| Designed to win races, the Maserati MC12 is | | | | as a winner. Now, Ferrari and Maserati have |
| actually sold as a road car, albeit it a very | | | | been put in different sub-groups, so this |
| impractical one. Still what do you expect | | | | sort of collaboration is not expected in the |
| with a 620 bhp exotic car? The car looks just | | | | future.V-12 from Ferrari with 622 bhpThe |
| like the sports racing car that it is. To be | | | | Maserati MC12 looks completeley different |
| fair, it is a real two-seater while the cars | | | | from the Enzo, though,, with a long nose and |
| that race at Le Mans are more like | | | | very long tail. Where the Enzo is angular, |
| single-seaters.Only 25 MC12s were built | | | | the MC12 is curved. It has a carbon fiber |
| initially, and quite a few were used for | | | | body structure with steel sub-frames front |
| racing. Actually, when they heard about | | | | and rear. Power comes from a 6.0 liter V-12 |
| Maserati building the MC12 for the GTA | | | | developing 622 bhp @ 7,500 rpm, and 480 lb ft |
| championship (ooops, sorry for sale as a road | | | | (652 Nm) torque @ 5,500 rpm. A semi-racing |
| car, was the official line, I think) some of | | | | engine to be sure. It is coupled to a |
| the other companies threatened to withdraw as | | | | semi-automatic six-speed sequential gearbox, |
| they thought the presence of the MC12 on the | | | | developed by Ferrari in racing.Suspension is |
| starting grid would make a farce of the whole | | | | by double wishbones, with inboard spring and |
| series.Although the Maserati MC12, is a true | | | | damper units acting through pushrods. These |
| exotic car, it is based on the Ferrari Enzo. | | | | are mounted horizontally as on the Enzo. The |
| The whole idea was to upgrade Maserati's | | | | dampers have variable rates. Quite a car, but |
| image following a checkered history. The | | | | not as extreme as the Bugatti Veyron or the |
| glory of the 50s, when Maserati was a regular | | | | latest Saleen S7.Following the racing success |
| winner of Grand Prix, got lost in the mire of | | | | of the MC12, Maserati is now to build a more |
| an economic downturn, when the company took | | | | extreme version - the MC12 Corsa. The MC12 |
| the wrong turn more than once.As Ferrari and | | | | Corsa has a massively uprated Enzo V-12 |
| Maserati are both part of the Fiat Group, and | | | | engine giving about 750bhp. You can get this |
| were in fact in the same sub-group, it made | | | | for about $1. |
| sense to modify the Enzo to get Maserati back | | | | |