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Maserati has designed a new road-going Grand Tourer known as the MC12 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 the Maserati
technicians with the fundamental contribution of Frank Stephenson, the Ferrari
Maserati Group’s own Director of Concept Design and Development. The European
type-approved version of the new car goes on sale after the summer.
Designed for high level road use, it can exceed 330 km/h at full throttle,
sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Although easy and pleasant to
drive on the road, the 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 new model adds the definitive
flourish to Maserati’s return to the racing circuits after the recent and highly
successful debut in the Daytona 24 Hour Race, of the Trofeo Light, inspired by
the equally impressive single-series protagonist. Under the guidance of engineer
Giorgio Ascanelli, Maserati’s Racing Division is currently developing the new
car to meet the rules of the major international championships.
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. Around 30 MC12s will be built in all,
25 of which will be for road use. A second series of 25 examples for clients
will be built in 2005 also.
LIGHT, RIGID STRUCTURE
The Maserati MC12 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 hp 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.
STYLING AND AERODYNAMICS
As a result of its imposing dimensions (5143 mm long, 2100 mm wide and 1205 mm
high), the MC12’s styling is very much functionally-inspired. Intensive wind
tunnel testing and advanced mathematical computations, combined with work on the
track and road, have resulted in an extraordinarily efficient form that
absolutely exudes power and personality. The air intakes, vents and other
aerodynamic components have been designed to optimise the car’s internal fluid
dynamics and air flows to ensure optimal downforce (vertical load) and
aerodynamic efficiency values.
The bonnet is characterised by the sinuous lines formed by two large tapering
apertures, culminating in the classic Maserati grille opening with a Trident at
its centre. The bonnet and wheelarches, into which the Bi-Xenon headlamp units
are set, are a one-piece moulding which is also removable.
A channel along the side of the car stretches from the front wheel vent to an
inlet just in front of the rear wheel. This solution contributes to aerodynamic
downforce whilst also improving aerodynamic efficiency.
Above the hard top, there is a snorkel for the engine compartment. The rear
section is dominated by the engine and the slender (30 mm) yet imposing
two-metre carbon wing with two fins and, at its base, a small spoiler in which
the third stop light has been inserted. The inverted half moon design of the
exhausts is the most striking part of the tail section. The whole underside of
the car has been faired in and sealed and there are two generous diffusers also
which deliver maximum “ground effect.”
630 HP SIX-LITRE ENGINE
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 465 kW
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 652 Nm 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.
CAMBIOCORSA TRANSMISSION
In line with the MC12’s performance-oriented design, it is supplied exclusively
with the six-speed Maserati Cambiocorsa transmission offering computerised gear
selection. The driver doesn’t need to touch the clutch with this
electro-hydraulic gearbox and instead selects the gears using the paddles
mounted behind the steering wheel. The transmission’s two modes are selected at
the touch of a button. The Sport mode will be the driver’s most frequent choice
and includes a good dose of traction control, while the Race setting enhances
the kind of sporty behaviour typically seen on the track. In Race mode, in fact,
the system delivers much nippier gear changing and activates the ASR also.
WHEELS AND SUSPENSION
The MC12 has independent wishbone suspension front and rear with anti-dive and
anti-squat geometries and push-rod suspension. This set-up offers very
progressive suspension response for exceptional handling precision under all
conditions. The front of the car can be raised for parking ramps and the 19”
wheels are attached via a single centre locking wheel nut. It also boasts
Pirelli tyres: 245/35 (front) and 345/35 (rear).
BRAKES
The MC12’s brakes were developed by Brembo. They deliver maximum braking
efficiency and fade resistance, thanks to large ventilated cross-drilled discs
(front diameter 380 mm and rear 335). Six and four-piston alloy callipers
(front/rear). The MC12 also boasts ABS.
INTERIOR AND ACCESSORIES
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.
The upper part of the leather and carbon-trimmed steering wheel is slightly
flattened. The dashboard, with its clean tailored lines, is characteristically
Maserati. The instruments are organised around a central and prominent
speedometer, placed directly in front of the driver. The center console includes
the controls for the climate control system, and two of its four vents. Set at
the intersection of the console and the central tunnel is the characteristic
oval clock, and the blue engine Start button. Other controls are laid out on the
titanium-coloured stylised central tunnel which also includes a storage
compartment and a 12 volt outlet.
The seats have a carbon fibre structure with high lateral containment: the seats
themselves are upholstered in fabric with the shoulder rests in perforated
leather. The doors have carbon fibre panels and pockets complete with the
electric window buttons. The pedals are aluminium and the mats rubber.
MASERATI MC 12: TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
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