Dark Seduction:
New York Nights by GranSport

A Maserati GranSport is sensational, particularly in Blu Nettuno, when set in a twinkling urban streetscape. Those of us who work hard and live in the 'burbs may not get to enjoy our cars as often as we should, but just nearby there is a personal road network every bit the equal of a long coastal highway: an empty city by night. What better city than New York, what better time than the holidays, and what better possible car than a 400bhp GranSport?

The GranSport thrums along the wet highway, Manhattan distantly visible in pre-twilight. The superb Maserati Stability Program is on, but in Sport mode it intervenes only when truly necessary. In the wet, if the throttle is applied with injudicious skill, it will allow the rear an almost imperceptible twitch, the delightful signature of a real sports car reminding its driver of all that spare torque. In some cars this would induce panic, but Maserati engineers know balance. Benign handling need not be dull.

Occasionally I execute a delicious double downshift with the race derived Cambiocorsa sequential transmission, and thrill to the throttle blips. It's a sound more heart-warming than jingling bells on this Christmas Eve. At every toll booth the collectors behave as if the sight of the Maserati is a gift. "What'll she do?" they ask. Impressed at "Over 180" a peel out is usually requested. I don't often oblige. This is a Dark Seduction, a seasonal gift to myself.

Over a late Hoboken dinner, I watch darkness draw down on the world's most famous skyline. The trickle of passengers from the PATH station gauges the draining of Manhattan. It is not yet a silent night in New Jersey, where partygoers, dog walkers and joggers stop to look at the car. As we take a few pictures, a man saunters over to ask about it and then calls to his nephew for a camera. "I didn't know what it was but I knew it was very special the moment I saw it. It's so good to see people really using these cars."

It's now a dry, cool night as the car burbles through the deserted Holland Tunnel. I vaguely recall the opening scenes of Gumball Rally as I consider the three choices at tunnel's end: city streets, the FDR Expressway by the East River, and the West Side Highway along the Hudson. The FDR is an evil temptation to speed. Gridlocked in daytime, at night it presents an open ribbon of highway with magnificent vistas and a surface that provokes occasional autocross-like maneuvers. A ticket would ruin Christmas. The West Side highway is similar but with traffic lights and a better surface. Urban exploration is all about the curves, the views, and topography; New York's surface roads provide them all. I slip an MP3 CD into the GranSport's stereo and head along 10th Avenue to the Upper West Side.

The questionable state of New York roads offers impromptu twisties. The GranSport's 19" wheels and sticky low-profile tires are pleasantly unperturbed by rough surfaces. In Normal mode the Skyhook suspension adapts beautifully, smoothly damping the worst New York can throw at it. In Sport mode both the suspension and the shift action are more firm, the feedback almost clairvoyant as one feels the tires grip with every turn of the wheel and application of throttle.

Turning from Amsterdam onto 79th and then onto a near-empty Broadway by Zabar's, I start south. Earlier this morning I'd driven here for our holiday goodies, and even the sidewalks seemed impassable. Now, well after midnight, I'm almost alone on the road to the Lincoln Center. Its Christmas tree has elegantly understated lighting, a perfect counterpart to the design of its buildings and the Maserati.

Ignoring the urge to use Columbus Circle as a skidpad, I head down Broadway to 57th Street and pause near 5th Avenue to see the giant snowflake marking the centre of New York's toniest shopping district. A Maserati Quattroporte is one of the few cars to pass; looking regal amongst the few remaining taxis, its driver slows and waves Happy Holidays.

With everyone in bed, Madison Avenue is mine. The traffic lights turn green in sequence for an unbroken run up to 97th, a drop down to 2nd gear for a perfectly clipped apex, and again onto 5th Avenue for a run beside Central Park. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art I finally catch a light and reflect on the artistry of this deep blue car, its taut muscular styling, the impeccable leather that cradles occupants, the unsurpassed driving position derived from decades of success.

I pause next to the Arsenal at Central Park Zoo, strung with lights, and then proceed to Grand Army Plaza, slipping onto Central Park South, around Columbus Circle again, and then down Broadway to Times Square. In less than a week this will be the center of the world as millions watch the ball drop at midnight. Now there are just a few local residents admiring the Maserati, which seems even more distinguished under the gaudy lights. "That is one beautiful car. I mean one beautiful car", says a man who stands admiring it long after his girlfriend has walked away, annoyed at being upstaged.

Hours earlier I rode in the GranSport with a person who questioned its value and averred a complete lack of interest in performance cars. After only a few miles my sister had changed her tune: "It really does handle like its on rails, I know exactly what it's doing on the road and it responds to me instantly." After 20 more miles she had decided that it was in fact worth every penny, maybe more. "I don't think I've been in any other car that makes driving so enjoyable. It's practical, and almost organic in design and build, it feels like an extension of my body. Now I understand why people fall in love with their cars." The GranSport makes enthusiasts.

From the center of New York to Rockefeller Center, I circle the grand Christmas tree. It's past 3AM but a few people yet linger around this seasonal sculpture of conifer and colored light. The GranSport is not outshone, attracting positive comments and questions from BMW and Porsche drivers who know that a sleeping city offers driving pleasure, suddenly aware that a Maserati offers still more.

I cross to Grand Central Terminal and then double back to the New York Public Library. It's a convoluted trip to 'touch' both. The GranSport excels, slicing through the barren streets in an orchestra of tires, gears and throttle, the fluid 4.2l V8 hovers happily near redline, echoing through the midtown canyons and Park Avenue Tunnel. I eventually continue down 5th Avenue to Washington Square before following Broadway to the financial district. In its midst stands a great bull, symbolizing the prosperity we enjoy and the optimism of the season. After seeking the very first glimmer of dawn over Brooklyn, it is time to head home and spend Christmas morning with the whole family. I've had my gift already.

The Maserati GranSport transforms the challenges we all know from daily life, like city streets made novel and exciting by night. Your authorized Maserati dealer can open the door to motoring adventure today.