The upcoming Maserati MC20 is a new MC12 supercar

By topgear, 25 February 2020

You all know that person; the type that somehow navigates any group conversation into something about themselves, no matter the content. Well, today, we at TopGear.com are that person.

Though Maserati is to blame. Much as we’d like to talk about the latest “super sports car” the firm is planning on revealing in May, we can’t, because we only know it’ll be called the Maserati MC20.

So we’re going to briefly talk about the Maserati MC12 instead. Principally because we want to, and also because Maser itself reckons the new MC20 is a “natural evolution” from that amazing supercar.

And what a supercar. The MC12 featured the Ferrari Enzo’s chassis and V12 powertrain, but clothed them both in a slightly bigger body. A really, really good looking one at that, too, designed by one Frank Stephenson. That’s the chap who also did a few McLarens, the Ferrari F430 and even the Fiat 500.

Power sat at 620bhp from Ferrari’s lightly glorious twelve-cylinder 6.0-litre, though apparently the MC12 featured different engine mapping, and deployed standard dampers as opposed to the electric ones from the Enzo.

Only 50 MC12s were built, and Maser would take it racing, too. Heck, that’s kinda the point of the car: the MC12 Corsa was campaigned in the GT and GT1 championships, where it was really quite successful. It won 22 races and 14 titles between 2004 and 2010. Maserati has confirmed that the new MC20 will also go racing.

So, a successor to the MC12 is fine by us. V12 too, please. However unlikely.