New Maserati: $200,000 and it's yours

By Alastair Sloane

Well-heeled New Zealanders who want to get into the new Maserati 3200GT will have to join the queue. Auckland's Continental Cars, agents for the Ferrari-built Maserati, has been allocated six models for 1999 and has already received three.

It is about to deliver the first - an automatic - to its Auckland owner. But, in an embarrassment of riches, it has received 12 inquiries from potential buyers since the car was unveiled at Formosa Golf Club last weekend.

The six-speed manual model costs $188,000 and the automatic $193,500. Optional extras such as heated seats with seating position memory, electronic suspension and wood or carbon-fibre interiors will push up the price of each vehicle to between $205,000 and $210,000.

Maserati is limiting production of the 3200GT to about 7000 cars, 2500 of which will be right-hand-drive.

The allocation from the factory in Maranello, Italy, to New Zealand and Australia this year is about 60 cars. Maserati in Australia says its 50-odd cars are sold.

Last year Maserati sold 518 cars worldwide, down from 700 in 1997. This year it expects to sell more than 2300 and in 2000 more than 2500.

The 3200GT is the latest offering from the almost-forgotten Italian supercar-maker, bought by Fiat in the early 90s and taken over and given an injection of cash and technology by Fiat-owned Ferrari in 1997.

The two-plus-two coupe, weighing 1590kg and powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.2-litre V8 engine producing 271kW and 490Nm of pulling power, sprints to 400m in 13.3 sec and on to a top speed of 280 km/h. State-of-the-art safety equipment is standard.

The 3200GT borrows from Ferrari's parts bin and has been built to take on Jaguar's XK8 and the Porsche 911. It is slightly longer than the Porsche and from the front resembles the Aston Martin DB7, which shares bits and pieces with the Jaguar.