Maserati MCXtrema, the Trident’s uncompromising 730-hp ‘beast’ has returned to be unleashed into its natural environment: the track. It will be undergoing a series of tests until late April, aiming at the delivery of the first model, planned for late summer 2024.
MCXtrema, a non-road-homologated race car produced in 62 units, was created to break the mould and invent new paradigms. The epitome of Maserati DNA and of the extraordinary performance characteristic of everything the 100% Italian brand produces, MCXtrema offers up evidence of its disruptive attitude to racing between the curbs of the circuit where it could be seen in action in a series of fundamental tests to gather the data needed for the final tune-ups. The Trident’s exclusive creation is one of the brand’s boldest cars in terms of development and is an evolution of the Maserati MC20 super sports car, its inspiration and basis.
In February, it had its first official outing at the Autodromo Varano de’ Melegari (Parma), where MCXtrema was taken to the track by Maserati chief test driver Andrea Bertolini, one of the most successful drivers in the GT class with four world titles aboard the glorious MC12, who has been working on its development in the dynamic simulator since the early stages.
The February shakedown and subsequent milestones to refine its performance have been the ideal setting to unleash the full power of the 730-hp (540-kW) 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, based on the Maserati Nettuno and taken to the next level.
MCXtrema has benefited from the latest and most advanced equipment in the world that Maserati has access to. Fundamental contributions have been made by the Virtual Analysis team, using the cutting-edge technology in the Maserati dynamic simulator, and by the Powertrain Calibration team, in charge of managing the enormous power delivered by the Nettuno engine. The experience gained during the development of the Maserati MC20, the in-depth characterisation of each component and the stringent bench tests on the engine have guaranteed the greatest accuracy in the simulation, ensuring that an extremely meaningful car would reach the track testing stages with figures similar to the validations in the simulator, required purely for real-world fine tuning.
The virtual work done with MCXtrema – about 200 hours in the Maserati dynamic simulator and 1000 hours of virtual analysis for simulations of various types, as well as comparison with feedback from the track, combined with the previous four years of development on the MC20 and the subsequent engine reliability checks – have made it possible to create a car that now represents the ultimate in advanced engineering and innovation, where the perfect design created by the Maserati Centro Stile converges with the engineering requirements of efficient aerodynamics for every track configuration.
