Emilia-Romagna is famous for three things in particular: spicy Parmesan cheese, spicy ham and fast cars.
Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari develop and build their cars just a few kilometers apart.
Maserati originally comes from motorsport, which in the recent past had to lag behind the production of sedans and SUVs, but now a super sports car with road approval and genes from Formula 1 is back at the start.
The MC20 extends flat over 4.67 meters in length and follows the mid-engine concept.
The price quoted is 210,000 euros.
The almost 1.5 tonne MC20 relies on a carbon monocoque chassis that was developed in collaboration with the aerodynamics specialist Dallara. Sophisticated air ducts not only cool and ventilate the 90-degree V6 engine that works under a glass hood, but also creates a lot of pressure on the road at higher speeds. At around 100 kilograms, the wind pushes the body onto the asphalt at a speed of 200 km / h.
The interior is characterized by high-quality materials, put together with a sense of style and a sense of proportion. Carbon, aluminum and leather work in harmony. Operation is reduced to the bare essentials, the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is controlled via three buttons, in front of which there is a rotary switch for selecting the five driving programs on the center tunnel. You get in through scissor doors that swing upwards, the door sills are not too wide, so that even older people can get in and out of the 1.22 meter high sports car with flying colors in front of an audience. We know the button for the electric unlocking of the door, which is also found in the Fiat 500e, which drives much more slowly. All secondary functions are controlled via the touch screen in the middle of the control panel,the infotainment system is easy to access and, with the Sonus Faber system, also offers an impressive volume of sound.
But who wants to give Beethoven preference over the sound of the V6 engine? Depending on the driving mode, the MC20 purrs like a cat in front of the fireplace or hisses, hisses and roars as if a whole pack of hellhounds had been let loose. The biturbo engine provides exactly 630 PS (463 kW) and a maximum torque of 730 Newton meters, enough for a sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in less than 2.9 seconds and for a top of 326 km / h. The MC20 consumes 11.5 liters of super plus in the standard cycle, which means politically completely incorrect 261 g / km CO2. Those who cannot withstand this pressure have to wait. The MC20 will probably be released next year not only as a roadster, but also with an electric drive.
The first test drives were quite impressive.
The MC20 finds its way through the bends almost magically, the steering is extremely precise, the lateral acceleration is immense.
Surprises, such as an express delivery van approaching in its own lane, are met with stoic calm and high driving stability.
In GT mode, it drives with comfortable suspension and is well behaved, power is always in abundance, above 3000 rpm and in the Sport or Corse driving modes, the Maserati develops into a fireball.
The V6, Maserati’s first in-house development in 20 years, uses the pre-chamber technology and two spark plugs per combustion chamber from Formula 1. The Maserati athlete is built in Modena, and in future up to six copies could be produced there every working day.