Maserati MC20 Goes on a Quest to Reach 200 Mph on the Autobahn, Almost Hits the Mark

We've always had a thirst for speed. We tend to express it in different ways, as not everyone uses an automobile or a motorcycle. But for those that feel safer on four wheels, there are so many fast cars to choose from.

At the end of the day, it all depends on your available budget. If going fast in a straight line is your only concern, it won't be that expensive to reach 200 mph (322 kph). But things get complicated when you also need a package that can do it all while also providing comfort and reliability.

The Maserati MC20 has been around for only a little while, and it's proving to be quite popular already. These days, the cheapest one you'll find in Germany, for instance, will set you back $250,000. But there are plenty of other sellers asking for as much as $360,000.

For that kind of money, you could buy not one but two Porsche 911 Turbos. The 911 Turbo S has a claimed top speed of 205 mph (330 kph), compared to the MC20's 202 mph. Alas, the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 on the Maserati is capable of delivering 621 horsepower and 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque.

We imagine that it won't be long until Novitec or any other exotic tuner will come up with a package to boost those figures up by at least 15%. What's interesting to see is that the old MC12 used to have a 6.0-liter, naturally-aspirated V12 with an identical horsepower output.

But the new Italian sports car manages to provide the driver with access to even more torque thanks to the twin-turbo setup. The guys at Autotop.nl have recently fiddled around with a McLaren 765LT, and that topped out at 202 mph (326 kph).

You can notice that the British supercar shows up in this video as well, but this time the test will be slightly less exciting. For the first 62 mph (100 kph) to 124 mph (200 kph) acceleration test, the MC20 requires a total of 6.46 seconds to get up to speed.

That's slightly slower than what you'd get in a Lamborghini Aventador S, but it's also faster than a Huracan Evo Spyder. In stock form, it looks like the MC20 can run the quarter-mile (402 meters) in 11.23 seconds. The driver stops flooring it as soon as he reaches 194 mph (313 kph), at just under 6,500 rpm. According to the GPS, that's the equivalent of 189 mph (304 kph), but there's bound to be more room to play if everything goes according to plan.