Is this the prelude to Maserati's return to competition in GT and endurance events?
It is fair to think so, but no one really knows in which motorsport championship this MC20 will compete.
While waiting for details on a future sporting commitment which will eventually arrive, the general staff was gathered in full on Wednesday, September 9 in the evening on the Modena circuit to celebrate the launch of this new sporting model of the firm at the Trident.
An obviously important event since John Elkann, the president of the FCA group (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and Mike Manley, the operational director of FCA, had made the trip to Emilia-Romagna.
Maserati
Around dimensions close to a Ferrari F8 Tributo (LxWxH: 4.66 x 1.96 x 1.22 m), the MC20 marks the return of the Modena firm to the supercar scene, sixteen years after the MC12 designed and developed from the Ferrari Enzo.
This time around, the Trident firm apparently did not need the resources of its neighbor in Maranello to develop the MC20, short for Maserati Corse 2020. Work of the Maserati style center based in Turin, Modena's latest creation displays sober lines, typical of rear mid-engine berlinettes and presenting an air of déjà vu.
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Some will find some similarities with the Alpine A110 in the treatment of the stern.
Many hours in the wind tunnel at Dallara, the designers avoided the presence of unsightly aerodynamic appendages.
If the monocoque carbon structure, visible on the sills, was designed and developed in-house, its industrialization was entrusted to the manufacturer of racing cars and its production to the Italian equipment supplier TTA Adler, specialist in composite materials, which had made the structure of the Alfa Romeo 4C.
This will have its effect: the doors are open in the elytron.
LORENZO MARCINNO
The interior is just as sober.
The design of the dashboard could be that of a sedan if it weren't for the carbon fiber on the skin.
The instrumentation is digital and the two tablets measure 10.25 inches.
The central multimedia screen is tactile.
On the center console, there is the rotary button for selecting the four driving modes (Rain, GT, Sport and Corsa).
Under the rear hood, in the rear central position, engine point brooded by Ferrari but a new 90-degree V6 with 3 liters of displacement entirely developed by the engine manufacturers of the Trident.
It displays an impressive output - 210 hp / liter - resulting from a host of technologies protected by patent filings.
Called Nettuno (Neptune in Italian), this compact V6 inaugurates in series a combustion system from Formula 1. This is the pre-combustion chamber technology.
The fuel is ignited in a separate space and as the flame spreads the combustion is transferred from the prechamber to the conventional combustion chamber through a series of carefully calculated size holes.
The result is faster, more even and more efficient combustion.
The real innovation is the use of this component in conjunction with a second spark plug.
With double injection (direct and indirect), this V6 thus optimizes its performance in all conditions of use.
With double turbo, the V6 3 liters of the MC20 displays a power of 630 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and a torque of 730 Nm, from 3,000 rpm.
This mechanism, which requires three days of assembly, is associated with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
It is controlled from the steering wheel paddles.
LORENZO MARCINNO
Side links to the ground, the MC20 relies on double wishbone suspensions and anti-roll bars.
The weight does not exceed 1,470 kilos, which allows to claim a flattering weight / power ratio of 2.33 kg / hp.
Launched in early 2021, the MC20 is just one step in Maserati's revival.
Its carbon structure will give birth to spider and 100% electric versions.
Anxious to offer quality customer service, the Modena firm will send a monthly report by email detailing the condition of the vehicle.
This report includes information on the engine, brakes and suspension, oil and fluids, and safety systems.
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