This Maserati GranTurismo Is Your Bargain Slice Of Timeless Italian V8 Sports Car Class

When a manufacturer releases a new car that looks pretty much like the old one, it’s good news for bargain hunters. You can end up with something that looks bang up to date for a lot less than people will think you paid.

Earlier in the week we reported on the new Maserati GranTurismo, a beautiful thing that somehow oozes both class and sex, like a metal-plated Scarlett Johansson. It’s one of the finest-looking cars of the 21st century, no question. But prices for this 4.7-litre V8 masterpiece of noise and theatre are going to start from around £90,000, making affordability something of a problem for most of us. Don’t forget that will easily pass £100,000 after options.

Worry ye not, though, because we’ve got a better idea. We quickly found this early GranTurismo on an 08 plate for a much more reasonable-sounding £25,000 – and check this: it has just 18,500 miles on the clock. Even plumping for an 80,000-miler will only save you a further £2000 or so, making this look like a steal.

It looks like it’s in fabulous condition inside and out, in classy black-on-black trim. The chromed 20-inch wheels are unmarked, says the seller, while the cabin boasts luxuries like heated electric front seats and sat-nav. Automatic bi-xenon headlights, parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, adjustable dampers – the list goes on. It’s definitely well kitted out. The GranTurismo doesn’t even need to challenge for speed records. It’s so achingly cool that it doesn’t need to do anything other than exist.

It’s the older 4.2-litre V8 here, but it still sounds like the song of the gods, and this one has the strong torque converter gearbox as opposed to the later MC Shift F1-style semi-auto unit that apparently needs clutch work every 12,000 miles or so, according to owners’ forums.

So, for less than the price of a high-spec diesel Golf from your local VW dealer, you could have a genuinely stunning and near-immaculate V8 GT. If you find yourself thinking about it for more than a single nanosecond, you might find you’re on the wrong website. Okay, okay, we know that you’re not likely to get a cheap lease deal or PCP on a nine-year-old Maserati, but still. We want it.