730-horse track-only MC20 derivative
62 planned, all sold
Maserati has just revealed the company’s most powerful track car yet. It’s called the MCXtrema, but don’t worry: The car looks a lot better than the name suggests.
It’s a Maserati that doesn’t have to worry about such inconveniences as the need to pass road safety or emissions standards. Nor is it concerned with the endless rulebooks that restrain vehicles designed to race in a series. The only limits here were the capabilities of the MC20 platform the car was designed around and the anticipated budgets of its customers.
The Maserati MCXtrema starts with the brand’s 3.0L twin-turbo V6 nicknamed Nettuno. The engine has had the boost turned up to max to deliver 730 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque. That’s 110 horses more than the roadgoing MC20, helped by larger turbos, a racing exhaust, and a new engine calibration.
Maserati has fitted a six-speed sequential box with a racing clutch. The MCXtrema gets carbon-ceramic brakes and a double-wishbone suspension tuned for the track. The dampers, springs, and anti-roll bars are all adjustable to let the car fit the driver’s style and wishes.
While it’s a race car, it’s a race car for rich people. That means it has air conditioning to keep the driver cool and UV-reactive switchgear so you can see it in the dark. There is also a rearview camera so the driver can let faster cars go by.
Maserati will build 62 of the MCXtrema racers, and they’re already all sold. The company intends for those owners to use their cars at exclusive private test days at tracks around the world. Unlike some track-day specials, though, Maserati says buyers will be able to add the car to their own garage.
The car was revealed at Monterey Car Week, and that’s probably the only place you’ll ever see one. With the exception of some seriously fortunate owners and their staff, of course.
