The Maserati MC12

By Couper Nine | May 4, 2008

The Maserati MC12 is a super car produced by Maserati as a road car (for homologation) from which they developed a FIA GT Championship racing variant. Despite Maserati calling it a grand tourer, the MC12 qualifies as a super car, meeting all criteria. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 to be produced (5 not for sale) and a further 25 produced in 2005. All 50 were pre-sold for 600 000. It’s about $3.720.000 NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The car has generally received positive reviews but its critics say it is hard to drive, overpriced and too large. Other criticisms include the lack of trunk, rear window, spare tire and radio. Current driver for Vitaphone Racing Team, Andrea Bertolini, was the chief test driver through the development and said the car “reacts well and is very reliable in its reactions”.

The MC12 was developed to signal Maserati’s return to racing after 37 years. GT1 race cars were entered into the FIA GT with great success. Maserati began racing in the FIA GT toward the end of the 2004 season and achieving a victory. The racing MC12’s were also entered into the American Le Mans Series races in 2005 but had size issues and consequently paid weight penalties.
The MC12 is a mid-engine, rear wheel drive, V12 in a two door coupe with a targa top roof however the detached roof cannot be stored in the car .The carbon fibre exterior is available only in the white and blue colour scheme and serves as a tribute to the America Camoradi Scuderia racing team of the early 1960s that drove the Maserati Tipo Birdcages.
Interior

While designed as a homologation vehicle and a modification of a racing car the interior of the car is designed to be luxurious. The interior is a mix of carbon fibre, leather and “Brightex”, a synthetic material which was found to be “too expensive for the fashion industry”.[12] However the interior has been criticised for a lack of a radio.

Exterior

The body of the car, made entirely of carbon fibre, has undergone extensive wind tunnel testing to achieve maximum down force across all surfaces and the air scoop on top of the cabin sucks air into the engine compartment. The rear wing is 2 metres wide but only 30 millimetres thick and the underside and rear have diffusers to take advantage of ground effect.

The car is noted for its size and consequent obscurity, being very long, wider than a Hummer H2 and combined with the lack of rear window, it makes parking very difficult. The centre-lock wheel nuts (that hold the wheels to the chassis) are colour coded, red nuts on the left of the car, blue on the right.

Article Source: robson.m3rlin.org