The Maserati MCXtrema has made it to the home stretch.
The Italian sports car maker revealed that its upcoming track-only beast has entered the final stage of testing. Assuming there are no unforeseen delays, deliveries of the high-performance beast will kick off later this summer.
Maserati first unveiled the MCXtrema during last year’s Monterey Car Week. It’s an evolution of the MC20—Robb Report’s 2023 Car of the Year runner-up—re-designed and re-engineered for track dominance. Despite this, the MCXtrema’s design stands on its own thanks to one of the more aggressive aero packages you’ll see on any car this year. The coupe’s front splitter, air inlets, and adjustable rear wing are massive compared to their counterparts on the already muscular MC20. There’s also a set of 18-inch centre-lock wheels wrapped in racing tires. The track car lacks some of its road counterpart’s sophistication but it’s hard to imagine anyone will mind while setting a new lap record at their local circuit.
Image courtesy of Maserati
The body isn’t the only aspect of the MC20 that’s been treated to a makeover. If anything, the powertrain has been subjected to an even more thorough overhaul. Both cars are powered by Maserati’s 3.0-litre Nettuno V-6. The mill has been tuned and outfitted with a new exhaust and turbochargers. The upgrade engine pumps out 730 horses, or around 100 more than before while maintaining the same torque peak of 538 ft lbs and redline of 3,500 rpm.
Seven months later, it seems that the car is just about ready for the limelight. Maserati says it began track testing in February and plans to wrap things up in late April. Prior to that, the automaker’s engineers spent hundreds of hours studying the vehicle using simulators and other computer models. This virtual analysis influenced major design decisions, including the layout of the vehicle’s stripped-down interior, which was inspired by the single-seat cockpit of a Formula 1 car.
Image courtesy of Maserati
Maserati is building just 62 examples of the MCXtrema, each of which are already spoken for. The marque never officially announced a price for the track car, though, at the time of its debut, it was reported to cost between US$1.2 million and US$1.5 million (HK$9.3 million and HK$11.7 million). Assuming there are no hiccups over the next month, those lucky owners can expect to get their hands on their cars before the summer is out.
