CARS OF THE WORLD

Maserati MC 20 (2020).

Maserati has introduced a new sports car for the first time in 13 years.

In recent decades, Maserati has gone through difficult times. Even despite the release of the Levante crossover, which was supposed to do the same thing that the Cayenne did for Porsche, sales of the Italian company continue to fall. In 2019, they fell by 26%, and Maserati once again declared a net loss.

Against this background, it is surprising that Fiat (the owner of the brand) generally continues to invest in Maserati. On September 9, for the first time since 2007, Maserati unveiled a new supercar, the MC20.

In fact, even more time has passed since the release of its predecessor, the Maserati MC12: it debuted in 2004 and turned out to be a reworked version of the Ferrari Enzo for the track. But the MC20 has no direct counterpart in the Ferrari camp.

The body is based on a carbon-fiber «bath» -monocoque. Maserati’s designers have spent over 2000 hours in the Dallara wind tunnel. Visually, the body of the Maserati MC20 is divided into two parts — the roof and its pillars are painted black.

All exterior panels are molded from CFRP for minimum weight. A car’s Maserati brand can only be identified by its distinctive trident grille. Otherwise, it is difficult to distinguish from others. The car is carefully designed in terms of streamlining — which, in general, is logical for a supercar.

Maserati MC 20 (2020).

The engine is also new: it was developed especially for the Maserati MC20. It is a 3.0-liter V-six with a 90-degree camber. The Nettuno motor received some interesting engineering solutions.

In particular, a pre-chamber ignition is used here, two candles for each cylinder and combined injection (direct and distributed). As a result, the mixture is ignited by a candle in a small additional chamber installed above the main one, and then enters the main one.

It has its own candle, which ignites the mixture at low loads. The two turbochargers are located outside the unit, which is also unusual.

Nettuno develops 630 hp. at 7500 rpm and 730 Nm in the range from 3000 to 5500 rpm. Maserati calls it the most powerful production 3.0-liter V6 on the planet.

The internal combustion engine is aggregated with an 8-speed «robot» with two clutches. Traction is transferred to the rear axle, which also has a limited slip differential. An electronically controlled interlock is available as an option. The assembly of the units is central-engine.

The Maserati MC20 accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 2.9 seconds, from 0 to 200 km / h in 8.8. The maximum speed is 325 km / h.

Soon, the Italians will present a fully electric version of the MC20: the monocoque was originally designed with an eye on the installation of a large battery. Such a car will have a similar acceleration dynamics to 100 km / h, but the «maximum speed» will drop to 310 km / h. The power reserve is 323 km.

An optional ride height system is available for the MC20. It allows you to increase the ground clearance by 50 mm at speeds up to 40 km / h. This will help the supercar to overcome bumps such as speed bumps.

Most of the interior panels are made of carbon fiber for lighter weight. Alcantara and leather are used in the decoration. A 10.3-inch touchscreen display is installed in the center of the front panel.

A screen of the same size replaces the instrument cluster. Maserati Connect has the ability to alert the owner of the need for maintenance.

Also, along with the MC20, the company introduced a slightly updated corporate logo.

The designers changed the bend and the distance between the arrows of the trident, and on the colored emblems (for example, on the hood), the red was abandoned.

Production of the Maserati MC20 is slated to begin later in 2020. The company is currently taking orders. In the US, a supercar will cost from $ 210,000 (= 15,800,000 rubles).