With the Maserati MC20, the Italian company returned to the old ways. The MC20, a mid-engine super sports car similarly sized to the McLaren 720S or the Ferrari F8, reinvents what the Maserati Corse (MC) stands for. As Maserati’s racing subsidiary, the Maserati Corse had a say in the development of the new mid-engine sports car giving it a proper racing pedigree. As the first Maserati mid-engine car since the Ferrari Enzo-based MC12 in 2004, the MC20 comes with a whole new chassis, a completely new, Maserati-engineered V-6 engine, and performance to match the best from fellow Italians, the Germans, and the Brits. Interestingly enough, if you visit the Maserati website right now, you will see that the Italians do not call this car a supercar; this is a super sports car, and I couldn’t agree more.
Bear in mind that this is NOT a continuation of the Gran Turismo in any shape or form. The MC20 forms a basis for a whole new family of vehicles within Maserati. The technology and spirit shown here will resonate within Maserati in years to come.
I believe you can guess that the development of a new car involves cooperation between numerous different companies and suppliers. In the case of the 2022 Maserati MC20, Tricolori choose to make it as Italian as they could. Engineered in the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena and designed by Maserati Centro Stile in Turin, the MC20 advance this idea to its extremes. This translates to the solutions and physical parts used to make the car as well.
Dallara, for example, a company that, among others, produces racing cars for IndyCar, worked closely with Maserati on the development of the chassis. Thanks to its carbon-fiber-tub design, Maserati managed to keep the MC20’s weight under 3,307 pounds (1,500 kilograms). Frankly, an astonishing accomplishment for a sports car with a length of 184 inches, a width of 86 inches, and a height of 48 inches. The chassis and the carbon-fiber-tub, although designed around the Maserati-engineered V-6 engine, support electrification. Actually, in the future, the most powerful and the fastest MC20 will be the one powered by electric power.
This Italian thoroughbred also features Brembo brakes (from Bergamo), Alcantara-covered parts of the interior (Milano), seats from Sabelt (Moncalieri), an audio system from Sonus Faber (Arcugnano), and many more features sourced from local companies. If you want heritage, well, there you have it!
One of the most important pieces, however, took shape in Modena - the engine.
Called Nettuno (from the name of the Roman God of sea and water called Neptun who carries a trident), the V-6 engine with three liters of capacity, twin-turbo setup, and a bit of F1 tech drizzled inside of it develops 620 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Quite remarkable!
To form an all-new power source with more than 200 horsepower per liter of capacity, Maserati engineers had to dive into the F1 engine development bin. There, they found something called pre-chamber ignition. The design Maserati engineers come up with includes a dual combustion chamber for each cylinder. Maserati had a thing or two to say about the tech: “A design which includes a pre-chamber, in which the main spark plug is installed. The air-fuel mixture is forced into the pre-chamber during the piston’s compression stroke. Near the TDC, the main spark plug ignites the mixture in the pre-chamber, triggering pilot combustion, then propagated (via special holes) into the conventional combustion chamber.”
This technology allowed for a higher compression ratio, a better combustion process that increases power and lower NVH levels, and, most importantly, meets emission requirements.
The tech did have its applications previously, but it is somewhat distinctive (if not even unique) today. True, Ford and Honda filed patents for something similar, so we may see it fruition even more in the coming years. Nevertheless, the twin-turbo setup, the pre-chamber ignition, three-liter of capacity, and two-injection system (port and direct injection), made the Nettuno engine one of the most impressive ICEs ever. While it revs to 8,000 rpm, it also develops 620 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, more than enough to propel a beautifully sculpted MC20 to 60 mph in less than three seconds.
Presenting the future of the Maserati brand as a whole, the MC20 become sort of a demo car for the brand. It had to be beautiful. Klaus Busse, Head of Design at Maserati explains that the hand-sculpted upper portion of the car had to link with the purely functional, computer-designed lower portion of the car. I think that Maserati knocked it out of the park, as the MC20 looks and feels distinctive enough with just the right amount of flamboyancy in its design. Just look at it in this Blu Infinito with red brake calipers. Astounding!
Italians did a thing or two to showcase the attention to detail the MC20 received. If you look closely at the engine cover, you can see that the openings used to cool the engine compartment look like a trident. Also, the Maserati name engraved in the headlights, as well as the fantastic carbon fiber engine cover (optional), along with Trident wheels, gave the MC20 a somewhat sophisticated feel.
Now, simplicity is an important part of the puzzle, as the interior is not as intricate as the exterior. While drizzled with carbon fiber bits, Alcantara, and fantastic seats, the interior gave in to modernity. You can find only a couple of buttons inside and a large screen at the center console. This screen, strategically lowered down so it does not interfere while the driver focuses on spirited driving, controls much of the functions. Some did report that this infotainment system could have a tad better interface, but I am a firm believer that if you spend enough time inside, you will get accustomed to it.
On the other hand, the central tunnel feature buttons for Tremec’s eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and a special dial to choose among four modes WET; GT; SPORT; CORSA; and ESC OFF (this is Corsa mode without any electronic aids). It all affects how the car behaves, and how electronically limited slip diff reacts to power inputs. Beware, Corsa and ESC OFF are tricky for an inexperienced driver. After all, this 620 horsepower V-6 machine can reach 124 mph in 8.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 mph. It is a dangerous piece of kit, no question about that.
This is the question no one knows the answer to. The MC20 had to be different compared to anything else coming from Italy. Also, it had to be relevant enough to reinvent Maserati’s place under the sun. I like it, and I think that it is a wonderful demo super sports car for the whole brand going forward. It remains to be seen, however, if its link with the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo (the engine, although heavily reengineered, still roots back to Ferrari F154 modular engine family), will cast a shadow of doubt on the whole enterprise. Nevertheless, there are a couple of Maserati MC20s for sale in the U.S., with an estimated starting price of $217,000. If you go nuts with the carbon fiber, carbon-ceramic brakes, and gizmos, you will end up north of $300k.
The 2022 Maserati MC20 is a departure from Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. While it does carry some of the same aura (and the steering wheel which is strikingly similar to that in the Giulia QV mind you), the MC20 showcases a new path for Maserati. It is ready for electrification, and its engine already adorns some of the other Maserati Corsa cars. Nevertheless, as a halo car, and a future racing car, the MC20 has to manage daily tasks. 150 liters of cargo space might be enough for luggage, but the real benefit of the Dallara chassis and butterfly doors is that it offers a seriously comfortable cabin with enough legroom and headroom. It is an easy car to live with. And that, I think, we have to take from all this - Maserati MC20 evolved into a daily drivable super sports car.