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Vehicles Feature
Page 8 of 11 from The Best Cars Of 2001
Michael Frank

Best GT

The term GT has been so corrupted that it hardly means anything to American car buyers, but in classic automotive days (1920s and 1930s) GT stood for grand touring, which translated roughly as a car with very sporty character but good for longer runs over rougher roads because it had a long-enough wheelbase to take plenty of punishment. GTs weren't meant for doing the tightest slaloms, but they were built for all kinds of conditions in all kinds of weather and over lots of different terrain.

Today you have cars like the Ford (nyse: F - news - people ) Mustang GT muddying that definition, but it is nonetheless still worth noting that real GTs are cars like the BMW M3, the BMW Z8, the Jaguar XKR and, in some circles, even a Porsche Carrera qualifies, not to mention the new Ford Thunderbird.

Like we said, it's a slippery slope. But at the top of it, for us anyway, is the new Maserati Spyder.

It features all of the playful and direct driver responsiveness you'd expect from a real sports car, but without the nervousness you might get from a down and dirty racing machine. It's compliant over rougher roads (a real testimony for a GT), quite manageable even with its F1-style paddle shifters in traffic, and emits all the right buzzing, then roaring, then full-throated growling noises from its exhaust as you gear down to overtake someone on the highway.

If there's any car out there that's closer to a perfect GT, then you'll find a feud between the BMW M3 and the latest Porsche Carrera. The BMW--with a true backseat--is almost more practical than a real GT might need to be; the Carrera is a lot closer, though some might call it more of a sports car than a true GT. Any way you slice it, however, the Maserati is fabulous and the most rare of the trio in the U.S. right now.


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