The long awaited Maserati MC20 has finally broken covers at an event in Modena. The MC20, which stands for Maserati Corse 2020, beckons a new era for the company and is powered by either their all-new ‘Nettuno’ engine or pure electric power.
Let’s talk about the petrol motor first. This is the first Maserati-designed and produced motor that the company has deployed in 2 decades.
The company has been relying on power units from Ferrari (and possibly VM Motori for their diesel motors). 97% of the car’s development was done virtually with final tuning taking place on the track and on the Apennine mountain roads near Modena. It took Maserati just 2 years to design the MC20 and they’ve been teasing it throughout its development.
This new petrol motor extracts 630 horsepower and 730Nm of torque from a 3.0L twin turbo V6. The engine features a dry sump, and has a compression ratio of 11:1. They’ve included a Formula 1-derived pre-chamber combustion system using twin spark plugs.
Here’s how Maserati describe it:
- The pre-chamber: a combustion chamber is set between the central electrode and the traditional combustion chamber and connected by a series of specially-designed holes.
- Lateral sparkplug: a traditional sparkplug acts as a support to ensure constant combustion when the engine is operating at a level that doesn’t need the pre-chamber to kick in.
- Twin injection system – direct and indirect: linked to the fuel supply pressure at 350bar, the system reduces noise low down on the rev range, lowering emissions and improving consumption.
That power is sent trough an 8-speed dual clutch (wet type) transmission. It allows the MC20 to accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 2.9 seconds and it has a top speed of 325km/h.
The electric option is said to deliver a 0-100km/h time of just 2.8 seconds and a range of 323km, though it will have a lower top speed. More details about the electric version will be revealed at a later date. The MC20 is also expected to be made available as a convertible model too at a later date.
The car’s exterior is designed serve performance, with butterfly doors and extreme aerodynamic solutions. It’s also pretty minimal inside, save for the two 10” screens. Carbon-fibre is a key feature of the interior and there are some creature comforts here such as a wireless smartphone charger, power windows and more.
Here’s the press release with more information.
PRESS RELEASE
Maserati enters the new Era with MC20, the new super sports car that combines performance, sportiness and luxury in the unique Maserati style. MC20 was presented to the world in Modena on 9 September during the “MMXX: Time to be audacious” event.
The new MC20 (MC for Maserati Corse and 20 for 2020, the year of its world première and the start of the Brand’s new Era) is the Maserati everyone was waiting for. It is a car with incredible aerodynamic efficiency, which conceals a sporty soul, with the new Nettuno engine, a 630 horsepower V6 with torque of 730 Nm that delivers 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 2,9 seconds and a top speed over 325 km an hour. An engine that signals Maserati’s return to producing its own power units after a hiatus of more than 20 years.
The MC20 is an extremely lightweight car under 1,500 kg (kerb weight), and thanks to its power output of 630 hp it comes out best in class in weight/power ratio, at just 2.33 kg/hp. This record is achieved through the use of choice quality materials, exploiting all the potentials of carbon fibre without any sacrifices with regard to comfort.
Nettuno, the first engine in this new chapter of the Trident’s history, is the MC20’s twin turbo V6, a technologic gem already awarded an international patent, which puts the MTC (Maserati Twin Combustion) technology, the ground-breaking combustion system developed in-house, onto the world’s roads.
Overall, this revolutionary project has resulted in a car that epitomises Italian excellence. In fact, MC20 was designed in Modena and will be built at the Viale Ciro Menotti plant, where the Trident’s models have been built for more than 80 years. The new production line, created in the spaces where the GranTurismo and GranCabrio models were assembled until November 2019, is now ready for action in the historic plant. The site also features a new paintshop incorporating innovative, environment-friendly technologies. Nettuno will also be built in Modena, at the newly established Maserati Engine Lab.
The MC20 design was produced in about 24 months, with the involvement from the outset, in an innovative approach, of a team of Maserati Innovation Lab engineers, technical specialists from the Maserati Engine Lab and designers from the Maserati Style Centre.
The Virtual Vehicle Dynamics Development system, which includes the use of one of the world’s most advanced dynamic simulators, was developed in-house by the Maserati Innovation Lab and is based on a complex mathematical model called Virtual Car. This method allowed performance of 97% of dynamic tests, optimising development times. The car was then fine-tuned in the best Maserati tradition with exhaustive track and road test-driving sessions in the most widely varying conditions of use.
The guiding theme of the MC20’S design was the Brand’s historic identity, with all the elegance, performance and comfort integral to its genetic make-up. The focus on performance led to the conception of a car with a distinct personality, with unmistakable forms that render it unique. The butterfly doors are not only stunningly beautiful but also functional, as they improve the car’s ergonomics and enable optimal access to and from the cabin.
The aerodynamics were designed through over two thousand man-hours in the Dallara Wind Tunnel and more than a thousand CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations, which enabled the creation of a genuine work of art. The resulting car has a sleek line, with no mobile appendages but just a discreet rear spoiler that improves downforce without detracting from the MC20’s beauty. The CX is more under 0,38.
The MC20 is designed to enable coupé and convertible versions and for full electric power.
Once inside the cabin, the driver is always central, and nothing must distract them from the sporting driving experience. Every component has a purpose, and is completely driver-oriented. Simple forms, very few sharp edges and minimal distractions. Two 10 inch screens: one for the cockpit and the other for the Maserati Touch Control Plus (MTC Plus MIA). Simplicity is also the keynote of the carbon fibre-clad central console, with just a few features: the wireless smartphone charger, the driving mode selector (GT, Wet, Sport, Corsa and a fifth, ESC Off, which deactivates the control functions), two speed selection buttons, the power window controls, the Multimedia System controls, and a handy storage compartment underneath the armrest. All the other controls are on the steering wheel, with the ignition button on the left and the launch control on the right.
The new MC20 will be connected at all times with the Maserati Connect program. The full range of services includes connected navigation, Alexa and Wifi Hotspot and can also be managed through the Maserati Connect smartphone or smartwatch App.
For the launch, Maserati has also developed six new colours to characterise MC20: Bianco Audace, Giallo Genio, Rosso Vincente, Blu Infinito, Nero Enigma and Grigio Mistero. Each of them has been conceived, designed and developed exclusively for this car and they all convey important themes: a strong reference to Made in Italy, to Italian identity and to the land, as well as one linked to Maserati tradition.
Both visually and conceptually, there are strong references to the MC12, the car that marked Maserati’s racing comeback in 2004. In the same way as its predecessor, MC20, with its explicitly racing soul clear from its name alone, announces the intention to return to the world of racing.
The production launch is scheduled for the end the current year with orders to be accepted from the 9th September after the world Première.
