I was reading the new Car & Driver (December Issue) and found the review of the new Maserati Spyder (soon to be released in the USA) quite interesting.

For those that are unfamiliar with the family tree Maserati is owned by corporate giant Fiat who also owns Ferrari. Ferrari was given the task of developing the Spyder (convertible) from the Maserati 3200 GT Coupe.

There are many neat things about this car such as a great Ferrari engine as well as there should be for an estimated selling price of $95,000 US. Figure on that being over 100 grand when it finally makes it here.

Now one would think that a car developed by Ferrari that will sell for 100 grand should be a high quality piece right? Well I found the following excerpt quite revealing;

Now you expect that from a Chrysler Sebring or other low priced drop top but a 100 grand Italian sports car? It is obvious that the Italians are not above taking shortcuts by just chopping the top off their coupe design and sending it to market.

Now to my point. Drivers of this car are sure to feel smug when they pull up next to our S2000s. They after all have spent 100 Grand and we after all are driving a 33 grand Honda.

Imagined verses real quality.

The reality is they will be driving a 100 grand chop job that will shake and rattle itself to death over every uneven road surface. It is not a car designed from a blank sheet of paper to be a drop top.

The S2000 on the other hand handles uneven road surfaces as if it was carved from a single block of steel. It was not a cheap derivative of some other corporate car. It was engineered to a specific price point so sure the carpet is not plush and the leather is not of the same quality but the chassis sure as Hell has them beat hands down. What is more important to you? Honda spent the money in the right places if you appreciate actually DRIVING the car rather than just being seen in it. I suspect the Honda won't shake itself to pieces either.

It is also interesting to note that the 100 grand Maserati also has a plastic rear window.

IMHO you can have "Imagined Quality" for 100 grand or some "Real Quality" for 33 grand.

Just what I was thinking after I read the review.

 

Well said.

 

I'm not sure the buyers of that car will be so interested in quality. In fact, Maserati has never been notable for such if one does a little homework, and the price clearly indicates that it's buyer can afford to live with poor quality as they have done for years with cars of the same ilk.

Andrew

 

It is unfortuantely true that the current 3200 series are still some way off the bench mark for build quality and QC

On the other hand Luca Montazemolo has made bringing Maserati back to the fore his personal challenge, if you were to look at the Ghibli, Biturbo etc. that preceeded him taking the reigns you would see the tremendous improvements already made

We do tend to pick up on some of the S2000s weak points but you really have to respect the strength in depth and engineering experience that Honda brought to bear to produce such a competent car at this price!

Maserati will get there, if you look at what is in the pipeline for the future it looks pretty exciting (and much more competitively priced too!)

 

most people tend to think the price tag directly reflects the car they drive....you can over pay for crap but it's still crap

 

Well said del..... Someone else posted that the Honda S2000 is like it was carved out of 1 piece of steel. No Rattle Traps for me, and this is just one of a very, very long list of reasons why I bought a S2K. Later, Kevin

 

Well said Bieg.

The "carved out of one piece of steel" feeling is one of the main reasons why I bought the car. The S2K feels more solid than many hardtops. The long litany of complaints about the quality of the carpet, the stereo, etc. on this board has never bothered me.

Welcome back by the way.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by David
[B]Well said Bieg.

The "carved out of one piece of steel" feeling is one of the main reasons why I bought the car.

 

Bieg, I wouldn't say it's quality, I would say it's poor engineering. Something like that is simply inexusable. It's not like Ferrari doesn't know how to make seriously rigid convertibles - look at all the Spyders in their lineup over the years.

When it comes to the Maser, you're probably paying mostly for the drivetrain, the hand assembly and the gorgeous interior, but to hear that structural rigidity is lacking is disappointing to say the least.

That said, the structural rigidity of the S2000 is a pinnacle.

 

I tend to agree with you, Bieg. I think Ferrari, as many other car makers, really took a nosedive in the 80's and due to Fiat they really produced a lot of Ferrari's that were just kind of cheesily put together with cheap components in the interior...I'm talking things like switches and dials and gizmos on the inside of the car - of course, the cars still had magnificient Ferrari engines (the v-12 in the 512TR being an example). If you want to look at crap Ferraris, look no further than the Mondial.

Build quality in the 80's was almost a forgotten art in cars in general, IMO. I have said many times how Roger Smith almost singlehandedly destoyed GM as a credible and capable auto manufacturer and even Ferrari was not immune from some of those kinds of issues back then - due IMO to Fiat's influence. And using your example, the Biturbo? Ack...what a POS. It always seemed to me to be a hack Ferrari that no one really took seriously.

And now a new Maserati...hmmm. I guess they think old farts need with too much money need something to do if they can't afford a REAL Ferrari, like the 360 Spider. Finally, after years of Ferrari's that didn't quite live up to their heritage...the 360. Oh yea...man, that is the world's most perfect car.

That said, I have ridden in S2000's that have their share a quirks, rattles and tops that don't close perfectly etc. But it's still a Honda and the build quality is high, but I get your point. This car is a DRIVER'S car...it's one serious machine...not suited for posing or boulevard cruising, but hey, if that's what someone wants to do with it...go for it.

Nice post...