How it’s made: Maserati MC20

Maserati’s new MC20 supercar is a statement of intent and the message is: ‘Maserati, the storied marque, is back.’ No carmaker worth its salt is without a halo vehicle to get everyone buzzing. Cue the MC20 that now sits at the head of the Maserati table

Motoring 27 Nov 2020

Maserati MC20

Maserati MC20

Nettuno V6 powerhouse

The beating heart of this car is a mid-mounted V6 engine, called ‘Nettuno’ (Italian for Neptune), echoing the mythic god. It’s the most power-dense V6 in a production car and is responsible for allowing this car to hold its head high in the supercar car park. It utilises pre-chamber ignition with a secondary spark plug derived from Formula 1 tech. Sounds complicated, but all you need to know is that it is as quick as it looks.

Badge of honour

If you are in any doubt as to what make of car you are looking at, then take a look at the not-so-small badge at the front. A huge trident fills the whale shark-like mouth of the car. The mythical Roman god’s weapon of choice is the company logo and is based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, the town in which Maserati was born.

The clue’s in the name

MC stands for Maserati Corse, or Maserati Racing, and signals the company’s desire to return to the track. Despite being out of the game for a few years, Maserati has a solid racing heritage and will be hoping its return will bring success and memories of the untouchable cool that is associated with images of Stirling Moss piloting his Maserati 250F F1 car to victory.

Eco credentials

It may be a fossil fuel burner at launch, but this car has been designed to also house a fully electric powertrain – with three motors no less: one for the front wheels and one each for the rear. The electric version will be more powerful than the petrol car and will come on stream as early as next year when it will also be joined by a convertible, ‘Spyder’ variant.

Butterfly effect

It is said by the serious and sensible designers that the doors presented a problem that was best solved with butterfly doors. Not only do the doors aid ingress and egress but they just look really cool. Nothing says sexy supercar better than butterfly doors.

Spoiler alert

MC20’s elegant curves and lack of protruding aerodynamic appendages are due to all of the inventive aero stuff happening below the beltline and under the car. Thousands of hours in the wind tunnel and the use of a trick rear diffuser and a flat floor create a very respectable 100kg of downforce at 150mph while maintaining its smooth exterior silhouette.

Tech-savvy

You can’t launch a supercar in 2020 and not be on your infotainment A-game. To add to its thoroughly modern credentials, the MC20 has its own phone app that can track and remotely monitor levels such as fuel, oil and tyre air pressure. It will even give you a monthly health report – very Gen Z.

From £187,230; maserati.com