The car received a 5 star rating, the maximum possible. Barker’s first encounter with the car was in an underground car park yet the journalist was still stunned: “It seemed really menacing; a loaded gun with the trigger cocked. It was a predator primed to pounce on its prey. The dark wheel rims and added air scoops make it a car that means business. When the V8 comes to life, it really takes the breath away. The noise from the exhaust sounds like an explosion. Fantastic. I couldn’t wait to try it out”.

Barker’s enthusiasm was not dimmed after the roadtest as he showed he understood where the car was coming from: “With the transmission in automatic mode it is a comfortable and elegant coupé that instantly makes you forget about the stress of rush-hour traffic. The drive is smooth, the tyres deal with uneven surfaces without jumping about or making odd noises and the single-clutch electro-actuated manual transmission shifts gear without any fuss”.

Even with the car on the limit, the reaction is positive: “everything happens gradually; there are no surprises. Thanks to the perfectly weighted steering you feel straight away when the front end loses grip; in a straight line, the rear tyres really bite into the road”. Barker was especially keen on the feeling of security transmitted by the car: “when you aim the Stradale at a curve, you know exactly what is happening. The front end points into the apex and if it skids a bit just tapping the accelerator brings the back end into line”.

The interior also gets a nod of approval: “The care that Maserati was taken with the MC Stradale’s detailing is unmatched and no expense has been spared inside”.
The conclusion to the article sums up Barker’s impressions: “The MC Stradale takes the GranTurismo to a level of ability, performance and interaction that previous models could only dream of. It also has fantastic looks”.
The article includes a series of images of the car and opens with a double-page shot of the Maserati on the move that forms the backdrop to the text.