Earlier this month, following the “mule” tests, the new Maserati MC20 sports car’s first full prototype is undergoing a series of road and track tests in various conditions of use. This is done to acquire vital data for the preparation of the car’s final setup.
The Maserati MC20, which stands for Maserati Corse 2020 (the car was initially scheduled to make its debut last year), is a two-seater, mid-engined sports car. It is presented as a successor to the high-pedigree racers that form an integral part of the brand’s DNA, particularly the MC12: the 25-units limited-production two-seater produced between 2004 and 2005.
The MC20 has a 3.0L V6 Nettuno engine, producing 630 horsepower. Its reported weight of just under 1,500 kg means it has the best-in-class weight-to-power ratio at 2.33 kg/hp. It also means 0-100 kmph acceleration under 2.9 seconds and a top speed in excess of 325 kmph. The “patented, 100% Maserati engine” features the “Maserati Twin Combustion” (MTC) technology – an innovative combustion system developed for Formula 1 powertrains.
The MC20 “can storm around the track but also perform superlatively on the road,” claims the brand, as it is designed to combine driveability, comfort and safety in equal measure. The car’s interior is built around a carbon fibre monocoque, designed in partnership with Dallara, the legendary Italian race car manufacturer. The monocoque has been developed from the outset for all three iterations of the MC20 to be presented in the coming years: the coupé, the convertible and the electric version.
The MC20 is currently engaged in a series of intensive cold-weather trials on the snow-covered roads of the Valtellina and at the Ghiacciodromo Livigno (Sondrio), Italy’s most notable snow and ice circuit.
During its cold-weather mission, the prototype car was tested to evaluate the engine’s cold start, the low-temperature performance of its elastic components and the car’s handling on cold and low-grip asphalt surfaces. The test is also performed to verify the Climate Control System’s correct functioning in cold conditions, along with the battery, suspensions, and brakes.
In the course of these real-world tests, the prototype MC20 is also scheduled to visit several landmark Italian locations, before returning to Modena. The MC20 was last photographed at night in Piazza degli Affari in Milan, below Maurizio Cattelan’s sculpture LOVE, a symbol of Italian audacity in international contemporary art.
The MC20 was designed at the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena and will be built on a new production line at the site where the marque’s models have been born for 80 years – Viale Ciro Menotti. The MC20’s all-new production line is located in the same area where the GranTurismo and GranCabrio cars used to be assembled, and will be completed at an all-new painting plant.
