2004 Maserati MC12

Maserati has designed a new road-going Grand Tourer known as the MC 12 from which a GT racing version has also been developed. The result is that 37 long years after its last victory in an international championship (1967, Cooper Maserati F1, South African Grand Prix), the Trident is returning to the track. The Ferrari Maserati Group's wealth of knowledge and technological excellence have been poured into the design of the new car. In addition to this, its styling was developed in the wind tunnel from a Giugiaro idea by Maserati technicians with the support of Frank Stephenson, the Ferrari Maserati Group's own Director of Concept Design and Development.

Designed for high level road use, it can exceed 205 mph at full throttle, sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds. MC12 is also a brilliantly dynamic car, It handles very sweetly and fluidly yet the driver can still feel all the power of a genuinely sporty thoroughbred under the surface. The client version for road use will be available exclusively in a white and blue livery, harking back to an old Trident tradition. In fact, blue and white are the colours of the America Camoradi (Casner Motor Racing Division) Scuderia which raced the famous Maserati Tipo 60-61 Birdcages in the very early 1960s with Stirling Moss as their lead driver.

The Maserati MC-12 is a two-seater long-tail coupe-spider with a long wheel base (2800 mm). It has a typical racing/sporty set-up with a removable hard top. It is also powered by an impressive 630 bhp six-litre mid-rear V12 engine and boasts 41%-front and 59%-rear weight distribution. Highly advanced composites and alloys have enhanced its structural rigidity and kept its overall weight down. The MC12's bodywork is entirely carbon fibre, while its stress-bearing chassis is made from a carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb sandwich. Two aluminium sub-chassis's support the ancillaries, help absorb bumps, and guarantee an excellent standard of safety.

The MC12 benefits from all of the Ferrari Maserati Group's most advanced technologies and competition experience. It boasts a powerful naturally aspirated 12-cylinder 65° V engine that displaces 5998 cc and punches out 630 bhp at 7500 rpm. Designed to meet the specific needs and characteristics of a road-going Maserati, it also offers absolutely excellent drivability. The MC12 delivers a maximum torque of 481 lb-ft at 5500 rpm and remains exceptionally nimble and fluid, even at low engine speeds. It has an aluminium crankcase, titanium con rods, and extremely aerodynamically efficient four-valve cylinder heads to boot. Distribution is by way of four overhead camshafts per cylinder which are gear-driven, a solution that offers perfect timing control. The dry sump lubrication also boasts a highly efficient scavenger pump.

The cabin boasts an easily removable top, which instantly converts the MC12 from a coupe to a spider. The cabin itself is the epitome of elegance and sportiness. It is simple and understated, typical of an extreme car yet also displaying the meticulous care and finish that have become a classic Trident signature. There is exceptional harmony between the high tech-effect carbon features, the perforated leather trim and the stunning yet high-grip tough technical fabric too.