Taking the MC20 as a base, Maserati has created a limited-run track car with a 530kW twin-turbo V6.
Meet the Maserati MCXtrema, a track-only, limited-run supercar based on the MC20. Destined for 62 customers, the new creation has been revealed at The Quail event during Monterey Car Week. It’s not type-approved for driving on the road, and instead is a kind of ultra-exotic track day car; although given its rarity and if-you-have-to-ask pricing, it’s unlikely to show up at many local track days any time soon. In Maserati’s words, the car is ‘dedicated to a selected, highly discerning clientele,’ comprising ‘purist collectors and loyal customers of the brand.’
Like the regular, mildly less elitist MC20, it’s powered by a twin-turbo V6, with power increased to 530kW compared with the source car’s 457kW. That’s partly down to new turbochargers and fine tuning of the ignition system. Torque is quoted at the same 730Nm figure as the road car.
Created in collaboration between the Maserati Centro Stile design and the engineering departments, the MCXtrema’s design references the MC12 supercar and racing car from the mid noughties. Without the need to follow racing or road car regulations, it enjoys expansive aero channels and air scoops for aerodynamic and cooling gain.
The MCXtrema is the final development of the Maserati Project24 track-only supercar publicised in teaser pictures last year. No doubt it also takes a great deal from the recently launched MC20 GT2 racing car.
As with the road-going MC20, the MCXtrema is built around a Dallara-engineered carbonfibre tub, with the reworked Nettuno V6 engine connected to a competition-level drivetrain. The Nettuno unit features a clever pre-combustion chamber system that increases both performance and efficiency, making it one of the most powerful V6 engines on sale in standard form.
Maserati MCXtrema12
Inside, there’s a racing seat with a six-point harness (and a passenger seat is an option for driver coaching and/or entertaining friends and family) and a new steering wheel incorporating a five-inch display screen for lap times, pit communications and a multitude of settings. Power steering, traction control, brake balance and engine maps are all adjustable too. A fire extinguisher system and roof hatch, as per GT racing, have been added for safety.
Dampers are four-way adjustable and the MCXtrema is fitted with carbon racing brakes. A six-speed sequential gearbox powers the rear wheels through a mechanical locking differential. With carbon bodywork and carbon chassis, it’s quoted to weigh approximately 1300kg without fluids, compared with the sub-1500kg figure of the road going MC20 (dry figure, that is; we found it weighs considerably more with fluids).
This hyper aggressive aero-focused approach could preview future iterations of the MC20, perhaps leading to a stripped-out, lightweight derivative in the mould of Lamborghini’s brilliant Huracán STO. It’s a tantalising thought.