Maserati MC2O: Trident Missile

Maserati’s first mid-engined car in a generation looks set to reignite passion for the slumbering supercar giant. We get up close and personal with the beautiful MCc20

- John Carey

Maserati’s Emblem, the trident, is a three-pointed weapon, so it’s fitting that the MC20 you see here is the first of a trio. This beautiful mid-engined coupe, powered by a hugely powerful new Maserati-made twin-turbo V6, is the brand’s first supercar since the 2004 MC12 and is likewise destined for the racetrack as well as the road.

It will be followed, predictably, by a convertible. But the final instalment, due in 2022, is something truly startling; it’s a pure electric MC20, and the EV will be quickest of them all. Project MC20 signals the opening of a new era for Maserati, one in which the brand will embrace electrification as it expands and renews its model line-up.

Neither Maserati nor its parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, have great track records of sticking to plans. It’s possible this tendency may be reduced after the completion next year of the mega-merger of FCA with PSA Group of France, makers of Peugeot and Citroen. The corporation, to be named Stellantis, will be the world’s fourth-biggest Xcarmaker by volume.

Whatever the future brings, the genesis of Maserati’s new supercar is a very FCA kind of story. The first hint that something like the MC20 was in the works came in June 2018. The event was FCA’s last capital markets day with Sergio Marchionne at the helm, held at the company’s Balocco proving ground outside Turin. The charismatic CEO died less than two months later.