COBI Maserati GranTurismo GT3 Racing Set 24567

COBI's Maserati GranTurismo GT3 Racing is built from 300 blocks under original Maserati licence, and includes a starting position and a garage as well as the car. Two figures are supplied, a mechanic and a driver. The wheels turn on rubber tires and all markings are printed.

What GT3 means, and why it matters

GT3 is not a model designation. It is a racing category, and it is the reason a Maserati can line up against a Porsche, a Ferrari, an Audi and a Bentley in the same race and finish within seconds of them.

The class was created in 2005 with an unusual principle: rather than write a narrow technical rulebook that every car must fit, the organisers let manufacturers build very different cars — front engine, mid engine, V8, V10, turbo — and then equalise them afterwards.

That equalisation is called Balance of Performance. Before each event, the governing body adjusts each model's weight, engine power, fuel capacity and aerodynamics based on how it has been performing. A car that wins too easily gets heavier. A car that struggles gets power back.

It is a deliberately artificial arrangement and motorsport purists have complained about it for twenty years. It also worked: GT3 became the most widely used racing formula in the world, with grids of forty cars from a dozen manufacturers, because a small team can buy a customer car and be competitive.

The GranTurismo MC GT3 was Maserati's entry, built from 2012 — the company's first factory-supported racing programme in decades.

In the COBI range

Sets 24560, 24565 and 24568 are the other Maserati models, including the Levante and a garage set.

Specifications

Pieces: 300 · Figures: 2, a mechanic and a driver · Licensed by Maserati · Starting position and garage included