
marketing/promotion?
Anyway, life goes on....
MikeA

 

[radgts3bk]

Thanks for the AM info...

Looks like a very cool car and meets all the specs... I'm gonna get all I can out of my Spyder for a while and see how things shape up in a year or so. I'd love to be able to work the ride quality of the spyder to see if I can get it dialed in a bit more. The new GT is just too big and going in the wrong direction for me (even though it is beaut). I still love a stick and they are becoming too rare.
Thanks all for the reply's

 

[M!]

Also, on the AM, I don't know what the tubi adds/subtracts from the
performance, but you can evidently just remove "fuse 22" which then
leaves the exhause bypass open all the time (not just above 4000rpm)
and the Vantage sounds nasty all the time. I suppose you could also
have a switch installed for those late night returns home to the
neighborhood.Anyway, life goes on....
MikeA

it subtracts....

the weight, that is.

26 lbs vs 62 lbs stock.

=P