Affordable Supercar Series: Maserati

It may seem odd to some that the Affordable Supercar Series has yet to cover an Italian marque. Most people do think of that boot-shaped country whenever they hear the word "supercar." Well, there's good reason for such a delay. To tell the truth, very few cars from Italy can be described as both "affordable" and "super." However, we at Flappy Paddle Heads have persevered to find a car more super than a Fiat Panda and more affordable than a Lamborghini Countach.


This is the Maserati Coupe. It was Maserati's re-entry into the United States in 2002 under the ownership of Ferrari. Yes, the same Ferrari that makes your neck hurt every time one flies by in the other direction. This car could also be had as a convertible, or spyder in Italian parlance. The only other options to really consider are a proper 6-speed manual versus a automated single clutch manual called Cambiocorsa and a conventional suspension as opposed to the adaptive Skyhook suspension. I'll give you a minute to digest all that.

Luckily, there was no decision to be made when it came to the engine department. Stuffed in this gorgeous wrapper is a 4.2 liter V8 that produced atleast 385 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque. This was enough to catapult this 3700 pound grand tourer to sixty in 4.7 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13.2 seconds. Even with all that weight, it could still hold on to the skidpad for .88g and be hauled down repeatedly with fade free brakes.

All this performance and sexy understated sheet metal can be bought for as little as $27,000 according to current Ebay prices. My personal choice would be a 2004 Gransport which has a few more horses but a much better sorted set of suspenders. With prices that low, you won't be relegated to boxed wine and Chef Boyardee for a matching Italian dinner.

Specs courtesy of Caranddriver.com
Photo courtesy of netcarshow.com

Affordable Supercar Series (ASS)

This is a Turbo emblem, but not just any. It is an emblem that belongs to none other than Porsche.

The second car in our Affordable Supercar Series, I introduce to you the Porsche Turbo that mattered most; the 911. No doubt, I didn't have to show you a picture of the car for you to have figured that out.

Too bad, finding one under $40k is not going to be easy though. After double checking on Ebay motors, there are two for sale that include a "buy it now" price ($42k and $47). Another listing of a RUF tiptronic model exceeds $55k.

No matter, it's a sweet deal. And unlike the Aston DB7 Vantage that Chin introduced last time, the numbers don't have to make excuses for itself.
- 420 horsepower, 413 lb/ft.
- 0-60 times hover at 4.0 +/- seconds
- top speed exceeds 190 with a bit of a tailwind.
- This is the first production water cooled 911 twin turbo.
- The engine is a de-tuned version of the 1998 Le Man 24 hour winning Porsche GT1.

Even when handling that sort of velocity, the 996 is not the tree wrapping widow maker the 911's of the past were famous for being. Its advanced all wheel drive coupled with the PSM stability control offers settings that are more understeer oriented at normal mode to a sport mode that allows 7 degrees of slip. However, if you are the Stig, or maybe if you're just the kind of person that is very fond of pushing buttons clearly labeled "DO NOT PUSH THIS BUTTON!!!", you can turn the stability control completely off.

I guess all this power can come (relatively) cheap. But nothing is without its price. Purists, and even some of those who aren't, can't get over the egg-splatter headlights. I guess they aren't that great to look at. Bah, get over it. If anything, creating eyelids for a 996 can be a neat DIY project that you can later boast on Porsche forums.

-Danny Choy-

Affordable Supercar Series (ASS)

In this new series, we'll look at cars that were amazing in their time and can still hold their own today. We like all cars. So the cars in this segment may have decent performance but make you weak in the knees with beautiful aesthetics or they could rip your face off with blistering performance. The only steadfast criteria that we'll adhere to is that these cars with a bit of searching can be found in good condition for less than $40G. Without further ado, we present to you our first installment of our Affordable Supercar Series.

What better place to start than with Aston Martin? Today, they produce one of the sexiest cars and a car of the decade contender, the DB9. Oh yes! It is sexy. It will be a timeless classic. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though! No, you can not own a DB9 and call it affordable. However, you can put one of its predecessors in your garage.


This, dear reader, is the Aston Martin DB7 Vantage. She's beautiful, isn't she? Yes, she may have some problems like the shared DNA of the last generation Jaguar XK. Seriously, do you hold it against Angelina Jolie for having Jon Voight as her father though? Besides, this thing was designed by Ian Callum. IAN CALLUM!!! He's responsible for every Aston design since this car. This car started the design language that brought James Bond back into the driver's seat of this iconic British marque.

What's underneath that captivating sheet metal? The DB7 started life with ample power(325hp) coming out of a supercharged straight-6. That's enough to get you into and out of a good amount of trouble but it doesn't have the panache that is so deserving of an Aston. That is why the Vantage model was chosen. It packs a 5.9 liter V12 with heads from Cosworth which produces 420 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. This gets to the wheels through a 6 speed manual or... just forget about the auto.

Still need more numbers? This 4000lb GT hits sixty miles per hour in 5.1 seconds and gets through the 1320 after 13.6 seconds at about 106mph. It circles the skidpad with .85G, too.

Sure, we could sit here and think of cars, like the 370Z or Evo GSR, that have better performance figures and cost about the same as this used Aston. Who designed those, though? I guarantee Ms. Jolie won't be seen in a new one of those.

-Danny Chin-
Photo courtesy of netcarshow.com
Specs courtesy of caranddriver.com