As our rental beige/silver Nissan Altima pulled into the lot, my dreams were dashed at once; not only was there a rather small selection of cars sitting out front, a majority of what was there to welcome as sucked to be blunt. I understand Rolls Royces are "premier" motorcars, but.. I think they're quite ugly, and are just not my cup of tea. I skipped all the Phantom and all six of the "holy" Ghosts, and tried to move on to the rest of this particular dealer's offerings.
I did see a scant few cars that piqued my interest, and I will start off with the Aston Martins; first thing I saw that I actually liked was the DBS Volante. I'm mixed on convertibles; they often look atrocious with the roof up, but when the sun is shining and the roof is gone, convteribles actually tend to look better than their hardtop offerings. Case in point is Aston's priciest (and best looking) vehicle. Starting off at a rather unmodest $286,460, this Aston isn't quite for the thin-walleted. Then again, no new Aston is. But if you have the money, why not? You get a 510 horse V12, a six-speed manual, and the ability to scream from a dead stop to sixty in 4.7 seconds. I do realize there are other, quicker cars that are substantially cheaper, but that's not the point. You buy an Aston to get noticed. As much as I like the 997, and Ferrari's 430 and 458 cars, and Lamborghini's Gallardo, I like the DBS for its exclusivity. For every DBS Volante I saw, maybe 4 997s passed and two 430 Spiders; Gallardos were so common I ended up getting bored mid-trip.
Next up is Aston's Vantage lineup, in particular the V12 Vantage; I normally don't like this bodystyle, and I am still lukewarm on it; this bodystyle dates back to 2005, and when it came out, the car was quite stunning. As I got older, I began to develop a rather sour taste to this cars; I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason they don't quite hold my attention like they used to. But, for something with a V12 in it, looks are definitely not the end all, be all. Aston Martin's oldest basic car is continuously updated to adhere to the needs of fresh buyers; in tradition British fashion, the majority of the body was left alone, but details have changed. Identifying the V12 Vantage are a new, easier-breathing hood, wider rear fenders, obviously, the V12. It can be yours for a more wallet-friendly $180, 535, and like it's bigger brothers, this one, too, is rather exclusive. Pony up the check now if you want one; it's scheduled to be replaced next year.
Moving on from the Astons, I found the Maserati section, or should I say, row. Like the rather minute selection of Astons, the Maserati pickings were quite slim, especially considering that this area is known for its abundance of wealth. Out of all four of the new Gran Turismos, this yellow one was by far my favorite; yes, the GT is rather common even out my way, but I still take notice when I see them. I will stand on my beliefs that the Gran Turismo will go down as a classic Maserati, unlike its rather bland Quattroporte stablemate. But the basic Gran Turismo wasn't the only thing to tickle my fancy from their Maserati selection....
The Gran Turismo is one of those cars I just love; I can't help it. Everytime a new variation comes out, I am immediately drawn to it, and this MC Stradale is no different; I usually frown on red cars, unless red is the only color choice, but man.. this thing is.. I completely stood there in silence, just scoping it out. For me, when a model gets updated, or receives a facelift--even a minor one, it's either a love or hate thing. This Stradale leaves my heart racing with glee. Never did I think that this wonderful car could be improved-- and I have been proved wrong. From the black wheels, to the meaner front fascia and rather sinister looking ass-end, this Maserati definitely has the right amount of look to justify the slightly improved cook. I will never own one (because they're too expensive), but man are they ever nice to stare at. Kudos to a job well done.
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