Maserati MC12 (2004)

The MC12 is an exclusive 2004 Maserati car that was hand built and was first limited to just 25 units. The MC12 was unveiled at the 74th Geneva International Motorshow by Lucia di Montezemolo, the President of the Ferari Maserati Group after long anticipation. These 25 units were sold out even before the production was complete and after its success in the FIA’s GT1 class, 25 more cars were commissioned in 2005.

Maserati MC12

The MC12 is a very powerful and meant for high road use. It achieves a max speed of 330 kmh at full throttle, going from 0 to 100 in just 3.8 seconds. The MC12 was had inputs from the Ferrari-Maserati Group’s most advanced technologies and competition experience. It has a naturally aspirated 6 litre V12 which gives 465 kW at 7500 rpm. This is also stable at low engine speeds and does not get sluggish but gives excellent fluidity. It has an aluminium crankcase, titanium con-rods and extremely efficient four valve cylinder heads in its design. Perfect timing control is achieved with four gear driven overhead camshafts. The unit also incorporates Maserati’s proven six-speed Cambiocorsa transmission, which gives it computerised gear selection. In Race mode, the system was mapped to deliver much faster gear changes and to activate the ASR.

The Maserati MC12 is actually a grand tourer that was produced by Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The MC12 was actually modeled on the chassis of the Enzo Ferrari but the car was finally much bigger in all dimensions. This makes it slower thatn the Enzo Ferari at only 330 kilometres per hour (205 mph) as against the Enzo Ferrari at 350 kilometres per hour (217.5 mph). The MC12 was Maserati’s reentry on the racing circuit after more than 36 years. The car had 25 units made to fulfill the minimum requirement of number of road cars to participate in the FIA GT. Towards the end of 2004 Maserati began racing the MC12 in the FIA GT and won the race at the Zhuhai International Circuit. Unfortunately in 2005 the MC12s attracted a weight penalty at the American Le Mans Series in 2005.

The MC12 is actually a two-door coupe with a detachable targa top roof. The mid-rear layout (engine between the axles but behind the cabin) keeps the centre of gravity in the middle of the car, which increases stability and improves the car’s cornering ability. The standing weight distribution is 41% front: 59% rear; at speed however, the downforce provided by the rear spoiler affects this such that at 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph), the effective weight distribution is 34% front: 66% rear. The carbon fibre body has undergone extensive wind tunnel testing to achieve maximum downforce across all surfaces. As a result, the rear spoiler is two metres (79 in) wide but only 30 millimetres (1.2 in) thick, the underside of the car is smooth, and the rear bumper has diffusers to take advantage of ground effect.

The MC12 has 19 in Pirelli wheels with a width of 230 millimetres (9 in) at the front and 330 millimetres (13 in) at the rear. The brakes are Brembo disc brakes with a Bosch anti-lock braking system (ABS).

Thought the car has received mostly positive reviews, critics say it is hard to drive and park because of it extra large size. They also feel that the lack of rear window and boot are detrimental to its design.