720bhp Maserati MCXtrema makes track debut ahead of first deliveries
Taking the MC20 as a base, Maserati has created a limited-run track car with a 720bhp twin-turbo V6
Revealed last year at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, the Maserati MCXtrema is a track-only, limited-run supercar based on the MC20. Destined for just 62 customers, the new creation is not type-approved for driving on the road, and instead is a kind of ultra-exotic track day car; although given its rarity and if-you-have-to-ask pricing, it’s unlikely to show up at many local track days any time soon. In Maserati’s words, the car is ‘dedicated to a selected, highly discerning clientele,’ comprising ‘purist collectors and loyal customers of the brand.’
Before deliveries commence later this summer, Maserati has released new images of the model undergoing first track tests in the hands of chief test driver Andrea Bertolini, a man with no less than four world titles in the iconic MC12. Following a total of 1200 hours of simulations and numerous track tests since February, development is set to come to a close next month.
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Like the regular, mildly less elitist MC20, it’s powered by a twin-turbo V6, with power increased to 720bhp compared with the source car’s 621bhp. That’s partly down to new turbochargers and fine tuning of the ignition system. Torque is quoted at the same 538lb ft figure as the road car.
Created in collaboration between the Maserati Centro Stile design and the engineering departments, the MCXtrema’s design references the MC12 supercar and racing car from the mid noughties. Without the need to follow racing or road car regulations, it enjoys expansive aero channels and air scoops for aerodynamic and cooling gain.
The MCXtrema is the final development of the Maserati Project24 track-only supercar publicised in teaser pictures in 2022. No doubt it also takes a great deal from the recently launched MC20 GT2 racing car.
As with the road-going MC20, the MCXtrema is built around a Dallara-engineered carbonfibre tub, with the reworked Nettuno V6 engine connected to a competition-level drivetrain. The Nettuno unit features a clever pre-combustion chamber system that increases both performance and efficiency, making it one of the most powerful V6 engines on sale in standard form.
Inside, there’s a racing seat with a six-point harness (and a passenger seat is an option for driver coaching and/or entertaining friends and family) and a new steering wheel incorporating a five-inch display screen for lap times, pit communications and a multitude of settings. Power steering, traction control, brake balance and engine maps are all adjustable too. A fire extinguisher system and roof hatch, as per GT racing, have been added for safety.
Dampers are four-way adjustable and the MCXtrema is fitted with carbon racing brakes. A six-speed sequential gearbox powers the rear wheels through a mechanical locking differential. With carbon bodywork and carbon chassis, it’s quoted to weigh approximately 1300kg without fluids, compared with the sub-1500kg figure of the road going MC20 (dry figure, that is; we found it weighs considerably more with fluids).
This hyper aggressive aero-focused approach could preview future iterations of the MC20, perhaps leading to a stripped-out, lightweight derivative in the mould of Lamborghini’s brilliant Huracán STO. It’s a tantalising thought.
