TMC Chapter News
TMC Dealer visit to Maserati-Ferrari Orange County
by Maurice Khawam
Dealer president, Bill Story, discusses the durability of the New Spyder. Click here to download his discussion of the engine .
O n Saturday, April 6, 2002 the California Chapter of TMC organized a visit to the Ferrari-Maserati of Orange county dealership. The purpose of the meet was for the dealership personnel to present the new Maserati Spyder and discuss it specifications.
Upon arrival at the dealership we noticed that several important preparations had been made for this event. The staff greeted us cordially and Mr. Bill Story, president of the dealership, invited us to have some refreshment and Italian pastries in their courtyard. While we awaited the arrival of additional members, we could not help but notice the cleanliness of the place and the pride of the people working there. Wherever we looked, whether on the show room floor or in service area, the place was immaculate.
There were two new Spyders on hand, a silver car with a blue interior and manual transmission, already positioned on the hydraulic hoist to permit viewing from underneath, and a dark blue car that was sitting proudly on the lot.
Mr. Story delivered a very comprehensive presentation that highlighted the technological aspects of the new Maserati model. He was quite assertive in his remarks that Maserati is intended for daily use and the new generation of cars comes with a comprehensive 50,000-miles warranty from the factory.
Click here to hear Bill's discussion of allocations .
To illustrate the importance the factory is attaching to reliability, we were surprised to meet during the event, Mr. Luigino Barp, Technical Service Manager from the Maserati factory. His function in the USA is to inspect the cars now at the dealership to ascertain that all systems on the cars are working according to specifications. The blue car mentioned above had already covered about 2,000 miles of short 10-15 miles demonstration drives, with many drivers going in and out of it. From the appearance of the car one could not see any marks on the paint or even scuffing on the leather seats. The car looked pristine.
Mr. Story completed his presentation by showing us the ease of operation of the soft-top that was stowed automatically at the push of a button. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session that generated some interesting conversations later on.
As we were ready to leave the place, Mr. James Peacock a sales associate invited me to go for a ride in the blue car equipped with the new Cambiocorsa F1 shifting mechanism. As we pulled out he asked me if I had driven a car with the Cambiocorsa to which I answered negatively. To my surprise he pulled the new Spyder to the right of the road and asked me to take the wheel. After a quick briefing on its operation, I fastened my seat belt, selected first gear with the paddle shift, and pressed the accelerator. The first thing that I noticed was how light the car felt in spite of its curb weight.
As we rounded one corner and got on the main street behind the dealership, Mr. Peacock encouraged me to step on it. With a break in the traffic, the invitation could not have come at a better time. As I unleashed the 390 Italian stallions lurking under the hood, the car catapulted forward with the acceleration of a Navy jet taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. It was a great sensation of thrilling engine sound, the air rushing over the windscreen and that indescribable feeling that only Italian automobiles can generate. Certainly comparable accelerations and performance levels can be achieved with other automobiles. However none can make you feel as "one" with the car and keep you so connected to the road.
We all left enchanted by the visit and proud to learn that Maserati is again producing world-class automobiles worthy of the marque's illustrious name.