Photography by Cordero Studios.
Maserati Trofeo
February 1, 2006
The car is not street legal, but that didn’t stop us from taking a test drive
on some of the most heavily policed roads in Napa Valley, without a license
plate. This sort of stunt is not recommended, chiefly because racecars are not
the easiest to parallel park, especially those that lack rearview mirrors. Also,
because racing slicks need to warm up for a few laps to be anything approaching
effective, traction was less than ideal for street use. So we learned very
little on this drive, except that the more obvious you are about driving
something illegal, the less likely you are to be ticketed. I did learn that the
Trofeo’s free-flowing exhaust can be heard for miles away, echoing off distant
hills, and that the suspension is obviously tighter than that of the average
GranSport, a point that was driven home time and again as my helmet rattled
against the roll cage with every bump in the road.
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A street-scraping front air dam and Pirelli racing slicks confine the GranSport
strictly to the racetrack. (Click image to enlarge.)
The real lesson is that the Trofeo GranSport is a racecar and should be treated as such. Trofeo drivers undoubtedly enjoy a fantasy season as members of one of the world’s most famous racing legacies. When their job is done, they also have the option of taking home one of the most beautiful GT cars on the planet—complete with a fire extinguisher and a rear spoiler that could do double duty as a piano bench.
For the privilege of Trofeo participation, visit your local Maserati dealer
and complete an application. If Maserati thinks that you have the right stuff,
it will certainly be in touch.
Maserati Trofeo, www.maseraticorse.it
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