In a break from the way Ferrari did things with the FXX, where the men from Maranello had to 'approve' customers' applications to buy the £1M supercar, Maserati is throwing open its order books to all-comers, although it is only expecting to produce 12 cars a year.

As was the case with the FXX, the fact that the MC12 Corsa doesn't have to comply with racing regulations works in its favour. Whereas Maserati's MC12 GT1 racer is restricted to 591bhp (with the road car giving 620bhp), the power output of the Corsa's thoroughly re-engineed V12 rises substantially, to 747bhp. The Corsa also has a different aerodynamics package to either the GT1 or the MC12 road car, with broader wheelarches, revised air intakes (check out the twin inlets inside the housing on the roof), race-style door mirrors, a reworked rear diffuser arrangement and a high-rise rear wing. Twin tailpipes now emerge from the centre of the rear of the car, rather than the outboard position of the road car's quad pipes.

Because trackdays are for friends as well as drivers, the MC12 Corsa has a pair of buckets rather than the single chair of the GT1 race car. Gearchanging duties are performed by an upgraded version of Maserati's Cambiocorsa paddle-shift sequential gearbox. Reinforcing its track role, the MC12 Corsa boasts race-style centre-lock alloys wrapped in slicks.

Echoing a trend in the hypercar market, Maserati will offer buyers the option of having annual technical upgrades to their car. And all this for a £315,000 saving over the price of an FXX, although if we're being pedantic the Ferrari does have an extra 53bhp. You pays your money...