When it unveiled the MC20 in 2020, Maserati promised that it will use the sports car to return to endurance racing. Three years have passed since then and the race-spec version of the MC20 is almost ready to into production. Teased in March 2023, the MC20 GT2 won't be revealed in full until June, at the 24 Hours of Spa, but the Italian outfit is testing the racer quite intensively.
Still wrapped in the colorful camouflage we saw it in earlier in 2023, the MC20 GT2 was recently spotted doing laps at Monza. And based on the way it looks, the car is still pretty much a mule that will get minor upgrades before it goes into production. But for the time being, it appears to be pretty agile and the modified V6 sounds during hard acceleration and while downshifting.
Maserati's first customer race car since the MC12 of the early 2000s, the MC20 GT2 shares much of its design and mechanical underpinnings with the road-going sports car, but it looks notably more aggressive thanks to a complex aerodynamic package. The massive rear wing is the first that catches the eye, but the GT2 also sports a protruding, carbon-fiber front splitter, bumper canards, and heavily revised side skirts.
There are also aero-shaped side mirrors, heavily vented front hood and upper fenders, as well as sizeable intakes behind the doors. All of which I'd very much like to see on a road-going model, to be honest. Maserati also ditched the standard 20-inch wheels for smaller, motorsport-spec rims with center locks.
As far as underpinnings go, the twin-turbo, V6 "Nettuno" engine got a makeover to comply with current GT2 regulations. The mill will generate 640 to 700 horsepower in this setup, a significant improvement over the production unit, which is rated at 621 horses. However, the V6 will no longer use an eight-speed, dual-clutch gearbox to spin the rear wheels, as the GT2 features a six-speed sequential transmission. Likewise, the electronically-controlled differential was ditched for a mechanical unit.
The race car will make its debut in the Fanatec GT2 European Series Championship in 2023 but customer cars won't be ready until 2024. The MC20 will go against GT2-spec cars based on the Audi R8, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Huracan, and Brabham BT63. And once it's fully operational, it will hit iconic tracks such as Monza, Red Bull Ring, and Circuit Paul Ricard.
The MC20 GT2 is Maserati's first fully-fledged endurance racer since the MC12 GT1. A track-bred version of the Ferrari-based MC12, the GT1 made its debut in 2004 in the FIA GT1 class. The car remained competitive until 2010, scoring 40 wins and six consecutive teams' championships in the FIA GT series. Since then, Maserati has offered a GT4-spec version of its front-engined GranTurismo coupe.
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