Maserati is no stranger to special editions, and the House of the Trident also has experience in track monsters. The MC12 Versione Corsa is the perfect example of this, a modern classic with a V12 engine derived from the MC12 GT1 endurance racer.
Almost two decades after the launch of the MC12 Versione Corsa, Maserati has delivered the first MCXtrema. Only 62 will be built for the entire world. The MC in MCXtrema stands for Maserati Corse, while Xtrema indicates an extreme interpretation of the MC20.
Unlike the GT2 Stradale, the MCXtrema doesn’t have a racing counterpart. It’s a standalone, powered by the most powerful Nettuno V6 the Modena automaker has ever produced. Pictured at Laguna Seca during Monterey Car Week, the first customer MCXtrema has a 730-horsepower engine, versus the road-going GT2 Stradale’s 631 horsepower and the regular MC20’s 621 horsepower.
For a displacement of 3.0 liters, that's certainly a lot of power. The MCXtrema, however, wasn't designed to dominate the drag strip. It's a track car that, in the right hands, will exalt the corners. Unfortunately, Maserati didn't bother to attempt a lap time on the California track.
The post-1988 standings reveal that Acura has the fastest race car, with the ARX-01b lapping the circuit in 1 minute 10 seconds. On the road side, Koenigsegg recently pipped Czinger with a 1:24.86 lap time for the track-oriented Jesko Attack versus 1:25.45 for the hybridized 21C.
Photo: Maserati
As for the more notable manufacturers, McLaren is listed with three 1:27 lap times for the 765LT (1:27.50), 750S (1:27.54) and Senna (1:27.62). Considering that Maserati squeezed over 700 horsepower out of its Nettuno sixer, the relatively lightweight MCXtrema would have posted a pretty competitive lap time at Laguna Seca.
Originally known as Project24, the MCXtrema weighs in at around 1,300 kilograms dry versus the MC20’s 1,500. That’s 2,866 and 3,307 pounds respectively, with Maserati swapping the road car’s dual-clutch transmission for a sequential one. You’re probably wondering how Maserati created a track car heavier than McLaren’s road-legal Senna, which tips the scales at 1,198 kilos or 2,641 pounds in its lightest specification.
Unfortunately, we don't have an answer to this curiosity, and we don't even understand how the Italian carmaker managed to make the carbon-bodied MC20 heavier than the aluminum-bodied 296. It's even more ridiculous when you consider that Ferrari's entry-level supercar is a Hybrid electric vehicle.
In any case, the Maserati you know is undergoing serious changes. Not only has the Modena-based company discontinued its Ferrari-derived V8 engine, but the manufacturer intends to go all-electric in the future. Every model will feature an electric version in 2025, and by the end of the decade, electric motors will have to make do. As part of Maserati’s transition to electrons, the Levante and Quattroporte will receive battery-electric successors in 2027 and 2028, respectively.