Maserati GT2 previewed ahead of full debut
The MC20 was always intended to appeal to gentlemen racers – soon there will be the option of actual racing
By Cam Tait / Tuesday, 7 March 2023 / Loading comments
Maserati made it clear from the start that the MC20 would eventually go racing. Calling the MC20 – or Maserati Corse 2020 – a homologation special might be a bit of a stretch, but the Italian marque has already confirmed that a GT3 version is in the works for international endurance racing. Before that arrives, the firm has decided to clock up some testing miles on its GT2 racer.
Decked in a thin layer of camouflage, the MC20 GT2 has been putting the laps in around the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti circuit in Italy ahead of its official unveiling at the 24 Hours of Spa in June. Thankfully, the camo does a pretty rubbish job of concealing the underlying bone structure, and evidently there have been some changes since the renders were revealed last year. For instance, Maserati has relocated the side intakes from behind the doors to above the wheel arches and fitted a larger air snorkel to the engine cover. The front splitter is a little more conventional, too, comprising a flat lower section with canards on either side of the bumper.
As you might expect, the new generation of GT2 machinery is aimed squarely at amateur racing drivers, with less reliance on complex aerodynamics but with a sizeable power increase over their GT3 equivalents. Frankly, that sounds like a recipe for disaster, but they’re engineered in a way that (apparently) makes them far easier to for a gentlemen driver to pilot than a GT3.
Behind the cabin is the same twin-turbocharged, 3.0-litre ‘Nettuno’ V6 engine as the road car. Power is allegedly rated at 630hp, whereas rivals such as the Mercedes-AMG GT2 and Porsche 911 GT2 Clubsport 25 are sitting around the 700hp mark. However, the company says it’s taking the engine to “a higher level”, suggesting it’s found some extra power for the racer. Meanwhile, the chassis has undergone several revisions to unlock more setup options, most notably a race-focused suspension system with adjustable shocks and anti-roll bars. The firm has also ditched the road car’s eight-speed DCT to make way for a six-speed sequential ‘box, while the steering remains electrically assisted.
According to Maserati, the GT2’s interior is both ‘futuristic’ and ‘minimalistic’, which is a fancy way of saying there’s naff-all inside. The only luxuries, if you can call them that, are a carbon fibre dashboard with a 10-inch driver’s display – and that’s about it.
Maserati hasn’t revealed yet when it plans to open orders for the GT2, or when it’ll make its competitive debut. Whether it’s competitive or not largely depends on the balance of performance gods. But one thing is for sure: it’ll comfortably be the best-looking thing on the grid. Bring on the GT3 car.
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