Maserati MC20

Not criticizing you at all amico, I think they are making a mountain out of a molehill.
This video reminded me of that silly commentator girl.

 

When this video first hit , I sent it to a friend in Modena the was Senior Management at Via Ciro Menotti. His response.


Hi Joe
This journalist should do his research before writing this stupid article. These 5 vehicles are ready for sale. All maseratis are taken for test drives by Maserati mechanics prior to shipment to dealers. They are normally driven 20 Km over various terrains and down to Maranello. Ferrari does the same and drives their cars up to Modena for testing.

 

Oh come on now ... don't be the skunk at the conspiracy theory picnic. Where's the fun in that? You're certainly no Nancy Grace ...
It's a small geographic region filled with Italian exotic car wonderfulness that fairly trips over itself at times so you have to expect some of this just to occur naturally.
OTOH factory drivers or their bosses just might delight a bit in strutting their newest stoof right by their competitors facilities.

 

He speaks a terrible sluggish English. "Masraddddi" etc., etc.! Sorry to say - but all this video is C R A P!

 

Well it looks like the 296 GTB is around 100lbs lighter dry. Surprised they could not get the MC20 lighter with the carbon tub. People now days tell me weight does not matter, only horsepower and handling . Really. They must have been brain washed by the Americans with pure nonsense Case in point, the same car with 200-500 lbs pounds taken off(remove un needed to function parts) will perform better than the production car with same engine, brakes, tires ect. duh...

 

Add another meaningless marketing permutation to the list:

• Ferrari 812 Superfast
  
  
• Ferrari 812 GTS
  
  
• Ferrari SF90 Stradale
  
  
• Ferrari SF90 Spider
  
  
• Ferrari F8 Tributo
  
  
• Ferrari F8 Spider
  
  
• Ferrari Roma
  
  
• Ferrari Portofino M
  
  
• Ferrari Monza SP1
  
  
• Ferrari Monza SP2

 

I'm not buying the info of the 296. They put in a battery, cables and electronics, 4 electric generators on each wheel, and an electric motor and it weighs less?

Something ain't adding up.

The Alfa 4c was completely stripped down and only got to 2500lbs in USA trim.

 

I think this 296 spec is in European trim. The 4C coupe originally was around 2100lbs in Euro trim. Not sure how much the motors weigh. The 296 motor looks pretty small, even smaller than the gearbox/differential.

 

it would not surprise me if the Ferrari lump was lighter than the maser. However there’s a ton of stuff you need to add to make a hybrid. It doesn’t add up to me.

 

The 296GTB does not impress me nearly as much as the MC20, especially a the price point. I expect the 296 will outperform on a track, but from what I've been hearing, the MC20 has an entirely unique personality and is more than capable. I hope the market is friendly to the marque. Anyone else notice the 296GTB rear 3/4 view looks like an updated Merak? The eye shaped door windows, doors in general, and flat rear deck and buttresses make for a compelling case that they borrowed an awful lot from the Merak.

 

No not in the slightest but this is one gorgeous looking motor and @ 120 degrees I guess it's that much flatter and contributes to a lower center of gravity. The Merak doesn't have a gorgeous looking motors, with all those belts and LHM stuff looks more the inner workings of a washing machine.

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Maserati should have built the Alfieri. Probably all this electric & hybrid silliness got in the way for the Alfieri design. That was a very elegant and stylish design, more in their typical wheelhouse than this boy racer MC20. But I do hope they do well with it.

 

The 296 at least has a very nice engine sound, compared to the one of the MC20.
The 120° V (1/3 of 360) probably does a lot and allows for harmonics providing a high pitch, a flavour of a V12.

I am wondering why Maserati, the pioneer of the biturbo saga, did not do that first when starting from scratch for the MC20. Pity.
On the front engine biturbo sedans and coupés, a 90° architecture was understandable to make the engine slim enough under the hood.
But on a mid engine berlinetta there was ample space to accomodate a wider and flatter engine. And Ferrari made it!
The Mc20 engine sound is crap compared to the 296 sound.

 

The Ferrari 296 motor looks alot like the 120 degree F1 021/031 Ferrari 126 CK motor only bigger. The webbing on the side also looks like Ferrari F1 1980's Turbo. I do like the way it looks, and Ferrari must have learned alot from those F1 motors that won alot of races and even a manufactures championship in the 1980's.

 

The picture I posted above looks very clean and free of plumbing control lines and wiring when compared with the pictures MC20's engine but ... I have to wonder is some of that is because this Ferrari photo is staged to look prettier? Is there an equivalent photo of Maserati's MC20 engine? This is the best one that i could find and it's in B&W.

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Merak? It’s clearly using styling cues from the 250 LM

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Yes, overall lines of the new V6 Ferrari was clearly copied or "inspired" from the 250LM. Nice new car, yes, but its front is a copy of the V8s....

 

I think you forgot the 812 Competizione and Competizione A (https://www.topgear.com/car-news/supercars/ferrari-812-competizione-and-competizione)


Of course I hope that Maserati will sell many MC20s, but if Ferrari at the same time make a lot of money selling their models and spend it on improving the F1 car, that would be nice too I think..

 

See the doors and eye shaped windows. I see Merak/Bora all day. Flat deck speaks Merak /250LM

I think Ferrari’s videos/audio of this engine have been doctored a good amount as well.


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I see the similarity that you point out however they aren’t designing a mew Ferrari based on a window line of a Merak. Ferrari had a flat deck lid on the Dino in 67 and center drive 3 seat concept in 66. C’mon man Ferrari are following a trend started with the LaFerrari with that up swept rear edge of the window. Then the J50 took that and ran it across the roof, continues with the SF90, and the open top 812 Comp A.

 

BTW---Anybody who thinks that the new Ferrari V6 TT engine (obviously ex the irrelevant electric motor) is somehow a more powerful unit than the Nettuno because it is rated at 25 bhp more, has got to be clueless about how turbos work!

My 996TT produced 420 bhp @ 0.8 bar when I bought her new in 2004---today she pushes out more than 600 @ 1.5 bar.
All necessary upgrades cost a few thousand bucks and the FVD tune wrapped it up.
Yes---still happy running like this after more than 10 years

 

That was a nice video. It's no small wonder why these cars will cost as much as they do.
What an enormous change in manufacturing from the 1970's and for Maserati even the early 1990s in the old factory. If you saw how they were "assembling" Biturbos & QP3s
in the mid 80's at the old Innocenti factory or even later on in Modena it would shock most people today.

So a retune could make up the difference no doubt but will people be willing to possibly void their warranty for that? And isn't the stock HP enough anyway? Walter is spot on about not being allowed to surpass Ferrari when it comes to power. Even the MC12 (street version) had to be less powerful than the Enzo though an insignificant amount.

Sounds like your Porsche was modified right.

 

I drove both, the Enzo and the MC12 (Stradale-version). Yes, the Ferrari was a great car but the gear-driven engine of the MC12 was much more responsive than the Maranello unit. Furthermore, the suspension was better than that with the Ferrari.
But the Maserati is quite tough to drive on narrow roads with tight corners and in the city because of its huge messurements. And rear view is non existant...

 

Really well done video. The sound editing people went pretty crazy with it lol. The MC20 is the only exciting car under 7 figures imo...everything else seems boring by comparison in terms of looks. Performance wise they all seem pretty ridiculous nowadays.

 

I will drive the MC20 on the Varano circuit next week on Thursday.

 

I am so jealous! I'm sure you will have a great time doinging the test. I can't wait to see what you have to say about the car.