(Photos provided by seller)

• Full-Service history

• Rare and desirable manual gearbox

• Beautifully presented

The premium 4 seater grand tourer marked the start of the rebirth of the three-pronged trident when the 3200 GT was unveiled in 1998. The svelte Italian Design coupe was powered by the proven and robust twin-turbocharged 32V 3.2-litre V8 and thanks to a significant improvement to build quality, the previous reputation of the brand underwent a transformation.

 With the cars core values of driver satisfaction and its inherited charisma intact, the brand was rewarded with its best-ever sales figures. Proving to be a genuine alternative to the usual array of Porsches and Jaguars, the 3200 GT offers a genuine slice of Italian brio, style and a genuine exclusivity. 

This comprehensively serviced 3200 GT from 2000 has seen a considerable amount of spending over the years, with evidence of careful ownership and its original features intact. The excellent bodywork and tidy interior suggest the car has been cosseted over the years and thanks to its full-service history, mechanically confident.

Bought by a doctor from Maranello sales in Surrey in 2000, the car has been passed over to several long term owners, until 2020, when it ended up in the hands of the current owner. Curiosity got the better of him when he came across the car on sale, aware of the kid gloves needed to own such a distinctive car, he fell for the gentle curves and incredible engine soundtrack.

As a genuinely passionate and knowledgeable car collector, he was unfazed by the car and has gone some way into improving it, which has seen several key issues resolved. The car is being placed for sale to focus on ongoing projects.

The previous owner had owned the car for 10 years and had ensured that they had kept on top of the maintenance and servicing. It has seen main dealer service attention right up to 81K, with specialists and main dealers stamps following afterwards. Recent work includes a brand new clutch kit, a new clutch slave cylinder as well as a bespoke stainless steel clutch release arm bush.

As part of the cars dedicated servicing schedule, the belts and tensioners were replaced by Maserati specialists in 2013, having only covered an additional 10K since then. Other works carried out within the last 5 years include new knock sensors (and paperwork to show its testing), a new thermostat, a new starter motor and paperwork documenting 2K’s worth of bodywork.

 It comes with its original handbook, service booklet and original unused emergency tyre inflator kit and tool kit. The car passed its last MOT with no advisories and lasts to April 2022. The car comes with three keys, including the original red master key and a full-width front number plate supplied.

The interior has been well looked after, and visually striking to match the exuberant nature of the character of the car, yet reveals a surprising level of practicality. Leather has been applied to almost every surface but works coherently adding a touch of class to the cabin. 

The Bordeaux leather seats show minor wear mainly focused on the driver's right-hand side bolster but overall they are in good condition with no rips, just a handful of minor scuffs and a couple of light indentations noted on the upper section of the passenger seat. The carpets and mats are good, with no signs of dampness noted. The headlining and door cards are tidy with no damage.

The luxurious dashboard is nicely presented, with a few minor scuffs but very reasonable considering the age of the car. There were no rips or significant signs of damage on the facia. The soft-touch plastics have been chemically treated, so the usual ‘stickiness’ has been largely irradiated. The piping and stitching detail remain unblemished.

Some of the vent bezels and the clock show wear but overall the dials and switches look presentable and all are said to function.  The car is fitted with a functioning Becker Mexico CD player. Both electric window lifts are operational and the air-con functions but may need re-gassing. The steering wheel is good, with a few minor marks. The gear stick and gaiter are in good order. The boot is in good condition, with no signs of damage or evidence of leaks.

The bodywork presentation is very positive, with no significant issues to report. The structure of the car is decent, with the floor pan, jacking points, boot and bonnet wells all looking solid. The sills and inner wings are good, with minor corrosion starting to emerge on the lips of the lower sections of the arches. Externally, the only significant metal blemish observed was noted on the nearside rear wing, just above the arch bumper section. 

The rest of the metalwork is in good condition, with a few minor dents noted on the doors, but are easily treatable by a specialist. The panel fit is very good, with even gaps throughout. The bumpers sit perfectly in place with no signs of abuse. The doors hang well, and open and close with no obstruction, the struts, hinges and rubbers well up to the task. 

The glass indexing when closing the doors falters on occasion but is reset when the engine has been running. The subtle Grigio Alfieri grey paint is well finished with a very good lustre, with no hazing or flatness. The colour really suits the lines of the car well. The car has recently been subject to a deep valet which exposed a handful of minor chips and small paint lamination damage but nothing significant in terms of distractions. 

The car's glass is in excellent condition, with no chips or damage noted. All of the glass rubber is in good shape, with no significant signs of wear or damage from outdoor elements. The headlamp covers are good, with no significant signs of ageing just a little condensation noted. All of the other lenses and the distinctive boomerang LED rear lights are good, with no damage.

 The other item that warrants a mention is the front grill, which is in excellent condition. The wheels have been refurbed recently, and therefore are in excellent condition with no signs of road wear or corrosion. They are complemented by a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, all of which are less than 3 years old with plenty of tread.

The owner has declared that the car is mechanically robust and has been reliable. The engine starts up without any issues and once it’s fired up, the engine runs well, with all of the warning lights remaining off. 

The car was left to idle, revealing no issues with the oil pressure or engine temperature. There were no signs of smoke after the initial condensation from the exhaust. A couple of gentle revs on the engine, suggest that the V8 runs sweetly with no excessive engine vibrations, with no unwanted noises stemming from the block. 

As one would expect for such a charismatic piece of engineering, the 3.2-litre engine simply sounds magnificent on the open road, but its driving mannerism needs to be considered, such as the slight looseness of the Getrag 226 manual gearbox, which is an inherited and well-known aspect of the car's dynamics. That said, the car has seen a new clutch, which has seen not much more than 100 miles. The fly-by-wire throttle system has a typically narrow band but functions well with no reported issues with either of the turbos. The upgraded sports exhausts are in good condition and do not appear to have any leaks. 

A quick inspection of the engine backs up the watertight serving schedule, with evidence that the car has been well maintained. The ancillaries and components all look good, with a little paint wear noted in places. 

The car brakes well, having seen a recent refurb to the discs and pads, confirming that there is no grinding while the car was in motion. The steering doesn’t knock, with the ride suggesting that all is well with the dampers and bushes. Electrically the car appears to be good and it has received a new battery.

Maserati has a reputation for building astonishingly beautiful supercars, add the brand's new-found sense of durability, the 3200 GT is capable of covering far more miles than any Ferrari. Its evocative power plant offers a genuine sense of driver exhilaration, combined with that unmistakable attention to detail and glorious styling. In a nutshell, there can’t be many other options for a 170 mph-plus V8 luxury GT for the money.

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