It’s been 16 years since Maserati gave us the MC12 and four years since their last new car. Whether it’s because they are developing electric powertrains and want to start making thunder, or whether they realised it was a mistake lumping the luxury brand together with mass-market Alfa and needed a model to prove the contrary, or they needed some boost for declining sales in recent years, Maserati has finally revealed their newest halo car, the MC20.
MC stands for Maserati Corse (Racing), which also hints at the marque’s return to racing or they just want you to “race audaciously into a brave new future”.
While Maserati claims that the 3.0-litre V6 Nettuno engine is “100% Maserati”, there is Formula 1 influence and Ferrari and Alfa Romeo components thrown inside there. The mid-mounted mill, mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, churns out an impressive 620 horses and 538 lb-ft of torque to get the MC20 from standstill to 62mph in just 2.9 seconds, topping out at 201 mph.
The MC20 tips the scale at under a mere 1,500 kilogrames, thanks to the light carbon-fibre monocoque construction. The chassis was developed by Maserati and motorsport engineering company, Dallara, to accommodate all three versions of the MC20 – the coupe, convertible and, perhaps the carmaker’s real objective, electric – with just a little modification. Apparently, the designers spent more than 2,000 hours in a wind tunnel to achieve the final aerodynamic lines and look.
Form and function come hand in hand here: there are butterfly doors that never fail to impress and rear window vents are a nod to the marque’s trident logo.
The MC12 was restricted to a 50-unit production run, which has caused the value of each to increase over the years, but the MC20 will be a regular production model. Good news, then, if you want one because if you have at US$210,000, you can have one.
