its possible that the paper performance of the ev swill be so superior, like 0-60 in under 2 secs that it sorta takes over. Yes Ice is evocative, but realistically ICE works best for track cause it can endure, and maybe 2 MC20s go to track. EVs also dont need a whole lot of servicing. I can see the whole thing being split, the older boomers who drive these cars to resteraunts, going EV, maybe some others ICe. Hard to say. i know i was pining for a hellcat, then i saw the new ev charger and figured Ill go for that, it looks better, will be quicker, easier to sue and keep plus faster. Its like paddles vs stick. people buy ,most of these cars based on paper performance numbers and styling, how critical is ice sound when the paper numbers are so much better? plus just make the electric sound like a sci fi turbine jet car.
How many buy new MC20s for future value, given the demographics most aint gonna keep it that long (15-20+ years.) The drawback of electrics today is unlike your I phone 8 comparison which is all about function/ability. The improvements to electrics will be in batteries, not so much speed or styling(you like a MC20 or not). Better batteries will be a retrofit, you cant retrofit an I phone 1 to an Iphone 8, because its a function issue. There is already a big movement retrofitting 60s and 70s classics with electrics, maintenance drops to near zero, the car can stand indefinitely if plugged in and be fresh ready to go even a year later, performance is vastly enhanced. True range is an issue, but how far is a classic ever driven. I love ICE, dont get me wrong, but most padddle shifted turbo ice cars already mimic the experience of an electric to a high degree. The future of Ice will be in some classics, and things like cobra replicas, and or 3d printed tool room copies. Maybe porche will persevere with pure ice in things like Gt3s cause you need that for track, and they'll have carbon neutral efuels to keep it going, as aviation will make the fuel capacity investment. maybe ferrari has it right with he 296, you get the sound and range of ice, without the low down tq deficit and lag. in the end pure ICe will be for classics and component cars, plus maybe a few new cars like GT4Rs really meant to be trackable the one environment where electrics don't work due to sustained output and weight. Yeah maybe a ice MC20 will have some future resale better than the electric one, but the 296 is likely to hold its value better still, and either way were talking 20 year time horizons. Buy what you like/afford and use it.,
I get what youre saying. The 4c is the spiritual predecessor to the MC20. Same basic idea. In many ways its a pity that the Alfa 6c will be based on the MC20 and not the lighter smaller platform of the 4c. The whole thing about CF tubs(besides marketing) is stiffness and weight. The MC20 is lardy lardy lardy, as heavy as a hybrid metal 296, I dont get that. imagine the MC20 which weights 5-600lbs less, thats really somehting.
I am eagerly awaiting the new Maserati Granturismo. My dealer has already been able to drive both, the Trofeo with the 550PS throttled Nettuno V6 engine from the MC20 and the Folgore with pure 760 electric PS (system output). His feedback was interesting: the Folgore has an acceleration like hell and an "artificially generated" sound. This sound design, however, is extremely special, exciting, impressive and convincing. Maserati must have come up with something great again and they have remained true to their name for the best sound quality even with the electric version. When it comes to acceleration, the Trofeo doesn't stand a chance. On the race track, however, the Trofeo is more dynamic and therefore more exciting to drive than the Folgore. When I asked him which one he would buy now, he said that this time he would buy the Trofeo, but that could still change. That's how I see it with the MC20. Maserati announced the electric version right from the start. I'm curious to see when it will be delivered and how it will drive. When I hear what Maserati has done with the Granturismo, the MC20 "Folgore" will also be a very convincing product. It remains exciting.
Theyre both italian limited prod CF tubs using motors that will be used elsewhere. the MC20 it could be argied is a 4 c all grown up. Youre right though in that the MC20 is a lardy car and the 4c was not. Kinda makes you wonder why the Mc20 bothered to have a cf tub, besides marketing. im still hoping they will make a lightened version of the MC20.
To the extent one is going to the track for more than a casual 5 laps de event, then ICE is simply the way to go. In every other environment electric performance on paper is going to be in another orbit. True the electrics may have range issues in comparison, and fast recharge is not the same as gassing up. Its also true that even the ice performance is more than can be sanely deployed on road. Maybe ice in an exotic is like a mechanical watch, just part of the upscale formula. or maybe the electric supercar should not have an ice variant and be its own thing. Kinda like a cayman Gt4 never had a pdk so you were busying the whole schtick. To me then if you're not going to track there are pluses and minuses to electric vs ice. Having driven some teslas, the immediacy, and for that matter accuracy of powertrain response tells me electrics are a superior road performance powertrain. The possible lack of "emotion" from electrics and range are potential drawbacks. I think any electric car needs a "real" ie with ac or heat on (100% charge down to 20%) 250-300+ miles range. Since 99% of the time the electric is charging overnight in the garage and starts each day with a full tank, that 250+ real miles range is going to be more than plenty. Other than some versions of Tesla model S and lucid air, I dont think any electric can achieve this real world range yet. But what do i know, the market will tell us in due course.
What's in it for Maserati to try and do that? They already have a well developed hit on their hands. To lose that amount of weight it would, if even could be done, be a completely stripped down race car much the the actual Trofeo series track only cars they did with the 4200GT and those didn't end up being real good race cars. They were just something for a customer cup series. Would that sell more standard MC20s? I don't think so. The heft imbedded in the MC20 is part of why it's also such a good GT car. I don't think they're looking to become Lotus. I do completely understand what you're looking for. I have lighter weight Maserati cup car from the mid 90's that I used to track so I get it. I think your pining for that based upon the MC20 is never going to happen in a streetable car. My Maserati race car isn't streetable either.
Mcalrens with a CF tub V6 and electrics are 600lbs lighter. Where is all the weight coming from. These are not extreme binary choices either, no one is asking for the total minimalism of a lotus. Porche Gt3s are hardly stripped down track cars, but they are meaningfully lighter than regular 992.s and something like 5-600lbs lighter than a cf tubbed Mc20. Scrap the electric seats and a bunch of frippery and maybe youre there. What's in it for maser. I'll ask then what was in it for masser in the MC20 at all, by all accounts it wont make money. Yes it is a a halo car for the brand. Fine, lets get a 500lbs lighter version as a halo which adds real cred, just like Gt3s are where porche cred comes from. That would still be heavier than a macalren. Others can do it without complete redesign, its not a hugely expensive project. It will come when ICE MC20 sales slow, just as masser now make lighter faster versions of their Gt coupes. Once the electric becomes the Gt car, maybe the ICe one can chase the type of performance an Ice car doers best. I ask again, especialy given its a cf tub why is this car so heavy. It tells me there is a lot of worthless frippery that can be ditched and a lot of weight lost in the process. Some of us want real drivers cars, that's in this case probably not much more effort than Decontenting out worthless crap., Evo called this car a spiritual decedant of the f40. That was a car that really was minimalist and weighted 2600lbs. How about a 3200lbs MC20. yeah there is a wait for the car already, there is a wait for every exotic.
When you compare the MC20 close to the 4C, then you also have to compare it with the Lotus Elise. Same concept but marketing- and performance wise the MC20 is in a much "higher" universe. You compare apples with pears....
MC 20 is much higher universe, it is though conceptually taking the 4c formula and amping it up in every direction. That also tells me if the MC20 can loose weight the basics are there for a modern rendition of a 288 GTO. It certainly has the looks power and basic spec. That would make it more than a contender and put it into the category of one fo the all time greats. maybe Im just pining for some manfatuerer to cater to more than well healed GT car user and make a version for the meerly well of who are first and foremost drivers. To date imo only porche does that with the Gt series, (GT4rs) but those are unobtanium, not least because Porche is the only one doing that . Yeah there is the upcoming z06 that sort a maybe hits the spot, but its big lardy and more lambo in your face than classy.
Track only, pointless. There simply are better track cars if you're going track only. The sweetspot is street legal while still being great on track. Think 250SWB ferrrari, 288GTO, Porche Gt3 and GT4RS.
Harry brings up the door exit issue along with the speed bump problem and small fuel tank. Doesn't like the electric steering. But... he likes it and agrees that in 10 years the MC20 might be a more wanted car than the Mac Autura and 296 gt (I think he reads Fchat!)
I watched it too and yeah he says he likes it but he sure complains about quite a few things. I think he was just being polite. He never stopped talking about how "turbo" the car is. He also took it out for a test on a bad weather day for it. So you get to see and listen to it when it can't get grip. It's a useful review for that. He also talks about the weight. He's just as mystified as Boxerman is. Now I just finished watching his series on his personally new Lotus Emira before this. He absolutely loves that car and his tests of it were quite good. On his 3 segment of his road trip he ends up at Pagani to see their latest creation so ... after watching that (he doesn't drive anything) looking at the MC20 it seems like a cheap kit car by comparison. So his drive in the MC20 which was short is quite a let down. Not really fair but there you are. If I were in the market for something like this I think I might go look at the Lotus Emira. Hey where's Flash? Maserati should give him a second car with an expert to show him everything and see what he thinks. The MC20 might have got a short shrift treatment. I can't argue with him about the boot and trunk space.
Harry nails it with hybrid supercars being a serious concern in 10 years. If a Tesla battery is $17-$20k, best believe a Ferrari/Mclaren battery is going to be at least 2-3x more
Aside from the cost, what if they are no longer made? Do you park the car? Someone in the after market remakes them? We are entering a brave new world similar to car electronics of audio systems. What will cell phones be like in 10 years? Then ask what the battery packs for electric cars will be like.....
Is or are these "tests" really helpful? I am pretty sure these tests are not done in all details, like timing acceleration, brake tests, skid-pad driving etc, etc. like propper magazines doing it. These "tests" are done by some online car guys who refer more to their individual feeling than on hard facts.
Fair enough if he doesn’t like it, (and I’m sure I’d like a bigger fuel tank…), but seems a pretty meaningless review. Not just wet, but cold, and then booting it while complaining about traction and power delivery. Find me a RWD car with 600bhp that can put power down in those conditions… I test drove one when it was very wet, but warm, and was actually impressed with how easy and smooth it was.
