On the lower console is a lever for either Maserati's superb rear mounted 6-speed manual or as in my tester, the Italian company's sensational 6-speed electro-hydraulically operated, steering wheel paddle actuated Cambiocorsa 'F1' transmission. While toned down slightly from Ferrari's slaphappy sequential manual gearbox, the 4200 GT's version is plenty assertive, positively engaging forward gears with a swift pat on the back when swapping intervals in the higher rev ranges while 'Sport' mode is engaged. Below 4,000 rpm or when 'Normal', 'Full Auto' or 'Low Grip' modes are chosen it shifts quite smoothly, but who wants to merely coast along when the Ferrari derived 390-hp 4.2-L V8 sings so beautifully in its upper rev range.
Feather its drive-by-wire throttle and a total of 330 lb-ft of torque is available from 4,500 rpm, whereas maximum horsepower is achieved at a stratospheric (for a V8 anyway) 7,000 rpm. With its dual overhead cams whirring and 32-valves panting heavily it charges forward to 100 km/h in a scant 4.9 seconds, quick enough to cause lightheadedness from blood depletion of the forward lobes. Intense is an understatement, but the entire process, reportedly right up to its 285 km/h (177 mph) top speed, is thoroughly composed and almost effortless.