The MC20 is a polarizing supercar, beginning with Maserati's choice of engine. You'd expect a six-cylinder lump in a BMW M3 instead of a Modenese exotic, but still, we're nitpicking here.
Ferrari also makes a twin-turbo V6, and so does McLaren. The naysayers, however, are perfectly right in one aspect. Maserati should have put a little more effort into the MC20 with either a hybrid system (think Corvette E-Ray) or a plug-in setup.
Another point of criticism is how Maserati advertises the 3.0-liter Nettuno, which is also shared with the Grecale sport utility vehicle, GranTurismo coupe, and upcoming GranCabrio. Rather than being 100 percent Maserati by design, the House of the Trident should've come said that only the cylinder heads are unique. The rest of the six-cylinder lump has one too many commonalities with Alfa Romeo's twin-turbo V8 and Ferrari's twin-turbo V8, which are known as the 690T and F154.
The question is, why are certain peeps up in arms over getting a Ferrari-inspired engine in a supercar that's certain to be produced in much fewer numbers than – for example – the recently discontinued F8 Tributo? In combination with the rear transaxle (shared with the eighth-gen 'Vette) and carbon-fiber tub, the MC20 is a seriously fast machine that handles like it's on rails when the road gets twisty.
Although it may not offer the aural pleasure of a V8, the sixer in the MC20 packs a big punch. Sport Auto magazine recently had the opportunity to give this model the beans at the Nurburgring racetrack, where – as expected – the Italian supercar broke the 300-kph (186-mph) barrier without breaking a sweat.
In race mode and with electronic stability control turned completely off, the MC20 clocked 311 kilometers per hour (193 miles per hour) for a brief moment. That's just shy of the officially advertised top end of 325 kilometers per hour (202 miles per hour). Maserati further quotes 2.9 seconds from zero to 100 clicks, as in 62 miles per hour. Stellar numbers, which are only natural of the indirect successor to the Ferrari Enzo-derived MC12 from 2004 to 2005.
Rated at 630 ps (621 hp) and 730 Nm (538 lb-ft) on full song, the MC20's Nettuno engine wouldn't be capable of this output without Formula 1-derived technology. Pre-chamber ignition is the name of the game, a technology that isn’t exclusive to Formula 1 and Maserati. Back in the 1970s, Honda rolled out pre-chamber ignition to the detriment of catalytic converters in order to pass emission regulations.
Available in fixed-head coupe and hard-top convertible flavors, the MC20 is – unfortunately – rather expensive. $216,995 is the sticker price of the MC20 in the United States of America, whereas the MC20 Cielo commands a premium of $30,000.
On the other hand, can you believe that an MC20 is more affordable than a 911 GT3 RS ($241,300)?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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