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Maserati MC12
Maserati has designed a new road-going Grand
Tourer known as the MC12 from which a GT racing version
has also been developed. The result is that 37 long years
after its last victory in an international championship (1967, Cooper Maserati F1, South African Grand Prix), the
Trident is returning to the track.
The Ferrari
Maserati Group’s wealth of knowledge and technological
excellence have been poured into the design of the new car. In
addition to this, its styling was developed in the wind tunnel
from a Giugiaro idea by the Maserati technicians with the
fundamental contribution of Frank Stephenson, the Ferrari Maserati Group’s own Director of Concept Design and
Development. The European type-approved version of the new car
goes on sale after the summer.
Designed for high level
road use, it can exceed 330 kmh/205 mph at full throttle,
sprinting from 0 to 100 kmh in just 3.8 seconds. Although easy
and pleasant to drive on the road, the MC12 is also a
brilliantly dynamic car. It handles very sweetly and fluidly
yet the driver can still feel all the power of a genuinely
sporty thoroughbred under the surface. The new model adds the
definitive flourish to Maserati’s return to the racing
circuits after the recent and highly successful debut in the
Daytona 24 Hour Race, of the Trofeo Light. Under the guidance
of engineer Giorgio Ascanelli, Maserati’s Racing Division is
currently developing the new car to meet the rules of the
major international championships.
The customer version
for road use will be available exclusively in a white and blue
livery, harking back to an old Trident tradition. In fact,
blue and white are the colours of the America Camoradi (CAsner
MOtor RAcing DIvision) Scuderia which raced the famous Maserati Tipo 60-61 Birdcages in the very early 1960s
with Stirling Moss as their lead driver. Around 30 MC12s will
be built in all, 25 of which will be for road use with a
second series of 25 examples for clients being planned for
production in 2005.
Maserati
Kubang
With Maserati styling and a healthy V8 under the
hood, this design concept attempts to blend the performance Maserati is known for with the functionality that the
public craves. Named after a Javan wind, the Kubang has
multiple seating configurations that allow it to fit up to six
passengers comfortably. A rear cargo area can be accessed by
either lifting the expansive glass hatch or dropping the
tailgate. The interior is classic Maserati with rich
wood accents and contrasting leather upholstery.
You
can't have a sport tourer without giving it all-wheel drive so
the Kubang has a torque-proportioning system to give it
some measure of rough-road ability. To keep its on-road
performance in top form it retains highly desirable 48/52
front/rear weight distribution and a center of gravity
considerably lower than most SUVs. Power comes from the same
4.2-liter V8 used in the Maserati coupe and spyder
while the transmission is a paddle-shifted six-speed
automatic. With 390 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque,
the Kubang is capable of accelerating to 60 mph in
under six seconds, according to Maserati.
Why Should You Care?
You shouldn't, and
hopefully no one else will either. Between the Kubang and the Porsche Cayenne, we can barely stomach the
thought of how much time and effort that these dedicated
sports car manufacturers have put into SUV development. One
can only wonder what Maserati could have come up with
had it not wasted its time on this forgettable sport-utility
concept. — Ed Hellwig
