Vol 1 Issue 2

But isn’t Maserati a most exciting name for any mouth to pronounce? With a name like that, you really should be building the world’s most thrilling drivers’ cars. Up until recently, it could be said that the last semi-world class GT car out of Maserati was the Bora that trickled to a halt back in 1980. Today’s updated Spyder and Coupe keep getting better, the latest Quattroporte is better than any previous Maserati four-door and the GranSport Coupe is a legitimately great GT car. Now we await the imminent launch of the new Coupe and Spyder which, Pininfarina’s Ken Okuyama assures us, are significantly advanced compared to the outgoing Italdesign-Giugiaro designs.

And so we’ve been waiting since its official debut at the 2004 Geneva auto show for the car you see here. The MC12 Stradale is the embodiment of everything a sports car racing Maserati stands for. And with only a couple of negatives you can probably live with – no ceramic brakes offered, a slightly low 7700rpm redline – the MC12 also performs like that ultimate Maserati.

The MC12 is fundamentally based on the Ferrari Enzo architecture and powertrain, but it’s not all that simple. The MC12 is 17in longer, 2.4in wider and 2.3in taller than the Enzo. The MC12’s wheelbase is 5.9in longer and its dry weight hits the scales 200lbs heavier than Enzo despite having the same basic all-carbon-fiber construction for the chassis and body. Track widths for the front and rear axles of both cars are exactly the same – 65.4in in front, 65.0in in back.

Beginning with the exterior aesthetics of the MC12 versus those of the Enzo, Ken Okuyama was primarily responsible for the Enzo’s chiseled looks with heavy Formula One influences. Many agree that it is attractive, yet a business-minded, colder design. This design was more or less decided at the same time that Okuyama created the Pininfarina Rossa Barchetta showcar in the year 2000. When he talks of the Enzo versus its predecessor, the F50 supercar, he says, "In testing of the Enzo in the wind tunnel and at the track, it had twice the downforce of the F50." The large frontal area of the Enzo has often been a topic of aerodynamic debate. Many see it as a stability problem at the highest speeds and while braking entering sharp turns.

The MC12 at Geneva in 2004 captivated lookers with sexy and curvaceous lines and pleasing proportions. Its final form was determined by three men: Maserati’s project manager Giorgio Ascanelli, original consulting designer Fabrizio Giugiaro and Ferrari-Maserati style boss Frank Stephenson, the latter putting in the seriously long hours to bring the project to life. A regular comment from the automotive press has been that the MC12 looks like the Enzo that Ferrari actually wanted. The MC12 is unmistakable in its presence and does more for the Maserati brand than the Enzo needs to do for Ferrari. This first afternoon of driving the MC12 reveals an incredibly stable car under all extremes.

At just 2743lbs and 651hp (SAE rated), the Enzo has a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp:4.21lbs. The larger MC12 weighs 2943lbs and has the same V-12 engine producing 622hp for a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp:4.73lbs. These seem like tiny differences, but the end reality is that the MC12 is more of a hard-cornering and precise driving car and the Enzo is primarily for faster straight-line runs. Given the dimensions of the Maserati, it will always feel better on a wider track no matter what, but it is amazingly agile through the turns and in tighter spots. Both of these cars are remarkable works of engineering and art, but the MC12 truly feels better thought-out and more complete for the job it’s meant to perform.