FIRST LOOK 2021 Maserati MC20

A 621-hp mid-engine supercar that in form and function elbows the Ferrari F8 Tributo in the ribs, the 2021 MC20 is precisely the sort of car Maserati would never have been allowed to build a few years ago when the parent company still owned Ferrari.

- Angus MacKenzie

Reportedly developed in a company record 24 months using virtual tools— including sophisticated dynamics simulators that allowed engineers to create and test fully digital versions of the car to 97 percent of final spec before constructing any prototypes—the MC20 is designed to be a supercar on the road and a race car on the track, development chief Luigi Sciarretta says. The clue is in the name—MC20 stands for Maserati Corse (Maserati Racing) 2020.

At first glance the MC20 looks like a 21st-century mid-engine supercar on paper: carbon-fiber monocoque (designed with input from race car builder Dallara) and body panels, twin-turbo powerplant, eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, compact multilink suspension front and rear, giant Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes. But scratch the surface, and this new Maserati bristles with interesting and innovative technologies.