Maserati hints at extreme MC20 for Monterey

Roadgoing but with track influence, it looks like a very special Maserati is heading to California

Nobody could accuse Maserati of not making the most of the MC20. Following the highly praised Coupe was the Cielo open top, then came the GT2 racing car, the MCXTrema track car and the Icona model that paid homage to the epic MC20. As well as that final version making its North American debut at Monterey in a couple of weeks, Maserati will reveal a new MC20 derivative to the world.

This would always be good news because the ‘20 is fantastic - but it’s especially interesting this time around because of the preview pic that shows a heavily vented wheelarch like it’s a GT3 RS or GT-R NISMO. Add that to the assertion that this latest evolution of the mid-engined supercar will ‘inherit the racing spirit of the GT2’ while being ‘dedicated to those whose who do not wish to sacrifice extraordinary performance on the road’ and it would seem evident this shouldn’t just be a Maserati with a silly expensive paint job. This ought to be the real road racer deal.

It’s easy to see why the idea appeals to Maserati. Think of the halo effect various Longtails, RSes, STOs and the like have on the rest of the range - never underestimate the allure of a stripped-out special. The MC20 ought to lend itself well to the treatment given it’s already pretty spartan to begin with, if surprisingly heavy; this will hardly be like the time Bentley made a GT3 road car. With time running out for combustion-engined Maseratis, moreover - or at least it was at the last announcement - everyone in Modena will surely be keen to make the most of the Nettuno V6 while it’s still possible. Projects like the MCXTrema and GT2 have shown the headroom in the twin-turbo engine, so don’t be surprised if this new MC20 - can we call it Gransport yet? - is boasting somewhere in the region of 700hp.

Maserati says the ‘innovative technological solutions and impressive aerodynamic performance, typical of the fastest and most exciting racing cars’ are guaranteed. Once more, something between the MC20 - shorn as it is of many obvious aero features - and the more extreme GT2 seems likely for whatever this California car ends up being. The car ‘is ready to welcome drivers and make them feel like a true racer, even off the track.’

There’s just one small, teeny-tiny snag. Perhaps we’re reading too much into this, but this MC20 could be the Folgore EV version. Could be. We only say that because Maserati says its ‘highly anticipated new leading light’ will be the centre of attention at the ‘electrifying’ American show. Having never been to Monterey or The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, it’s hard to know for certain, but it often looks like old billionaires flexing in silly chinos. And that’s not electrifying. So why use the word? At the same time, the talk of a ‘further evolution of the MC20’, calling it a car ‘first equipped with the unmistakable V6 Nettuno engine’, does sort of hint at something different without confirming it.

Let’s see. The prospect of a battery-powered MC20 is a reasonably intriguing one, given how the ICE car and the Folgores already out there have been received, but the 3.0-litre surely deserves a proper swansong first. We’ll know for certain when this latest Maserati is revealed at 9:12am PST on Friday, August 16th. Answers on a postcard if the time makes any sense, please.

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oedipus

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