Maserati Live-Stream Debuts Its MC20 Supercar – Robb Report

For Maserati, it takes an especially fast car to escape Ferrari’s red-tinged shadow. We can now consider the new Maserati MC20 as a 202mph declaration of independence, now that ex-Ferrari stealing cousin in the Fiat Chrysler family – it has spun off for its adoring public.

Maserati live streamed the debut of its $ 210,000 MC20 from New York, Tokyo and Modena on Wednesday, featuring Robb Report enjoying a private show of the vehicle at the Classic Car Club Manhattan. Maserati views its mid-engine beauty as the avatar of a new competitive era, including electric models to come. While their previous supercar, the 2004 MC12, shared a chassis, V-12 engine and gearbox with the Ferrari Enzo, Maserati executives are proud to call the MC20 “100% Made in Modena”, the historic home of the brand in Italy since 1940.

Federico Landini, executive of the MC20 vehicle line, said that “Building the MC20 in Modena is like producing tortellini and balsamic vinegar there; it is part of the genetic makeup of the community, part of our company, part of us ”.

Racing has also been close to the heart of Maserati, including its now-distant days of Formula 1 championships and driving legends like Nuvolari, Fangio and Moss. And the MC20 will mark Maserati’s return to track competition after its post-MC12 absence.

Photos of the MC20 do it little justice, masking its suggestive length and eluding key details. Backlit on a platform in New York, the MC20 brings the necessary Italian warmth, including the underwater muzzle that remains a Maserati signature, and a new version of its famous Trident insignia. Maserati says vertical headlights go back to the 1953 Maserati A6 GCS for inspiration, even if they aren’t round. The Trident is repeated on the rear roof pillars and abstractly on the transparent polycarbonate engine cover.

Metal jewelery along the doors allude to the brand’s familiar porthole motifs. However, the MC20 eschews cartoonish supercar accessories in favor of a stylish understatement, including subtle but functional shapes for the hood heat extractors and side radiator inlets that virtually disappear when viewed from certain angles.

According to the engineers, the MC20’s wind tunnel aerodynamics create so much downforce that no flashy rear wing was required, just a lip spoiler with a radius as finely carved as a Beaux Arts cymbal. That glossy porcelain feel is enhanced by the “Bianca Audace” paint, which combines a warm white matte with hues of mica blue for a striking effect.

Butterfly doors provide the theatrical drama that many supercar viewers demand, along with easy entry and exit. The button-operated doors swing up and out to expose the front wheels and the bravura carbon fiber passenger cabin. That lightweight monocoque helps keep curb weight at a slim 3,306 pounds. The chassis will support an MC20 coupe, followed later by convertible and electric versions, as Maserati also develops plug-in replacements for its now-retired GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible.

Maserati, so used to the reflected glory of its Ferrari-based power plants, finally has an engine story of its own to tell. The in-house “Nettuno”, the first power plant built by Maserati since 1998, should become the most powerful V-6 in production. The biturbo screamer develops 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque with just 3.0 liters of displacement or 207 horsepower per liter. Put those specs together and Maserati claims to have a class-leading power-to-weight ratio against rivals like the McLaren 570S, Lamborghini Huracan Evo, Ferrari F8 Tributo and Acura NSX.

Maserati sets the car’s zero to 60 mph run in less than 2.9 seconds, and claims it can cover zero to 120 mph in less than 8.8 seconds. And we’re eager to see how the V-6’s soundtrack stacks up against the V-8 and V-10 rivals, or those Ferrari-powered Maseratis.

Rear driving rhythm is via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, with a standard limited-slip mechanical differential or optional electronic unit. Brembo brakes grab 20-inch alloy wheels, with carbon ceramic brakes as an option. A full double wishbone suspension integrates active dampers.

The patented V-6’s superior performance power, including a 7,500-rpm redline, is aided by a world first for a production car: dual-spark combustion technology, which Mercedes-AMG first introduced in the Formula 1 racing. Each cylinder has two combustion chambers and two spark plugs. A mixture of air and fuel is ignited in smaller prechambers, which have specially designed orifices that direct jets of combustion gases into the lower chambers for a high-power final ignition.

Maserati engineers say the technology increases the output of the 3.0-liter by about 120 hp, without great cost in fuel economy. The engine easily has the lowest displacement in its class, smaller even than the 3.5-liter V-6 in the Acura NSX hybrid. The dry sump lubricated V-6 is the first fruit of the Maserati Engine Lab, where more than 100 engineers, technicians and skilled workers will develop and assemble the brand’s powertrains of the future.

The cockpit is reminiscent of McLaren with its no-nonsense, driver-first approach. The black interior surfaces and dark upholstery are intended to prevent reflections from the windshield. The comfortably bolstered Sabelt sports seats feature chevron print etchings for Alcantara inserts, with optional racing hubs. Carbon fiber wraps around the center tunnel and the thick-grip sports steering wheel is accentuated by dark aluminum shift paddles (also available in carbon fiber).

Analog controls are few and far between, including a power switch on the steering wheel. Most of the tasks fall to the new Maserati Smart Assistant. This proprietary version of the new Android Automotive multimedia platform runs on dual 10-inch TFT displays, a welcome brand upgrade in user-friendly interfaces. And the frameless rearview mirror with camera takes its inspiration from Cadillac technology.

A blue-ringed drive mode selector accesses five performance settings, from the smoothest GT to a hardcore Corsa. There’s also an optional hydraulic system that raises the MC20’s front bumper nearly two inches to avoid scraping your delicate chin on steep roads and other impediments.

As Maserati looks to reinvigorate its brand, roadblocks are also looming. Will enough buyers see this latest offering as a direct alternative to a Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, or Porsche? That question will be answered soon enough: Maserati says MC20 production for Europe will begin later this year, damn the pandemic. American customers should see initial deliveries in the fall of 2021. When it comes to hitting the market, Maserati’s smaller-engined supercar, with its attractive styling and intriguing specs, can make some impressive noise after all.