Maserati launches MC20 supercar in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Maserati has launched the MC20 supercar in Singapore. The MC20, a mid-engine sports car with a 3.0 turbo V6, is the brand’s first supercar in 15 years, and its first supercar here in Singapore.

The car costs $788,000 without COE. Rivals span everything from the Lotus Emira to the Audi R8 and Porsche 911, while higher-positioned rivals like the Ferrari 296 GTB and Lamborghini Huracan cost quite a bit more at one million bucks and up. But read on to find out why the MC20 may actually be, relatively, not that expensive.

But those cars should give you an idea of the performance on tap. The 2,992cc biturbo V6 makes 630hp and 730Nm of torque, which is good for a zero to 100km/h time of 2.9 seconds, and top speed of 325km/h — very credible figures for a modern supercar.

Guilt induced includes fuel consumption of 11.5L/100km, 261g/km of CO2, and a VES rating of C2 (+$25k penalty). Maserati claims the car has a best-in-class weight to power ratio, with the car making 620hp and weighing 1,455kg. Compare that to the McLaren 520S, which has 520hp, and weighs 1,452kg.

Maserati went clean on the styling, which is why the car has no obvious aerodynamic features like wings or huge vents — in person it’s quite elegant and not as loud as say, a Lamborghini Huracan STO. The car has upward-opening ‘butterfly’ style doors.

The MC20 runs on a carbonfibre monocoque chassis created by Maserati and Dallara, extensive use of the light, black material helps keep weight low and strength/rigidity high. Suspension is a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear with active dampers (from Bilstein). Maserati says it engineered the platform with an open-top and fully-electric versions in mind — stay tuned for those.

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Maserati sounds particularly proud of its 3.0-litre V6 engine, named Neptune (Nettuno in Italian) which it claims is entirely made by the brand — however some have observed structural commonalities between existing Ferrari and Alfa Romeo engines.

What’s more important than provenance is actual performance, and it does look powerful on paper: Peak power is 630hp at 7,500rpm, with an 8,000rpm redline, which should make for exciting music at the very least. Maserati says it uses extensive tech to achieve this performance, including a twin-injection system, pre-combustion chamber, and lateral sparkplug. The engine is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

There are five drive modes, controlled by the central selector in the cabin – each adjusts the engine, pedal response, transmission, suspension and electronics to suit the varying levels of fast: GT, Wet, Sport, Corsa, and ESC Off.

The cabin highlights include dual 10.25-inch displays (one infotainment touchscreen, one digital instrument panel), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, a wireless device charger, a digital rearview mirror, dual sports seats, Alcantara headliner, and carbon-clad central tunnel.

Considering it’s Italian, has a semi-exotic carbon fibre chassis, a mid-$800k price tag with COE isn’t too obscene. Mind you we’re in an era where the Audi R8 already costs $700k or more in its less expensive form, as does a comparable Porsche 911. Along these lines, also remember that buyers of very luxurious/expensive cars now have to pay more thanks to a recent ARF hike.

When was Maserati’s last supercar made? Maserati’s preceding supercar was the MC12 from 2004, but it was left-hand drive only, and extremely rare with only 62 units made. Modern Maseratis have largely had their engines in front — to find a mid-engine V6 with a trident badge you have to go back to the 1972 Maserati Merak.

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This article was first published in CarBuyer.