Dean is a founder Member of FMCC. You may have heard me say that about a few different members on this site but let’s put this in perspective. Dean joined me on the very first drive out on a chilly New Years Day of 2016. I am sure he was the first to refer to our gang as the Four Marks Car Club too!

Dean is a very good friend of mine and was so, a good few years before the club was founded. I am delighted to be featuring his beautiful Maserati GranTurismo. Here is his petrol head story in his own words – Greg G

My car story to date….

Growing up, my brother had the white Lamborghini Countach poster on his bedroom wall and I had the red Ferrari 308 – just like Tom Selleck drove in the TV show Magnum.

But this car dream remained, just that, during the period of family growing up, plus a divorce and life’s general expenses and priorities.

However, in the summer of 2012, I purchased a Ferrenzo 360 Spider. Based on the Toyota MR2, with Toyota running costs and insurance, yet looked (mostly) like my dream Ferrari.

I enjoyed several years of attending events and supporting various charities. At one such event, I was parked with Toyota to one side of me and a Ferrari to the other, and me in the middle. I was a morph of the two cars either side!

After a while I felt that it wasn’t a Supercar (with its 1.8 engine), and yet it didn’t appeal to me to attend Kit car or Japanese car events.

So in 2015 I became the genuine Supercar owner when I purchased a 2007 Maserati Granturismo.

Why a Maserati?

Well I love Ferrari but when at certain events I felt many people didn’t give them enough attention as they were common place, one after another, so I wanted a slightly different make and model.

The Granturismo was also a genuine 4 seater (practical for family trips out) and was within my budget.

Some say Maserati is the poor man’s Ferrari as it its co-produced by them, but I don’t care.

It’s a £100k 4.2lt, 400bhp 0-60 in 5sec car. Servicing is every other year (so gives me time to save up) and with under 40k miles, I hoped there wouldn’t be any issues. That wasn’t quite the case.

Shortly after buying it, although very good condition, I had it detailed inside and out with a ceramic coating. After which it really did look like new.

I have had a couple of things go wrong in the past 4 years, for which items ‘come as a whole unit’, so had to pay the Italian owners surcharge.

Most Maserati parts seem to start at £1000… and I’ve had two services (1 small, 1 large).

There is the phrase ‘if you have to ask how much it costs, then you can’t afford it’.

I think that’s true about car ownership but once bought you can try to justify the costs, and I do.

Unfortunately my family are still unexcited about travelling in it, so I still attend most events alone…but at least friends are able to join me if they wish.

It isn’t my daily drive but instead, does about 1500 miles a year. The infrequency of driving it almost adds to the appeal of the drive and still makes me feel proud to own her. Just as it did on day one.

For some that would be the definition of a Supercar…..

Cherished Number Plates

I’ve always had a interest in personalised number plates and bought my first plate in the early 90’s (before they were as popular as they are today).
The plate on my Ferrenzo was bought with the car. He was a boxer (quite a good looking guy so must have been pretty good) so F5GHT suggested FIGHT.
I already have a plate with my initials on my everyday family car, but in 2012 OWN111E was an unsold lot at a DVLA auction and I could see its potential (with 2 well placed screws); so I managed to secure it for the grand sum of £400.
I think it certainly looks the part and over the past 7 years it hasn’t caused me any ‘police’ issues.

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