Formula 1: 2008 Season

Ferrari F2007 vs F2008
After a first-year run of hosting all of the Formula 1 races live at the dealership, we’re pleased to announce that we will be hosting all of the races during the 2008 season as well. On March 17, the season gets underway and like last year, we’re planning a big event to celebrate. (Conveniently it’s also St. Patrick’s Day.)

The 2008 season should be exciting – last year’s championship wasn’t decided until the final race, we’ve got two new tracks including a night race in Singapore, traction control has been banned, and as always, we expect plenty of drama.

Come enjoy the camaraderie of a group of race fanatics as we celebrate the wins, debate the losses, and participate in the car hobby throughout the year. Throughout the 2008 season we will be adding additional after-race drives, car shows, and other enthusiast events.

I’ve loaded the entire 2008 schedule into this calendar: (times posted = door opening times – subject to change as events are updated)


To view or subscribe to this Google Calendar click here.

I maintain an e-mail announcement list for the Formula 1 events here at the dealership, for all of the Cars & Coffee events, and other events of interest to high-end automotive enthusiasts. To sign up for this list, send me an e-mail mark.potter@morries.com. I send out an e-mail once every two weeks on average – so don’t worry about your inbox being filled with junk.

Maserati \ Ferrari \ Alfa Romeo V8 Lineage

Did you know that the V8 under the GranTurismo’s hood has some sisters?

This engine was originally developed in an engineering partnership between Maserati and Ferrari, while Maserati was under Ferrari’s full control. This engine would be the heart and soul of Maserati’s reintroduction to the United States market, and would become Ferrari’s first all-new V8 engine since the 1950’s. (The Ferrari 360 was the last car to use an engine based on the Dino V6 and V8 engine lineage that began in 1955: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_Dino_engine)

This V8 comes in 3 main flavors – Maserati’s 4.2L, Ferrari’s 4.3L, and Alfa’s 4.7L:

Maserati GranTurismo
92.0 x 79.8mm
4244cc
11.1:1
400hp@7100rpm
339lb-ft@4750rpm
7500rpm redline
Variable intake valve timing

Ferrari 430 Scuderia
92.0 x 81.0mm
4308cc
11.9:1
503hp@8500 rpm
347lb-ft@5250 rpm
8500rpm redline
Variable intake and exhaust valve timing
Variable intake manifold
Flat-plane crankshaft
Dry-sump lubrication

Alfa 8C-Competizione
94.0 x 84.5mm
4691cc
11.3:1
444hp@7000rpm
347lb-ft@4750rpm
7500rpm redline
Variable intake valve timing
Dry-sump lubrication

Fangio Footage

I ran across some great vintage racing footage of Fangio behind the wheel of the Maserati 250F:


“In his memoirs, Giulio Borsari, one of the most famous mechanics to have worked for both Maserati and then Ferrari, says “the Nürburgring is recognised as Fangio’s greatest victory in his entire career: on that occasion he drove impeccably, sealing his fifth world title.””

“On lap 12, Fangio came into the pits for his planned tyre change, but unfortunately, the mechanics lost a rear knock-off spinner under the car. Fangio, frustrated to say the least, not only sat and watched as his advantage was lost but also saw the distance between him and the leading car increase dramatically. When he got back into the race, the “Maestro” was 45 seconds behind the first Ferrari. Fangio recalled: “I was really disappointed. I was on the way to win the race and take my fifth world championship, but there were only 10 laps to go and I realised that there was little hope of winning unless I managed to do something very special.” “

“Although after the race Fangio declared “I had never driven like that before, and I knew I never would again”, his courage, strength and sensitivity led him to win a magnificent victory on the Eifel mountains. With this success, he earned a permanent place in Formula 1 history and legend. And with him, so did the 250F.”

Maserati has setup a great minisite to celebrate Fangio’s success behind the wheel: maseraticelebratesfangio.com

Quattroporte Collezione Cento

Unveiled at the Detroit Autoshow, the new Maserati Quattroporte Collezione Cento is a limited edition masterpiece.

Created from brand new materials and constructed using traditional methods, the Collezione Cento is dedicated to those looking for the last word in luxury, but who do not want to compromise on comfort and advanced technology.

The car’s elegant Avorio livery, with its contrasting air vents, catches the eye. The chrome honeycombed front and side grilles give the berlina an executive air while the 20″ ball-polished rims provide a refined look.

The interior oozes taste with its tan Poltrona Frau seats. These feature diamond shaped stitching and colour coordinated button covers. The new polished Wenge wood can be found on the steering wheel and central console, a characteristic enhanced by the mother-of-pearl insert that spells out the name of the car and traces the Trident set in the gearknob.


Conceived for technology buffs, the ‘Maserati Multimedia Entertainment’ integrated system has audiovisual functions that can be accessed via two 10.4″ touchscreens set in the back of the front headrests. The system also boasts a hi-fi set up equipped with Bluetooth headphones. Using the internet and sending emails is easy thanks to the keyboard that folds away inside the armrest.

This new take on luxury and innovation is achieved by employing original styling cues. These create an immediately warm and welcoming interior, but one that is, at the same time, both smart and modern. The numbered plate set in the dashboard, running from 1 to 100, is another sign of the car’s exclusivity.

Master Maserati Driving School

After a hugely successful 2007 season, Maserati is once again offering a full season of performance driving instruction with their world-class ‘Master Maserati’ program. This represents your chance to learn from some of the best drivers in the world – 10 instructors under the direction of Ivan Capelli (Veteran of 98 Gran Prix races in F1). Vehicles include the brand new GranTurismo (5), the brand new Quattroporte Sport GTS (2), as well as the GranSport (6), and Trofeo Race Cars (2).

The 2008 Maserati Master GT 2-Day driving course is organized by Maserati Spa, open to existing and potential owners, with an emphasis on the GranTurismo and safe driving techniques. The course takes place at the Varano de Melegari autodrome, a technically demanding track perfectly suited to driver training. The track boasts centrally controlled artificial rain, low grip resin, a skid machine, on-board telemetry, and lecture room with video-replay feedback.

Groups of 24 people per course are split into 3-4 smaller groups of 6-8 participants each, with track time broken up among the different vehicles, and progressing from classroom theory through demonstration laps in the Maserati Trofeo. Topics covered include emergency braking, power oversteer with and without ASR, high-speed pendulum turns, a high-speed contest, and laps on track following a “pace” car – under a green not yellow flag… Educational sessions are broken up with on-track time with telemetry analysis.

Each exercise is tailored to improving your skills as a driver, and to get the most enjoyment out of your current or future Maseratis. After all – these cars are meant to be driven, and with Maserati’s 90 years of racing history – its in their blood.

  • Dates: 23/24 April, 28/29 May, 10/11 June, 27/28 August, 18/19 September, 8/9 October, 27/28 October
  • Accommodations at Hotel Palace Maria Luigia, a 4-star superior hotel in Parma, Italy. Dinners at exclusive local restaurants, lunches at the track.
  • Price: € 3700 (incl. VAT) per participant, all-inclusive; €784 per companion


Speaking of racing, new for 2008 is the Master Maserati Master Racing program.

The Master Maserati Racing course is designed for a limited number of participants, who can now spend a whole day at the wheel of the Maserati Trofeo and the Maserati GranSport. This is a unique opportunity to experience the thrill of Maserati competitions with the support of a highly professional staff and the latest equipment.

  • The Racing course is limited to 12 participants, and utilizes the Maserati Trofeo, GranSport, and GranTurismo vehicles.
  • Cost: €3999 per participant, all-inclusive

For more information, or to sign-up, please e-mail me: mark.potter (at) morries (dot) com

8 Championships in 3 Years

[from MaseratiMonthly.com]


“The final three races in the FIA GT Championship season proved one thing: The Maserati MC12 is a must-have for any team or driver with ambitions to win championships. Over those last three races, Maserati has clinched the Manufacturers’ Cup, for the second time in three years, and Vitaphone Racing has pulled off the unprecedented feat of a third consecutive Teams’ Championship. Thomas Biagi clinched the Drivers’ Championship, the second year in a row a Vitaphone driver has taken the title. For good measure Ben Aucott has clinched the inaugural Citation Cup, the trophy for ‘gentleman drivers’… While the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Corvettes put up an admirable fight, at the season’s end it was Maserati alone that won every championship in the series, for drivers, teams, and manufacturers.”

Long story short, the MC12 was on every podium in 2007, except 1, and in three years of competition, the MC12 has won 2 Manufacturers Trophies, 3 Team Titles, 2 Drivers’ Crowns, and the 1st ever Citation Cup.

50 years after Fangio, Maserati is still proving they have what it takes to win.

“I’ve raced and won in cars of all marques but I always had a special relationship with Maserati: not only were the cars safe, reliable and always absolutely technically avant-garde, but there was a very special friendship and atmosphere between myself and the marque. I felt completely at home.”

– Juan Manuel Fangio, 1957
Five Times Formula One World Driving Champion
1957 Formula One World Driving Champion for Maserati

Alpina B7 Video Walkaround

My second video is now complete and online. This proved to be much harder than the GranSport Spyder. I took about 20 minutes to research and take notes, but still had a bit of trouble with my narration. This took me about 10 tries to get all of the video together, and needed more editing than the previous video, but I’m happy with the outcome. Considering these are the first two videos I’ve created start to finish and uploaded to YouTube I think I’m doing alright. The biggest challenge might actually be fighting my perfectionist tendencies.

Here is a player which should automatically load all of our movies, with newest first:

In addition, here is a link to our video channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=maseratiofmpls

Maserati GranSport Spyder Walk-Around

While many technologies, start-ups, and trends come and go on the internet on an almost weekly basis, its clear video is here to stay. Cars in videos is nothing new, but we are going to start offering video walk-arounds of select cars for sale, and eventually every car in our inventory. This video is the first of the bunch, with many more coming soon.


Have some feedback? Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

I’d love to hear them: mark(dot)potter(at)morries(dot)com

Car Magazine Video: Maserati GranTurismo Alfa 8C Competizione Ferrari Scuderia

These are the hottest Italian cars of 2007, and Car Magazine decided to do a quick group test. Here is video from the article appearing in the Jan ’08 issue of Car:

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Video/Search-Results/Video/Features/From-Monaco-to-Modena-1/

GranSport Zagato Followup: Video

This is in follow up to a previous post about the GranSport Zagato, which can be seen here: http://maseratiofminneapolis.blogspot.com/2007/05/zagato-bodied-gransport-spyder.html