Magnificent Mazza
We grab an early drive in the new Maserati MC20, the V6 supercar that rebirths the Trident brand
Price: TBC Engine: 3,0-litre, V6, twinturbo-petrol Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch Power: 463 kw @ 7 500 r/min Torque: 730 N.m @ 3 000-5 500 r/min 0-100 km/h: 2,9 seconds* Top speed: 325 km/h* CO2: n/a Rivals: Ferrari F8 Tributo, Mclaren Artura, Porsche 911 Turbo S
The clue is in the badge. The Trident emblem on the new Maserati MC20 has been subtly updated and the typeface for the MC20 rewritten. “MC” stands for Maserati Corse, of course, referring to a racing heritage dating back a century to the 1920s, while “20” refers to 2020, the start of the brand’s new era. And this delectable slice of exotica is kicking things off in some considerable style.
Although we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Can Maserati
really rely on a stellar supercar to gain credibility and increase sales volumes the company so desperately needs to survive and thrive? We snuck in an early drive of the new halo supercar to see if the raw ingredients are there.
The new range-topper is midengined and clothed in suitably dramatic bodywork. It’s been many years since the company tried to do something this driver focused and don’t forget this car ushers in a new era … it’s the first time in 18 years that Maserati has
made its own engines.
Instead of merely buying in crate motors from Ferrari (not a bad donor, mind you), it’s now building its own V6 Nettuno engine family, named after the Italian for Neptune, as in the trident badge. The MC20 is assembled at the Viale Ciro Menotti plant in Modena, which until a year ago was building the Granturismo and Grancabrio.
Underneath the disguise of the car we’re driving today, the MC20 is the first model to use Maserati’s
new eco-friendly paint shop. It comes in six colours, all created for the MC20. Bianco Audace isa yellow-ish white with a blue mica that supposedly merges the white and dark blue of the Birdcage.
The gear selector buttons are labelled R and D/M for Drive and Manual. Pull both paddles simultaneously and you’re in neutral. It’s a fairly funtional and straightforward layout except for the six hard-to-decipher pushbuttons tucked away in the small roof console and the shortage of
oddments space.
Maserati is immensely proud of the new V6’s key innovations: ignition pre-chambers, side sparkplugs that fire when the prechambers are bypassed, and the dual (direct and indirect) highpressure fuel-injection system. By igniting the mixture in the prechambers ahead of full combustion, two thermodynamic sequences are unleashed within milliseconds of each other. The result? High swirl and multiple flame fronts for enhanced power and efficiency.
Contrary to rumour, the engine did not start life as an evolution of Ferrari’s V8 F154, and the car was not originally kicked off at Ferrari as a future “new Dino”. However, it is true that Maserati hired several engineers who previously worked for the prancing horse on Via Abetone for this project.
Yet, don’t think of the MC20 as a reimagined Ferrari F8 Tributo. It isn’t a direct Mclaren rival either, its character is completely different to that of Aston Martin’s Vantage and it spreads its talent over a much broader range than the Lamborghini Huracán. The MC20 is a radical yet reasonable driving machine which excels when it matters. It pushes the bookends of sportscar DNA a good bit further apart than any of those alternatives. It flashes its wild side when challenged but can also assume a more easygoing personality. How has this been achieved? By starting with a clean sheet of paper (probably several, in truth) without conceptual restrictions, compulsory synergies and cost-driven compromises.
While the tyre sizes are 100 per cent Ferrari F8 Tributo front and rear, the suspension features a more compliant setup, with one top link and two bottom links at each corner. At 1 470 kg and 463 kw, the MC20 has a strong power-to-weight ratio. It also excels in aero performance and stability thanks to a small frontal area, efficient heat dissipation, low drag, minimum front axle lift and maximum rear downforce at speed. All this wind cheating is achieved without adaptive spoilers, which add weight and corrupt the looks.
When we drove our preproduction MC20 through the outskirts of Modena, the first eyeopener occurred just 200 m east of the factory gate on Modena’s Via Emilia Ovest. “No need to slow down,” said Federico Landini, MC20 project engineer, as we approached a cobblestoned speed bump. In a Huracán or GT3, this would almost certainly have required the assistance of a hydraulic axle lift to protect the chin spoiler. The MC20, however, swiftly climbed and descended without crunching.
The bystanders were beside themselves with joy at the sight of the camouflaged MC20 so, of course, we engaged Corsa mode, ensuring all exhaust flaps were wide open even at idle speed. And then the Carabinieri dozing in their Tipo woke up, and it didn’t seem such a good idea anymore.
As we left the town, though, we re-engaged Corsa and discovered it also provided maximum boost at the tiniest blip of the throttle, firmed up the dampers and celebrated the battle for traction with a shrill cat’s choir and swathes of Profumo di Pirelli. The accelerator became hyperresponsive, which further stimulated the feeling of exuberant power and torque.
We deviated to the Autodromo di Modena, where I was assured I’d be amazed how easy it was to drive the car in the rain. After all, it is not only light, but also rigid and this stiffness is essential for precise handling and accurate feedback. I was told to forget GT mode on the track. Instead, to do a couple of laps in Sport with the dampers in Soft, because the surface has seen better days, then dial in Corsa and enjoy.
It was a short circuit, with a long-ish uphill start-finish straight, a matching descent on the other side, and a dozen or so swirly bends in between. The short-legged eight-speed twinclutch gearbox was racing through the bottom two gears like a greyhound within snapping distance of the hare. Although peak power is available at
7 000 r/min, the limiter permits 8 000 r/min before interfering, which is borderline for making third the gear of choice through the difficult bits. The last thing you want is to upset the flow – and subsequently dent the line – with an ill-timed upshift.
The MC20 is a radical yet reasonable driving machine which excels when it matters
Conversely, the quickest righthanders were fast enough for fourth gear, which did a splendid job riding the 730 N.m of torque from 3 000 to 5 500 r/min.
In Corsa, the explosive torque delivery made the rear wheels wriggle and yelp when third gear passed on the massive twist action to fourth. When the conditions are just right, it must be a treat to summon launch control and relish that raw urge as the MC20 beams you from 0-100 km/h in 2,9 seconds. Likewise, the top speed of
325 km/h kicks the door to a parallel universe wide open.
Slight delays and minor in-gear hiccups suggested the software adaptation is not quite complete. The gearing is a little off in third, which runs out of revs too early. ESC interferes prematurely except in Corsa, the brake pedal could do with a shorter travel and the wipers struggle at 150 km/h, let alone at 200-plus km/h. So, room for improvement. We’re reassured such glitches are being fettled before launch.
At first, the steering felt almost too light, too eager, too keen to please. But confidence soon started to flow, every movement of the wheel brought about a faithful response in a way that makes life at the limit incredibly transparent and manageable.
The same goes for the brakes. Don’t be afraid to drop the hammer late; just make sure you drop it hard. Maserati’s awesome stopping system simply delivers, no matter how often the driver hits the repeat button.
In the MC20, you get what you feel, and what you feel is the road; pure and simple. Better still, that trusted connection remained intact at all times; on full lock, during quick changes of direction, when braking hard into a bend, over ripples and along longitudinal grooves.
Expected to be priced from about R5,5 million when the first built-to-order production units arrive later in the year (and South Africa’s first orders are already in), the Maserati MC20 does not rewrite the sportscar rulebook. Instead, it is an incredibly homogeneous work of art. Its many sides never ceased to amaze over the course of a long, grey day. Virtually from nowhere, a new supercar has landed which holds all things dynamic in perfect balance and, in doing so, is as super-competent as it is accessible and adaptable.
Not as bulky as the AMG GT, lighter than the Vantage and aerodynamically more efficient than the Tributo, the MC20 strikes a compelling balance which may turn out to be the new gold standard in the GT class. And a GT it undeniably is: uncommonly refined, unexpectedly supple and unusually versatile in the manner it delivers the goods. Not bad for a marque that’s been written off more than once.