The Maserati MC12 is produced 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 it is much larger with a lower drag coefficient. The MC12 is
longer, wider and taller and has a sharper nose and smoother curves
than the Enzo Ferrari, which has faster acceleration, better braking
performance 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 was developed to signal Maserati’s return to racing after 37
years. One requirement for participation in the FIA GT is the
production of at least 25 road cars. Three GT1 race cars were entered
into the FIA GT with great success. Maserati began racing the MC12 in
the FIA GT toward the end of the 2004 season, winning the race held at
the Zhuhai International Circuit. The racing MC12s were entered into the
American Le Mans Series races in 2005 but exceeded the size
restrictions and consequently paid weight penalties due to excess range.
Under the direction of Giorgio Ascanelli, Maserati began development
of an FIA GT-eligible race car. This car, which would eventually be
named the MC12, was initially called the MCC (Maserati Corse
Competizione) and it was to be developed simultaneously with a road
going version, the MCS (Maserati Corse Stradale). Frank Stephenson did
the majority of the body styling, but the initial shape was developed
during wind tunnel testing from an idea by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The MCC
had a very similar body shape to the MC12 but there are several key
differences, most notably the rear spoiler. Andrea Bertolini served as
the chief test driver throughout development, although some testing was
done by Michael Schumacher, who frequently tested the MCC at the Fiorano
Circuit. During the development process, the MCC name was set aside
after Maserati established the car’s official name, MC12.
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.
Even though 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 after market sound system.
The body of the car, made entirely of carbon fibre, has undergone
extensive wind tunnel testing to achieve maximum downforce across all
surfaces. As a result, the rear spoiler is two metres (79 in) wide but
only 30 millimetres (1.2 in) thick, the underside of the car is smooth,
and the rear bumper has diffusers to take advantage of ground effect.
Air is sucked into the engine compartment through the air scoop; its
positioning on top of the cabin makes the car taller than the Enzo. The
exterior is available only in the white and blue colour scheme, a
tribute to the America Camoradi racing team that drove the Maserati Tipo
Birdcages in the early 1960s. The car is noted for the awkwardness that
results from its size: very long and wider than a Hummer H2. This,
combined with the lack of a rear window, makes parking the MC12 very
difficult.
The MC12 sports a 232 kilogram (511 lb), six-litre (5,998 cc/366 cu
in) Enzo Ferrari-derived V12 engine, mounted at 65°. Each cylinder has
four valves, lubricated via a dry sump system, and a compression ratio
of 11.2:1. These combine to provide a maximum torque of 652 newton
metres (481 lbf·ft) at 5500 rpm and a maximum power of 630 PS (460 kW;
620 hp) at 7500 rpm. The redline rpm is indicated at 7500—despite being
safe up to 7700—whereas the Enzo has redline at 8200 rpm.
The Maserati MC12 can accelerate from 0–100 kilometres per hour (62
mph) in 3.8 seconds (though Motor Trend Magazine managed 3.7 seconds)
and on to 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph) in 9.9 seconds. The maximum
speed of the Maserati MC12 is 330 kilometres per hour (205 mph).
The power is fed to the wheels through a rear-mounted, six-speed
semi-automatic transmission. The gearbox is the same as the Enzo’s
transmission (tuned to different gear ratios) but renamed “Maserati
Cambiocorsa”. It provides a shift time of just 150 milliseconds, and is
mechanical with a 215 millimetre (8.5 in) twin plate dry clutch.
The car has generally received mixed reviews, with critics saying it
is hard to drive, overpriced and too large. Other criticisms include the
lack of a trunk, rear window, spare tire and radio, and the way the
car’s engine was limited or “drugged”. Current driver for Vitaphone
Racing Team Andrea Bertolini, the chief test driver throughout the
development, said the car “reacts well and is very reliable in its
reactions.”
Motor Trend Magazine reviewer Frank Markus had a more positive
opinion. Despite initial scepticism he said, “It turns out that the Enzo
makes a more comfortable and attractive road car when made over as a
butch Maserati racer in street couture”. Markus complimented the
stability of braking and the handling ability of the MC12, especially
the drifting allowed by the traction control when cornering, commenting
that “There’s none of the knife-edged limit handling we criticised in
the more extreme Enzo. It’s even more forgiving at the limit than an
Acura NSX.”
When Automobile Magazine tested an MC12, reviewer Preston Lerner
called it “user-friendly”, praising the responsiveness and simplicity of
driving. Lerner approved of Frank Stephenson’s work with the styling of
both the car’s exterior and interior, calling the trim
“Speed-Racer-ish” but “without looking as though it belongs in a
Nitrous-ized Civic”. He also complimented the ASR’s level of
intervention, commenting that it “lets the fun factor get reasonably
high before kicking in”.
In 2008 Evo Magazine ran the MC12 at Nordschleife and obtained a
7:24.29 second lap time. This was also the second time an MC12 recorded a
faster lap time than its Ferrari counterpart, with the Enzo lapping the
track 1 second slower.
And onto racing, In 2004 Maserati completed three MC12 GT1 race cars
intended for the FIA GT GT1 class. The AF Corse factory-backed squad
debuted the race at Imola, yet the FIA did not allow the MC12 to score
points due to its debated homologation. Even with this setback, the team
managed to take second and third places. At the next round at
Oschersleben, the MC12 of Andrea Bertolini and Mika Salo won for the
first time. At the final round of the year at Zhuhai, the FIA finally
agreed to homologate the MC12s and allow them to score points towards
the championship. With this, the MC12 again took victory, allowing it to
score enough points to finish 7th in the teams championship.
In 2005 Maserati won the FIA GT Manufacturers Cup with 239 points:
almost double the score of next team (Ferrari with 125 points). The two
teams that entered MC12s into the FIA GT, Vitaphone Racing and JMB
Racing, finished first and second respectively in the Team Cup, with
Vitaphone winning by a considerable margin.
In 2006 the only team representing Maserati was Vitaphone Racing. On
September 30, 2006 Vitaphone secured the Teams’ Championship for the
2006 season despite their drivers placing 5th and 7th in the Budapest
500km race with weight penalties of 85 kilograms and 105 kilograms
respectively. Bertolini and Bartels also shared first place in the
Drivers’ Championship on 71 points but the manufacturers cup went to
Aston Martin.
Vitaphone Racing again won the GT1 Teams’ Championship in the 2007
season on 115 points, followed by fellow MC12 team Scuderia Playteam
Sarafree on 63 points. JMB Racing also entered two MC12s, but they were
used by amateur drivers competing in the Citation Cup, which was won by
JMB’s driver Ben Aucott. Maserati also won the Manufacturers’ Cup by a
significant margin while Thomas Biagi won the Drivers’ Championship.
Fellow Vitaphone drivers Miguel Ramos and Christian Montanari tied for
sixth, while Playteam’s Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini were just
behind.
For 2008, Vitaphone Racing returned with a pair of MC12s for drivers
Andrea Bertolini, Michael Bartels, and Miguel Ramos, as well as newcomer
Alexandre Negrão. The season ended with another Teams’ Championship for
Vitaphone Racing (122.5 points) and Drivers’ Championship for Bertolini
and Bartels. In the ninth round, the team fielded a third car under the
name of Team Vitasystem, driven by Pedro Lamy and Matteo Bobbi which
scored one point. JMB Racing retained a single MC12 for 2007 Citation
Cup winner Ben Aucott and drivers Peter Kutemann and Alain Ferté,
competing in the first five events of the championship.
In the 2009 season the Vitaphone Racing won the fifth consecutive
Team Championship, while Bertolini and Bartels gained their third
Drivers’ Championship. The other two drivers were Miguel Ramos and Alex
Müller, who ended in sixth position. Starting from the fourth round, the
team entered a third car under the name of Vitaphone Racing Team DHL,
driven by Matteo Bobbi and Alessandro Pier Guidi, achieving good
results: despite being only a one-car team, with a partial season
involvement, they ended the Teams’ Championship in fourth position (32
points), scoring a victory in the last round.
With the inauguration of the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010,
Maserati continued their commitment to the series with two teams
entering. Vitaphone Racing Team, the defending FIA GT Champions, won
five races en route to the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championships, but
Maserati lost to Aston Martin in the Manufacturers’ Trophy. The second
team representing Maserati was Alfrid Heger’s Triple H Team Hegersport.
MC12s have had great success racing in Italy, and have replaced the
GT3 “Maserati Trofeo Light” as Maserati’s representative in the Italian
GT Championship. In 2005 Maserati introduced two MC12s to the GT1
division under Scuderia Playteam and Racing Box, with the teams placing
first and third overall respectively. The cars were re-entered in 2006,
with Scuderia Playteam again securing overall victory and Racing Box
coming second. From 2007, GT1 cars are not permitted in the
championship, and Scuderia Playteam moved to the FIA GT Championship.
Racing Box also participated in the non-championship 6 Hours of Vallelunga twice, winning in 2005, then again in 2006.
In 2006, the Le Mans winning outfit Team Goh was intending to race a
Maserati MC12 in the Super GT series in Japan. However, the team was
forced to withdraw because of driver problems and disappointing lap
times at the Suzuka Circuit during testing. While the car was faster
than its Super GT rivals down the straights, it was losing more than a
second per lap in the corners due to its poorer aerodynamics.
In 2004 the Maserati MC12s were unable to compete in series backed by
the ACO, such as the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) in Europe and the
American Le Mans Series (ALMS) because they exceeded both the length and
width restrictions for their class. In 2005 the governing body of the
ALMS, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), allowed the
MC12s to compete as a guest with the agreement that they were not
allowed to score championship points and were forced to run a weight
penalty. Some ALMS teams initially objected to the participation of the
MC12 due to the possibility that an accident could eliminate their
chances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the MC12 was finally allowed to
race. The ACO stood by their ruling on the car by forbidding it from
entering other Le Mans series.
The lone MC12 would be campaigned under the Maserati Corse banner,
but run by the American Risi Competizione team. The 2005 American Le
Mans Series season was not as successful for the team, with the team
scoring no wins. In the final race at Laguna Seca, the MC12 was clipped
by a competitor, causing damage that resulted in a lengthy pit stop.
After resuming the race, a loss of traction caused by cold tires made
the car hit a curb, which broke the radiator and took the MC12 out of
the race.
In August 2007, Fredy Lienhard and Didier Theys announced their
preparation of a former FIA GT MC12 for use in the American Le Mans
Series. The car made its debut at Road America, finishing 3rd in the GT1
class after qualifying competitively. The only other race entered was
Round 11 at Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans where the team failed to
finish following an accident, but were still
classified
second in class. Doran’s Maserati however had qualified on the class
pole. IMSA also allowed Doran to score points in the American Le Mans
Series championships.
The Corsa is a variant of the MC12 intended for racetrack use. In
contrast to the race version of the MC12, of which street-legal versions
were produced for homologation purposes, the MC12 Corsa is intended for
private use, albeit restricted to the track, as the Corsa’s
modifications make it illegal to drive on the road.
The Corsa was developed directly from the MC12 GT1, which won the
2005 FIA GT Manufacturers Cup. The car was released in mid-2006, “in
response to the customer demand to own the MC12 racing car and fuelled
by the growth in track days, where owners can drive their cars at high
speeds in the safety of a race track”, as stated by Edward Butler,
General Manager for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. In similar
fashion to the Ferrari FXX, although the owners are private individuals,
Maserati is responsible for the storage, upkeep, and maintenance of the
cars, and they are only driven on specially organized track days.
Unlike the FXX, Corsas are not used for research and development, and
are used only for entertainment. A single MC12 Corsa has been modified
by its owner to make it street-legal.
Only twelve MC12 Corsas were sold to selected customers, each of whom
paid €1 million (US$1.47 million) for the privilege. Another three
vehicles were produced for testing and publicity purposes. The Corsa
shares its engine with the MC12 GT1; the powerplant produces 755 PS (555
kW; 745 hp) at 8000 rpm, 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp) more than the original
MC12. The MC12 Corsa shares the GT1′s shortened nose, which was a
requirement for entry into the American Le Mans Series. The car was
available in a single standard color, named “Blue Victory”, though the
car’s paint could be customized upon request.
Well, lots of information on this car, but if you need more or you wish to join the Maserati clubs here they are;
Maserati Owners Club
Sports Maserati