Exclusive: GranTurismo S at Monticello Motor Club
It's not a track car, but it can play one awfully well

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- GranTurismo S – Belissima! - GranTurismo Comparo - Exclusive: GranTurismo S at Monticello Motor Club

Driving a GranTurismo S answers many questions such as "what is the meaning of auto enthusiasm for every day?" (Answer: "This car!").  It raises just one: I wonder what this would be like on the track?  There are really not very many long, sexy, limited production GT cars that one genuinely wants to take to a race track.  The GranTurismo S is one, from the moment you turn the key and hear that Le Mans Racer soundtrack from the tail pipes, to the first MC-shift 100 millisecond change, from every hard charge into an apex, to the moment when you shut the engine off and wonder why you didn't take a longer route home. 

Maserati designed the GranTurismo S as a genuine Grand Touring car and does not condone its street cars being used as sports racers, but we acknowledge the free-breathing 4.7 liter 433bhp V8 and the optimally balanced chassis can say 'track day' to some people.  And so it was that when the very exclusive new Monticello Motor Club invited Maserati to attend the grand opening of its members-only facility in the Catskills, we took along a GranTurismo S.  And a couple of professional drivers.  Just to see what the car could do. 

Monticello Motor Club is Metro New York's new automotive country club.  It is a 90-minute drive from the city, and a shorter ride by helicopter.  It features a marvelous multi-configuration, 22-corner track that can be used in formats up to four miles long.  Designed by famed racing champion Brain Redman and track architect Bruce Hawkins, with input from Mario Andretti, the challenging track includes numerous elevation changes.  Its amenities will eventually include luxury dining and accommodations, temperature controlled secure car storage and professional driving instruction.  The facility and its executive team are so well regarded that such noted car enthusiasts as Jerry Seinfeld and James Glickenhaus are charter members.

On Sunday July 27th Monticello Motor Club threw open its gates to invited guests and members for the inaugural laps of their exceptional new track.  The first laps of honor were performed by Brian Redman in his vintage Porsche and Mario Andretti in his World Championship winning Lotus.  Following them at some distance were charter members of the club, and among them was the Maserati GranTurismo S, perhaps the first of many to drive this circuit.

Following a heavy downpour, the GranTurismo S returned to the track in the hands of alternating professional racing drivers, giving hot laps to VIPs.  The first of these professional drivers, who prefers anonymity but assures us he is not named Stig, was shocked by how good the Maserati felt.  On his first return to the pits he asked  for confirmation of the car's 433bhp, and on his second he asked for confirmation of its weight. "The car is just surprisingly good. The power and above all the superb balance are hiding the weight. I couldn't believe that engine was rated at only 433 horsepower, given the way it feels; I thought the car was 600lbs lighter than it is." Driving in Sport mode to employ the 100ms MC-Shift he commented "it has incredible turn-in, little if any dive or squat, the brakes are nimble the steering weight fantastic, and it's entirely predictable through every corner on this track.  And this is a serious track.  Transitions were surprisingly easy - it seems to do everything incredibly well and for the serious driver I can say it feels very alive.  It feels amazingly refined, happy and secure, a perfect car for a tour across the Alps.  I think it is probably the best GT car I've ever driven.”  Asked about the others he has driven recently, our pilot mentioned the Audi R8, the Bentley Continental GT, the Aston Martin DB9, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and the Ferrari 575M – a great list, and yet he rated the GranTurismo S as better than all of them.

Equal praise came from 24 Hours of Daytona winner Anthony Lazzaro, who had the GranTurismo S on the track for a number of laps with passengers and camera crews.  Anthony is familiar with Maseratis, having taught at the Master GT school, and he is familiar with an incredible breadth of racing and GT cars through his successful career on track.  His first comment on the GranTurismo S?  “It inspires great confidence.  Monticello is a good place to test a car because it's a real track, and while I didn't go all out in this weather I can tell you this car is incredibly well balanced, it has unbelievable handling and it even seats four!  The fit and finish are impressive even for someone familiar with Maserati, but what strikes me most is that it's the best driver's Maserati.  It may be one of the very best cars available anywhere.”

We wondered how a GranTurismo S would perform at the track.  The answer is: very well.   Imagine how good it is in the habitat for which it was designed: the open road.