On the Road in the MC20: Maserati's Sophisticated Supercar

Well, this is rather embarrassing.

Pulling up to the toll booth to retrieve my autostrada ticket from the machine, I find it’s a couple of inches out of reach.

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I’ve got about as close as I dare to the concrete kerb, but it’s not close enough. First, I try a little back-and-forth shuffle to edge nearer, then attempt to open the door, but despite scissoring forwards it also pivots outward, so that’s no good. I locate the parking brake, pop the transmission into neutral and undo my seatbelt, then have to wriggle out of the window to, finally, collect the ticket.

Meanwhile, there’s a queue forming and I catch a glimpse of the driver of the Fiat immediately behind me, slowly shaking his head.

As the barrier lifts, I creep away slowly, figuring that a full-bore launch would only draw even more attention.

The exotic car life is not feeling especially exotic right now. Not that I’m expecting your sympathy. After all, I have at my disposal a Maserati MC20 and the simple instruction to bring it back by dark.

Launched in 2020, with the Cielo convertible following two years later, I’m rather late to this party, but pretty lucky to be invited, nonetheless. Next year, a GT2 Stradale version of the mid-engined Maserati arrives, with a little extra horsepower and some chassis and software tweaks based on learnings from the MC20’s rather successful racing debut.

For now, though, I’ll just have to make do with the standard 621bhp from the three-litre, twin-turbo Nettuno V6 engine. I can almost hear the chorus of tiny violins striking up…

Having collected the car at Maserati’s HQ in Modena, I’ve set my sights on a section of road that has an illustrious history almost as rich as the 110-year-old Italian manufacturer.

The SS65 from Florence to Bologna is possibly the most treacherous stretch of the Mille Miglia route, taking in the Raticosa and Futa passes over the Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. In 1955, when Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson famously took overall victory, the Maserati A6GCS of Francesco Giardini wasn’t far behind, winning the Sports 2000 class.

It’s from Santa Lucia that the road really presents its biggest challenge, with Jenkinson describing it in his report for Motorsport magazine as “like a Prescott Hill-Climb all the way.”

To get there it’s around an hour on the autostrada from Modena, which gives me time to familiarise myself with the MC20. Having more or less fallen into the fixed-back carbon-fibre seats, there’s not much in the way of adjustment – just a manual lever to slide fore-and-aft and an electric switch to add a bit of tilt. The steering column also moves manually. If you’re thinking that for an outlay that starts at over £222,000 this seems a little stingy, then remember that Maserati – and race-car engineering firm Dallara – did their damndest to keep weight to a minimum.

That’s noticeable in the exposed carbon-fibre of the tub and throughout the sparsely trimmed cabin, where carbon and Alcantara are pretty much the only materials used. This example is trimmed in a subdued grey with contrasting yellow stitching to complement the subtle hue of the exterior. It works in a low-key and sophisticated fashion but, personally, I’d have spent more time with the Furioserie team to add some more colour (and maybe some hand-painted stripes).

The digital instrumentation is clear, and the centre screen easy enough to use with a bit of practice, although I confess to a few miles of shivering before I figured out how to access the heater controls. At least it’s simple to connect my iPhone wirelessly to Apple Car Play and top up its charge on an induction mat.

The speed limit on the autostrada is 130km/h (81mph) but even my taxi driver from the airport yesterday was cracking on at 170, so somewhere just a little north of the indicated restriction seems about right to avoid attracting attention (at least until I have to stop at a toll booth, of course). At these speeds the MC20 is unexpectedly refined, with precious little wind noise and just a distant bass from the engine behind my head.

2024 Maserati MC20

Price: £220,000 (base)
Powertrain: 3.0-litre turbo V6, eight-speed dual-clutch transmission
Horsepower: 621bhp
Torque: 538lb ft
0-60 mph: 2.88 seconds
Top Speed: 202 mph
Layout: Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive two-door coupe
Estimated fuel economy (combined): 24.4 mpg
Competitors: Ferrari 296, Lamborghini Temerario, Porsche 911 Turbo

The standard driving mode is GT, with Sport, Corsa, and Wet settings also available, while the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission can be left to its own devices or controlled from fixed carbon fibre paddles that offer a reassuring click.

Maserati claims a top speed of over 202mph and, while attempting such a feat on the public road would be insane, let’s just say the unrelenting manner in which this car fires itself at the horizon makes it quite believable. Drop down a few gears and the engine adopts a wholly different character, spinning to its redline accompanied by a higher, richer soundtrack. It’s perhaps not quite as evocative as a V8, but still pretty special.

I navigate the exit toll a little more successfully and soon find myself on the SS65, where the heavens open and great torrents of rain lash down. The MC20 is on winter tyres, but there are still moments where the standing water is deep enough to feel that unsettling lightness in the steering when a car begins to aquaplane. I switch the transmission to Wet mode and slow down in search of shelter.

I find that at a military cemetery where some 30,000 German troops are buried. During World War II they fell while trying to defend the Gothic Line, and there’s a striking monolithic memorial to them here at almost 3,000 feet above sea level. I park under the trees and wait for the rain to subside.

Eventually it does just that and I’m able to carry on, even experimenting with Sport and Corsa driving modes on occasion. There’s no doubt that the MC20 is ridiculously fast – capable of reaching 62mph from rest in 2.88 seconds – but it’s never quite as brutal as some of its Italian rivals. Despite the super-stiff carbon tub and its aluminium subframes, there’s a bit more forgiveness to the ride, and more body movement as well. The steering is fiercely quick but light, and my sense is that in better conditions one could cover ground exceptionally quickly without exceptional drama. Come to think of it, the last few miles seem to have been dispatched rather rapidly, with only the very occasional squirm of rear tyres on slippery tarmac.

If there’s a criticism to be had about the MC20, it’s that the carbon ceramic brakes seem to lack an initial bite. Perhaps they’re not getting up to operating temperature in the rain and cold, but it’s in exactly these conditions that you’d want reassuring stopping power. They’re also a little noisy at times – with the 10,000 km (6,000 miles) of press use now on the odometer, perhaps they’re due for some attention.

That’s pretty high mileage for a car like this and, brakes aside, it feels like new in every other way. It’s really beautifully finished and there are no untoward noises which one might expect with such a stiff and light chassis.

I’d love to add even more to that odometer reading, perhaps the full 1,000 miles of the Mille Miglia route (hint, hint), but as I near Bologna, my time with the MC20 is almost at an end.

It is a truly sophisticated supercar. Easy to drive around town, comfortable and quiet over long distances, and reassuringly rapid cross-country.

However, if you are in the market I would recommend that you spring for an electronic toll pass and keep your ego intact.