Maserati MC20 is a powerful tackle the fashionable mid-engine supercar

We’re somewhat bit late to the Maserati MC20 celebration, the status mid-engine sports activities automobile that’s supposed to steal somewhat little bit of thunder from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Except for a number of high-end hypercars, the Italian model hasn’t been a participant on this specific area of interest for many years, preferring as a substitute to concentrate on grand tourers and tremendous saloons.

Again in 2004, the model launched the MC12, an especially restricted version (62 examples) sports activities automobile that heralded the corporate’s return to high-profile motorsport. Based mostly on the Ferrari Enzo, the road-going variations of the MC12 have been outsized and awkward. 

After years of alternating between vicious rivalry and shut partnership, Maserati’s final hook-up with Ferrari successfully ended for good in 2021, when guardian firm Fiat was absorbed in Stellantis (Ferrari having taken itself public in 2015 and leaving Fiat the next 12 months).

The MC20 debuted in 2020, however the pandemic pushed again drives and deliveries till a few years later, risking the presentation of a automobile that was considerably off the tempo compared to its opponents. Fortunately, the corporate put ample thought and power into guaranteeing the MC20 was very a lot a worthy challenger from the outset.

A very clear sheet design, the MC20 pairs a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis with a 3.0 litre V6 engine, developed in-house and dubbed ‘Nettuno’ (it will also be present in different Maserati fashions). The inside is light-weight and stripped down however is much from tough and prepared. 

In reality, it’s some of the ergonomically interesting of all trendy Maseratis, eschewing awkward quirks in favour of simply accessible controls, good visibility and comfy seats. Even the touchscreen works properly, helpfully positioned shut at hand so that you don’t must stretch a wobbly finger to vary features.

It’s not luxurious, after all – no mid-engine sports activities automobile ought to ever declare to be such a factor. Three driving modes – GT, Sport and Moist – offer you a alternative of quick, quicker and cautious, and the suspension is rarely lower than agency. The low-slung nostril will be hydraulically lifted to deal with raised curbs and velocity bumps, and the view out again comes courtesy of a digital rear view ‘mirror’ that exhibits a high-res scene of the highway behind; the true view is considerably obscured.

Objectively and subjectively, this is a wonderful automobile. It fulfils the unstated transient of a mid-engine machine by delivering visible drama and drawing consideration whether or not it’s static or in movement, due to the butterfly doorways and vocal engine noise (albeit mercifully a contact extra subdued than Maserati’s V8 fashions). 

And whereas efficiency is definitely aggressive, it stops in need of being high canine. There’s a way that Maserati has moved on from the trivia of split-second dash instances and largely theoretical high speeds, selecting as a substitute to concentrate on creating an excellent sports activities automobile in an all-round usable package deal.

However why now? Why introduce a storming conventionally powered supercar simply as we’re getting into the twilight of those automotive thunder gods? It’s true that rumblings about e-fuels have been getting louder in latest months, as German producers foyer to increase the 2035 ban on ICE automobile manufacturing. For Maserati, the instant future means splitting its vary into EV and ICE variations, beginning with the GranTurismo Folgore (‘lightning’), which will likely be offered alongside a V6 Nettuno model.

From subsequent 12 months, MC20 clients will get the identical alternative, and the MC20 Folgore guarantees to ship equal ranges of energy and vary. Nevertheless, there’s no escaping the truth that MC20 possession, no matter your chosen powertrain, is priced in keeping with opponents from Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, ie, excessive.

If you happen to merely will need to have the swagger of a low-slung mid-engine machine however can’t run to just about £200k, think about the Lotus Emira, which weighs in at just below the MC20’s 1,500kg, packs a V6 and begins from £77,795. 

The actual check is whether or not an EV delivers the dopamine repair of focus and a focus garnered by the sound of combustion. Because the EV period dawns, there are going to be some shake-ups on the earth of luxurious sports activities vehicles.

Maserati MC20, from £197,994, Maserati.com (opens in new tab)