Maserati's GT2 Race Car Will Be Your Best Friend

From the moment we laid eyes on the Maserati MC20's striking curves, we couldn't help but imagine a more aggressive version. After some seat time, thoughts of a street-legal track machine competing with the downforce behemoths from Chevrolet and Porsche raced through our heads. Maserati clearly had similar thoughts but instead skipped the road-ready version and went right to track-only mode. After all, before the latest iterations of Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS came to be, the C8.R and 911 R traded paint on the track.

Maserati won't say if a similar trajectory is in the cards, but since then, they've created the MCXtrema, a rolling work of aerodynamic art exclusively for track use. Now, with a few elements borrowed from the MCXtrema, we have the aptly named GT2—successor to the MC12 race car and homologated to go racing in the Fanatec GT2 European Series.

Not Just an MC20 with Extra Aero

The GT2 begins life on the same production line as the MC20 before being pulled aside and massaged for track duty. The intent of returning to racing weighed heavily in Maserati's decision to fit the MC20 with a carbon-fiber monocoque, which required only slight modification to incorporate the GT2's FIA-approved roll cage. Very few body pieces are shared between the MC20 and the GT2, save for some bits of the door, the headlights, and the taillights. The front bumper and splitter assembly, louvered hood, engine cover, rear bumper, and diffuser all have latches for hasty removal, in case of any on-track incidents. Holes in the carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic body panels feed air to the brakes and various coolers. The roof snorkel delivers a steady breeze to the engine and transmission coolers. Intercoolers from the production MC20 live within the GT2's hindquarters, and because the engineers get their way when it's race time, they're mounted a bit more upright here.

Nestled under the GT2's engine cover is the same Nettuno twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 that powers the MC20. Maserati claims the engine is about 80 percent the same as the street car, sans GT2-specific exhaust manifolds and larger turbochargers plucked from the MCXtrema. Despite the larger turbos, the GT2 won't outdo the MCXtrema's 724-hp rating. In its most aggressive engine mapping, the 3.0-liter produces the same 621 horsepower as the street car. So, why the bigger turbos? The engineers say the new snails help with tuning when balance-of-performance rules inevitably force Maserati to dial back the power in order for the pack to stay competitive. The GT2's motive force is sent to the rear wheels through a HÖR Technologie six-speed sequential racing transmission and an adjustable limited-slip rear differential.

The Nettuno's prechamber ignition and two spark plugs per cylinder remain in place for the GT2. Fuel economy in the GT2 European Series isn't critical, but with the possibility of endurance racing in the future, Maserati hopes the trick combustion process allows it to calibrate an engine map capable of stretching a gallon of fuel further than the competition can.

On the suspension front, beefy billet-aluminum unequal-length control arms reside at all four corners—whereas the street MC20 utilizes a multilink setup. You won't find any pliant rubber in this configuration; the arms attach to the body via rigid ball joints. Öhlins coil-over dampers feature adjustable compression and rebound, and both anti-roll bars offer three adjustment positions.

Track Time

Foreign tracks and unfamiliar cars—prototype versions, at that—can deliver an overload of anxiety. Since nobody likes flying blind, we strapped into the passenger seat alongside decorated racer and Maserati reference driver Andrea Bertolini for some familiarity laps of Autodromo di Modena's 1.3-mile configuration before being given the opportunity to thrash the GT2 ourselves.

Thanks to the MC20's butterfly-style doors, it's one of the easiest supercars to enter and exit. Much of that feeling carries over into the GT2; just get a leg through the roll cage and slide into the Sabelt fixed bucket seat. Once you're settled in, all the controls and buttons on the steering yoke and center console are intuitive and clearly labeled. On the latter, any buttons with related functions are in the same row and given the same color—lights are green, rain-related controls are blue, and so on. Should one option the GT2 with air conditioning and a passenger seat, the brave soul riding shotgun gets their own vent and fan control. The engine's vitals and just about any other sensor's data can be displayed on the Bosch digital instrument cluster.

With the pedal box adjusted and the six-point belts pulled tight, we turn on the fuel pump that audibly whirls its way to life. With the ignition switch flipped on and the clutch depressed, the V-6 crackles to life. A race engineer gives the thumbs-up. The GT2 drops off the air jacks. It's go time.