New Maserati sports car is the future for the brand
The butterfly doors improve ergonomics and enable optimal access to the cabin. Photos: Maserati
Maserati has just revealed its new sports car, the MC20, which will spearhead a bold multi-billion euro revival plan for the Italian marque that includes an electric car.
The new MC20 (MC for Maserati Corse and 20 for 2020, the year of its world première and the start of the Brand’s new Era) has the new Nettuno engine, a 470kW V6 with torque of 730Nm that delivers 0-100km/h acceleration in under 2,9 seconds and a top speed over 325km/h.
The MC20 is designed to enable coupé and convertible versions plus full electric power.
The MC20 will have the new Nettuno engine, the first Maserati powertrain in 20 years.
It’s also the first time in 20 years that Maserati is producing its own power units instead of using Ferrari’s products. The MC20 was designed in Modena and will be built at the Viale Ciro Menotti plant, where the Trident’s models have been built for more than 80 years.
The MC20 design was produced in about 24 months, with the involvement from the outset, in an innovative approach, of a team of Maserati Innovation Lab engineers, technical specialists from the Maserati Engine Lab and designers from the Maserati Style Centre.
The Virtual Vehicle Dynamics Development system, which includes the use of one of the world’s most advanced dynamic simulators, was developed in-house by the Maserati Innovation Lab and is based on a complex mathematical model called Virtual Car.
This method allowed performance of 97 per cent of dynamic tests, optimising development times. The car was then fine-tuned in the best Maserati tradition with exhaustive track and road test-driving sessions in the most widely varying conditions of use.
The butterfly doors are functional, as they improve the car’s ergonomics and enable optimal access to the cabin.
The Maserati MC20 will be a coupe (above), convertible and a have electric version.
The aerodynamics were designed through over 2000 man-hours in the Dallara Wind Tunnel and more than a thousand CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations.
Inside, the cabin is driver-oriented with two 10-inch screens: one for the cockpit and the other for the Maserati Touch Control Plus (MTC Plus MIA). The carbon fibre-clad central console, with just a few features: the wireless smartphone charger, the driving mode selector (GT, Wet, Sport, Corsa and a fifth, ESC Off, which deactivates the control functions), two speed selection buttons, the power window controls, the Multimedia System controls, and a handy storage compartment underneath the armrest. All the other controls are on the steering wheel, with the ignition button on the left and the launch control on the right.
The production launch is scheduled for at the end of this year, with orders accepted now.
The cabin of the Maserati MC20 is driver-focussed.
