The 2024 Monterrey Car Week witnessed the launch of the Maserati GT2 Stradale. It is a track-focused version of the MC20. Interestingly, Maserati launched the GT2 version for a Challenge Series. So, technically this is a track-only-but-road-legal supercar! It has some very cool improvements over the well-loved MC20. We will discuss all the details and understand whether this makes the MC20 more appealing.
Maserati has made some of the most beautiful cars in its history like the 1959-61 Birdcage and the 1967-73 Ghibli or the MC12 and the Granturismo from the recent times. This list also includes the MC20 with clean lines to compliment its silhouette and is a welcome introduction after all the edgy supercars we have seen recently! It feels like a car that someone would aspire to buy other than a 12-year-old kid running around with 50 different lenses in a bag at a car meet. (That sounds vaguely relatable)
The GT2 version gets enlarged cooling ducts sucking 16 per cent more air. The naked ducts on the bonnet may feel too aggressive but perfectly exude the “racecar bruh” without being too show-ey. The car is washed with carbon fibre components such as the bonnet, front splitter, rear wing and diffuser. Personally, the rear fascia of the GT2 compliments the whole design a lot better than the uncharacteristic aggressive look of the MC20 which has cleaner lines overall.
The package can provide 500kg of combined downforce at a top speed of 280km/h. Thanks to all the carbon, the GT2 has a weight saving of 60kg over the standard MC20. There has been a power increase as well as the 3.0 Litre Twin Turbo V6 gets 631hp, 10 more than the MC20. This allows the GT2 Stradale to do a 0-100 time of 2.8 seconds! Safe to say, it has got the statistics to compete with the best of the best. The rear wing comes from the factory in a neutral setting which can later be changed to chase the important laptimes. Not to mention, you will have an easier time changing the tyres too as the GT2 comes with centre lock wheels, which account for a third of the weight savings.
The interior is dressed in Alcantara and has various carbon fibre inserts to make it more special. The inside feels like a mix of Italian-ness and a racecar, especially with the blue Alcantara Seats and the Italian Tricolour. Maserati has given the various components a yellow accent which looks pretty good and it is noticeable that Maserati has come a long way since the Granturismo.
There is a prominent Drive Mode switch which gives you options to choose how you may want your Maserati GT2 Stradale to behave i.e. Wet, Corsa (Track), GT and Sport to name quite literally every mode available. The Steering Wheel also has lights to correspond to the revs of the engine which reminds us of its younger sister from Maranello.
Maserati will also offer a Performance Pack with stickier tyres which would unlock the Corsa EVO mode, perfect for Track Driving. For those wannabe racing drivers, the GT2 Stradale can also be optioned with the Performance Pack Plus with 4 Point Harness and a fire extinguisher. Does this mean Maserati knows that this car can catch on fire? Something to ponder as you’re finding tenths on a track.
The pricing hasn’t been revealed but it would be a welcomed introduction to the MC20 lineup as the latter may prove to be a hard sell against proven supercars like the GT3RS, 296 GTB, Artura etc. But we hope that Maserati can reach its former glory and compete as, by the first look, it is safe to assume they’ve got a worthy competitor which can challenge almost any track-focused supercar of today!
