This Yellow Maserati GranSport Is Way Cooler Than A Used 911

For the first time ever, Maserati is getting into the engine building game. Its ‘Nettuno’ V6 is good for 613bhp, will rev to 8000rpm, and is set to appear in the new mid-engined ‘MC20’ supercar.

For the last time the company made anything close to that, we have to wind the clock back to 2007, the final year of production for the Gran Sport. To build it, the Maserati took the more GT-focused 4200 Coupe, dropped it by 10mm on revised ‘Skyhook’ adaptive suspension, and bumped the power up to 400bhp.

The engine providing that figure was a corker - the Ferrari-built F136, a revised version of which was powering the larger, waftier Gran Turismo until very recently. Unlike Ferrari-destined iterations of the F136s, Maserati’s derivative used a cross-plane crankshaft, making it arguably the sweeter-sounding lump of the two.

Even with the tweaks it still wasn’t as good as a Porsche 911, and for the amount you’d pay for a good Gran Sport now, a 996 or 997 would be a much more sensible choice. But life’s too short for a succession of good decisions, so if you do want to get hold of Maserati’s last kinda/sorta sports car, we have just the ticket.

This 2005 example is, according to the seller, one of only three finished in ‘Giallo Gran Turismo’ yellow in the country. In total, the UK population of Gran Sports is only a little over 500, so we can believe that, especially since most seem to be either grey, blue, black or silver.

In a refreshing break from the norm, the advert is fantastically detailed, noting the matching Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres, the recent fitting of new discs/pads, and even clutch condition.

There are some modifications, but don’t panic - they’re the kind of things you’d probably want to consider yourself further down the road anyway. These include Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale software for the Cambiocorsa robotised manual gearbox and a part-Larini exhaust system.

The Gran Sport has covered 68,000 miles, which is reasonably high for a car like this, but not excessive either. It’s up for £22,995.