SPEEDY DOES IT

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT MASERATI’S EAGERLY AWAITED SUPER SPORTS CAR.


Motorheads everywhere have the Maserati MC20 on the brain, and for good reason. The new super sports car is a worthy successor to the MC12, and marks the Italian marque’s return to the world of racing. Not only does it combine performance, sportiness, and luxury, but it also boasts a new Nettuno engine, a 630 horsepower V6 with torque of 730 Nm that delivers 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 2.9 seconds and a top speed over 325 km/hour. It is a true technologic gem, already awarded an international patent that puts the MTC technology – the ground-breaking combustion system developed in-house – onto the world’s roads. The MC20 is an extremely lightweight car under 1,500 kg (kerb weight) and, thanks to its power output of 630 hp, comes out best in class in weight/power ratio at just 2.33 kg/hp.

This impressive record is achieved through the use of choice quality materials, exploiting all the potentials of carbon fibre without a single sacrifice when it comes to comfort. Overall, this revolutionary project has resulted in a car that epitomises Italian excellence. In fact, the MC20 was designed in Modena and will be built at the historic Viale Ciro Menotti plant, where the GranTurismo and GranCabrio models were assembled until November 2019. Noteworthy is the Virtual Vehicle Dynamics Development system based on a complex mathematical model called Virtual Car. This allowed performance of 97 percent of dynamic tests, optimising development times.

The car was then fine-tuned with exhaustive track and road test-driving sessions in varying conditions of use. The aerodynamics were designed through over 2,000 man-hours in the Dallara Wind Tunnel and more than 1,000 Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. The result is a sleek car with just a discreet rear spoiler that improves downforce without detracting from its beauty.

Oh, and we’d be remiss not to mention those look-at-me butterfly doors that enable optimal access to and from the cabin. Once inside, the driver is central, courtesy of simple forms and few distractions. Of the two 10-inch screens, one is for the cockpit and the other for the Maserati Touch Control Plus. Simplicity is also key when it comes to the carbon fibre-clad central console, with just a few features: a wireless smartphone charger, the driving-mode selector, two speed-selection buttons, the power-window controls, the Multimedia System controls, and a storage compartment. All the other controls are on the steering wheel. Production of the MC20 is scheduled to begin at the end of 2020. ✤

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