2005 Maserati MC12

Introduction

Now owned by it's once most fierceful rival Ferrari, Maserati made MC12, a two door coupe sports car which is designed first and foremost to annihilate its competition on the racing track in FIA GT Championship. While MC12's design is slightly related to the famous Ferrari Enzo, it is a trully respectable competitor not only to Lamborghini or Porsche supercars, but to Ferrari's own power beasts.

MC12 has a V12 engine that was downtuned from the supercar Ferrari Enzo 660 PS to 630 PS (at 7000 rpm). However it remains a DOHC with 65 degree with four valves per cylinder.
MC12´ gearbox is also identical to the one used in Ferrari Enzo sports car, it´s Ferrari´s six-speed manual gear shifting box with paddles behind the steering wheel for quick and easy access.

Only 25 models of fast car MC12 were built in 2004 and another 25 in year 2005. Only the luckiest sports car and supercar collecting enthusiasts were able to obtain themselves one of these exotic car beauties.

The Maserati MC12 is a grand tourer produced by Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced (five of which were not for sale). A further 25 were produced in 2005 making a total of 50 cars available for customers, each of which were pre-sold for 600 000.

Maserati designed and built the car on the chassis of the Enzo Ferrari but the final car is much larger. The MC12 is longer, wider and taller than the Enzo Ferrari, which has faster acceleration and a higher top speed. The top speed of the Maserati MC12 is 330 kilometres per hour (205 mph) whereas the top speed of the Enzo Ferrari is 350 kilometres per hour (217.5 mph).

The MC12 is a two-door coupe with a targa top roof, although the detached roof cannot be stored in the car.The mid-rear layout (engine between the axles but behind the cabin) keeps the centre of gravity in the middle of the car, which increases stability and improves the car's cornering ability. The standing weight distribution is 41% front: 59% rear; at speed however, the downforce provided by the rear spoiler affects this such that at 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph), the effective weight distribution is 34% front: 66% rear.

Design & Style

the car is designed as a homologation vehicle and is a modification of a racing car, the interior is intended to be luxurious. The interior is a mix of gel-coated carbon fibre, blue leather and silver "Brightex": a synthetic material which was found to be "too expensive for the fashion industry." The centre console features the characteristic Maserati oval analogue clock and a blue ignition button, but it has been criticised for lacking a radio, car stereo or a place to install an aftermarket sound system.