GranSport Spyder Makes Summer

If Italian surfing culture had songs about convertibles, the GranSport Spyder would surely be the inspiration for a classic. This update of the Maserati Spyder, crossed with the incomparable Maserati GranSport, is the quintessential Italian drop-top. Two seats covered in fine leather, controls all quick to hand, a fully powered top, and a 400bhp V8 engine, combined with open air motoring, equal pure heaven. If you have been waiting for a classic convertible sports car with every modern function, believe me, this is it.

In California, Texas, or Florida it makes perfect sense to opt for a 'ragtop', but in a sultry northeast summer, with heavy humidity and rain seeming to threaten constantly, it might seem a little strange. In fact, there is no better way to get cool. Or should I say to "be cool" since there is nothing more stylish and enviable than a GranSport Spyder. In the 21st Century, climate control is not the raison d'etre of a convertible. It happens that the GranSport Spyder is thoroughly modern and comes with a properly sealing, fully automatic three-layered roof which can seal out the elements and seal in the refreshing coolness of powerful Maserati air conditioning in summer, and welcome heat in cold weather. Today, though, I want to feel the wind and hear the engine sing; my right foot will control the climate.

Heading out of the city and up the river valley I can feel the humidity begin to slip away as the stagnant air begins to move or, rather, as I rend the air with the burgundy bullet. This is my first purely pleasure drive in the Spyder, and it feels immediately familiar from my experience with the GranSport, but it also demonstrates enjoyable dynamic differences. Turn-in proves stupendously quick, and with the Spyder's short wheelbase, follow-through is even more rapid than in its coupe brother. On the somewhat bumpy concrete surface of the parkway the Skyhook adaptive suspension keeps the ride smooth, and Maserati's attention to chassis rigidity makes for great control and predictable road manners. The car cries out for twisting country lanes, and I'm loping along towards the nearest mountain to oblige. The cabin is calm even at higher speeds, in part due to the aerodynamic design, and in part because of the fine black mesh rear wind screen; I can easily concentrate on the drive.

Near the mountain I happen upon a large, empty parking lot and decide to give the car a real workout. A skidpad would be best, probing the limits in a fully controlled environment, but this will do in a pinch. Is this Spyder really capable of a 0-60 run in well under 5 seconds? Yes. With the Cambiocorsa in Sport mode, whippet-fast runs are surprisingly easy for any driver, and shockingly comfortable. Maserati has engineered out the jerkiness and rippling one finds in some other marques' convertibles, while maintaining the sense of slightly raw performance for which one yearns in good weather. The Gran Sport Spyder injects a straight shot of distilled adrenaline into your day. Leaving the asphalt desert, it's time to ascend the mountain and savor its cooling canopy of emerald leaves.

The GranSport Spyder is flickable. That's a term I cannot often use any more thanks to the ponderous harshness of many modern sports cars. They do not invite fast transitions, but Maserati is expert at suspension tuning. The Spyder benefits from the Trident's very crisp steering, and while the Maserati Stability Program helps accurately prevent sudden "polar moments", it is unobtrusive enough to allow a little slippage � six degrees to be precise � and give that genuine sports car feeling of movement beneath my seat, that sense of full control and serious speed for which the Maserati's optimal balance is also designed. With its shortened chassis, the advantages of this arrangement, attained partly through use of a rear transaxle and rigid propeller-shaft housing, are very clear to the Spyder driver.

They are fairly clear to other drivers too. Heading up the mountain I'm chased by � and quite easily lose � a cabriolet driver. The Spyder's balance and the almost lazy torque of its 400bhp 4.2l alloy V8 combine to leave most things in the dust, or in this case in the shadows. This part of the drive could be treated like a hillclimb, and while it's nice to know I'd win, competition is not on my mind. It's obvious from the longing stares of other drivers that the Maserati has won the desirability contest, perhaps in part because of its genuine exclusivity, but as likely because of its entrancing shape and deep paint work. I'm here to make the most of the lush surroundings and it is pleasing to find the Spyder is an aesthetic enhancement for all.

Near the top of the mountain I happen upon a gravel trail. Some sports cars owners would fear to tread here, but the GranSport Spyder is designed to be reliable on a variety of surfaces. Down this trail is a verdant glade in which to park and eat, admiring the forest and the car's cabin. When parked it is a grand place to sit and meditate, cocooned in Poltrona Frau leather and exquisitely crafted carbon fiber. Because the GranSport Spyder is endowed with a solid boot and tightly folding top with its own compartment, the trunk has enough room for two sets of golf clubs, or a getaway's worth of luggage, or a gourmet picnic and a ton of photographic equipment. It may be the only convertible sports car that still allows for grand touring. It is certainly the only one that tops out over 175mph with real luggage space.

Luncheon consumed and nature admired, it's about time to head back down the mountain. I should probably head back to work, but a Maserati is way more fun than an office on a hot day�or on any day! This is the ideal car for adult truancy. I think about that while rounding the rocky outcrop near the summit and begin the trip down, eager both for some more driving and a quick glimpse of the day's other engineering marvel � the bridge across the Hudson. It's a very brief glimpse as I pick up speed aided by gravity and the car's preternatural road holding. Here's where the brakes should begin to get a workout. The mighty Brembos are easily equal to the task: I'm barely hitting the limit and these solid-caliper, cross-drilled brakes were honed in competition. In day to day use fade isn't even a dim consideration, so I have complete confidence in them here.

"Confidence" is what the GranSport Spyder inspires. I am confident of having a great time whenever I get into the car, and I am equally confident that any cares I have will disappear when I drop the top and exercise the throttle. It is with supreme confidence that I throw the car into any corner at almost any velocity, and play the paddles and the pedals like a virtuoso giving life to Bach on the Pipe Organ. I am confident that I am driving the best convertible available; not only best in class but best in type. This confidence almost compels me to make a wrong turn and sojourn to California, taking in some of America's greatest sights and experiencing its most tantalizing roads. I think about that when I realize I actually have taken a wrong turn, a Freudian slip of sorts allowing me to turn around at a dead end and head back up the mountain in order to fly back down towards the parkway. It's not the Schwarzewald, but this local peak, with its rocky outcroppings and close roads, has some challenge to it and offers a discrete escape. Most cities have similar runs for automotive pleasure.

Aside from increasing my drive time, the wrong turn offers another little pleasure: I can stop and look at the bridge. A large span across one of our greatest waterways, it is a classic and rather endearing piece of engineering with a graceful form supporting and improving its function; it has this in common with the GranSport Spyder. In looking at Italian sports cars I sometimes forget that they are far more than a luscious shape and a delectable drivetrain. Maseratis embody soul and incredible engineering, the result of heavy intellectual lifting and a comprehensive testing regimen. This is visible all over the Spyder, but most obviously in the roof. When raised it offers a sophisticated notch-back aspect and a rigid seal with the romance of a real soft top; when lowered it takes minimum space and leaves no hint of existence after it tucks itself into a separate compartment. An interesting feature of the Spyder is that, while people still ask to view the engine, they first want to see the roof go up and down, always entranced by the graceful action. Rather than a coupe with its roof snipped off, the Spyder is a bespoke piece of engineering uniting form and function.

Leaving the bridge, and appreciative Maserati fans, behind, I zip down to the mountain's base and reluctantly made my way back to the parkway, heading for the real world. In less than an hour I'd be back in the city, parking Maserati's topless freedom machine and considering which day of next week would be best for another impromptu break away. In the meantime I had some open road to enjoy with top-down touring. There's really no better way to spend time.

Drop in to your authorized Maserati dealer and experience al fresco motoring in a Maserati GranSport Spyder, and find out about our summer lease offer too.