Maserati MCXtrema: A Hardcore Track-Only Supercar Redefining Luxury Performance
Editor - the\tanmay_
Maserati’s hardcore track-only supercar based on the MC20 was revealed with 730bhp & weighing in only at 1300kg, it arrives as the spiritual successor to the MC12 while also being the most powerful Maserati to date.
The MCXtrema “reflects the desire to create a racing car capable of passing on the legacy”, the brand said, adding it “celebrates the past and sets the pace for the future of the Italian luxury brand”.
Complete with an aero-clad, downforce focused bodywork & a futuristic cockpit, the track car is limited to just 62 examples (all already sold) priced at €1,130,000 each (after tax).
Unveiled at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, the aggressive looking, Italian made supercar arrives with a dramatically overhauled design & massively upgraded underpinnings over the standard MC20, so much so that not much of the original car remains.
One primary reason for the visual changes has been the increase in downforce. Key features of the new aerodynamically focused design include deep bonnet airflow scoops (in the shape of the brand’s trident badge), big diffusers front & back, also a huge adjustable spoiler.
A large roof-mounted scoop, which connects to the spoiler via a shark fin cools the same 3.0-liter V6 Nettuno engine as found in the MC20, but the addition of 2 new turbochargers plus the extra airflow boosts it from 621bhp to a monstrous 730bhp. This grunt is sent to 18” rear wheels via a 6-speed sequential racing gearbox.
A low nose with slim LED lights, integrated race twin exhausts & a large bonnet mounted emblem all add to the extreme look. Elsewhere, the Italian brand has added new double-wishbone suspension along with track tuned 4-way racing dampers, springs & an anti-roll bar, all of which can be fully adjusted.
The car weighs only 1300kg, which’s down to the brand’s focus on cutting fat from the standard 1540kg MC20 to make it as “competitive” as the MC12, this’s thanks to new bodywork & an upgraded chassis, both now constructed of ultra-light carbon fiber.
A huge focus has been placed on the interior too. A single left-hand seat & a carbon fiber racing wheel with a built-in display is surrounded by different clusters of control knobs & buttons. These control an array of settings, from steering calibration to traction control levels, brake balance, engine strategies & the pit limiter.
This extreme & minimalistic cockpit has been designed through feedback from customers to “achieve the utmost performance & emotions” from its unique track ‘toy’ the brand says.
Although the car is a track-focused racer, a host of interior options such as a passenger's seat, rear-view camera display, telemetry recording & tyre pressure monitoring system, point to the Maserati’s luxury positioning.
Additional upgrades include carbon ceramic Brembo CCMR ventilated brakes.
"Maserati MCXtrema was created to offer an incredibly exclusive product that can set a new paradigm for our track cars” said Maserati CEO Davide Grasso.
“MCXtrema embodies the sporting spirit typical of Maserati's DNA, a declaration of a new pathway for our brand, devoted to superlative manufacturing & be able to stand out in the world of luxury engine production with uncompromising performance."