MASERATI MC20

We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with

- RICHARD LANE

The order books at Maserati are once again in a dark place. This year's sales will amount to around only half what they were in 2023, which itself was hardly a bumper crop. The problem, according to Carlos Tavares, big boss of parent company Stellantis, is marketing. Simple as that. Not selling anywhere near enough Grecales - the Macan-rivalling crossover that should be the engine room of Maserati's business - boils down to a failure to sell the story of 'dolce vita', as Tavares puts it.

It might also have something to do with the Grecale being overpriced, but I have some sympathy with Tavares' view because the marketers do at least have that most useful crutch for shifting less exciting metal: a halo model. And what a halo model it is. For the past few months we've lived with this Giallo Genio MC20 supercar and there's barely a staffer who hasn't fallen for its left-field charms. It is quite different from its McLaren and Ferrari peers, being non-hybrid, less powerful and somewhat languid in its behaviour, but there is something about its stunning silhouette, its uncivilised exhaust blare and its usability that makes it supremely covetable.