Race cars? Invariably cool. Italian cars? Generally cool. Italian race cars? You can probably tell where we’re going here. This is the Maserati MC20 GT2, sporting the same 621-horsepower Nettuno three-liter turbocharged V6 as the road car but prepped for serious circuit work. Consider it a successor of sorts to the astonishing MC12 GT1, and a feather in Maserati’s supercar cap.
As far as race cars go, the MC20 GT2 is still reasonably pretty. Sure, the intakes on the haunches now sport massive scoops, the hood is ventilated six ways from Sunday, and the new front bumper inlet could house a family of four, but the overall silhouette is much cleaner than, say, the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 GT2. I’m particularly fond of the shark-like roof fin and thin, skeletal structure of the swan-neck wing supports as they add purposeful aggression without coming across as heavy-handed.
Speaking of the aerodynamic package, the rear end gains an absolutely gargantuan diffuser, and a dug-out rear bumper helps evacuate air from the rear wheel arches. The rear three-quarter view might be this thing’s best angle as it really shows off where the race car meets the road car. Mind you, while the aerodynamic aids are outrageous, some of the changes made to the MC20 for GT2 duty are downright sensible.
For example, the wheels have been downsized to 18 inches, which makes sense from a consumables standpoint, and the eight-speed dual clutch transmission of the street car has been discarded in favor of a six-speed sequential ‘box. Typical racing fare, as far as anyone’s concerned. Nestled within the transaxle sits a mechanical limited-slip differential because nothing beats the reliability of pure mechanical activation.
Despite the Ghibli and Levante primarily being driven by real estate agents, Maserati has a rich racing history. Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1957 F1 driver’s championship from behind the wheel of a 250F, Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 twice driving an 8CTF, and the MC12 GT1 won 40 of the 94 races it entered, good for six drivers’ championships.
In addition to all the promised pace, the MC20 GT2 is surprisingly luxurious by GT2 car standards, which is a bit like saying a sleeping arrangement is surprisingly luxurious as far as floors go. You won’t find leather-lined anything or the latest and greatest in infotainment, but you will find standard air conditioning. Buyers can even pop for a reversing camera and a passenger seat, although don’t expect to see this stripped-out race car slide through the local McDonald’s drive-thru anytime soon.
Instead, the Maserati MC20 GT2 will make its competition debut towards the end of the 2023 Fanatec GT European Series, with a full crack at the championship coming in 2024. Considering the small number of SRO GT2 homologated cars, it should certainly make racing a bit more exciting as it attempts to kick Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, and Lamborghini butt.
(Photo credits: Maserati)
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The Maserati Shamal remains for me one of the top 5 most beautiful cars ever made.
I am happy that Maserati is doing well nowadays, but the design, well…
Maserati as a company is squarely in “meh” territory for me, but damn do I love a good race car. And as you say, not many do it like the Italians.
Slowly getting outside of a coffee, I glance at the picture of the yoke: “Dank? What th…Oh, drink! Ok, that makes way better sense. But, can you imagine the cleaning regime for a system to dispense potable liquids at mumble-mumble miles an hour?” Shudders