Maserati MC12

The Maserati MC12 is a limited production two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004, with 25 cars produced. A further 25 were produced in 2005, making a total of 50 cars available for customers, each of which was pre-sold for €600,000.

Maserati designed and built the car on the chassis of the Enzo Ferrari, but the final car is much larger and has a lower drag coefficient. The MC12 is longer, wider and taller and has a sharper nose and smoother curves than the Enzo Ferrari, which has faster acceleration, better braking performance (shorter braking distance) and a higher top speed. The top speed of the Maserati MC12 is 330 kilometres per hour (205 mph) whereas the top speed of the Enzo Ferrari is 350 kilometres per hour (217.5 mph).

The MC12 was developed to signal Maserati's return to racing after 37 years. The road version was produced to homologate the race version. One requirement for participation in the FIA GT is the production of at least 25 road cars. Three GT1 race cars were entered into the FIA GT with great success. Maserati began racing the MC12 in the FIA GT toward the end of the 2004 season, winning the race held at the Zhuhai International Circuit. The racing MC12s were entered into the American Le Mans Series races in 2005 but exceeded the size restrictions and consequently paid weight penalties due to excess range.

Maserati

Maserati (Italian pronunciation: [mazeˈraːti]) is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The Maserati tagline is "Luxury, sports and style cast in exclusive cars", and the brand's mission statement is to "Build ultra-luxury performance automobiles with timeless Italian style, accommodating bespoke interiors, and effortless, signature sounding power".

The company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993. Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari S.p.A., which is also owned by Fiat, but more recently it has become part of the sports car group including Alfa Romeo and Abarth (see section below). In May 2014, due to ambitious plans and product launches, Maserati sold a record of over 3,000 cars. This caused them to increase production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli models. In addition to the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati offers the Maserati GranTurismo, the GranTurismo Convertible, and has confirmed that it will be offering the Maserati Levante, the first Maserati SUV, in 2016, and the Maserati Alfieri, a new 2+2 in 2016. Maserati is placing a production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally.

Maserati (disambiguation)

Maserati is Italian automobile manufacturer. It may also refer to:

See also

Maserati (motorcycle)

Fabbrica Candele Accumulatori Maserati S.p.A. ("Maserati Spark Plugs Batteries factory" 1947 in Modena - 1960) was an Italian manufacturer of motoring components (spark plugs and accumulators), as well as mopeds and motorcycles. It was part of Adolfo Orsi's large industrial corporation (which included the Maserati car manufacturer), that was divided among siblings (1953). His sister Ida Orsi received over the component branch that was not doing well at the time. By purchasing the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer Italmoto (1953), the company entered a new market and sold well locally and had an export line to South Africa, Europe and North America as well. The products were allowed to continue the use of the well-known Maserati name and the company's trident trademark.

The first Maserati motorcycles were the Tipo 125/T2, based on a DKW design, and the Tipo 160/T4, based on the Italmoto 160 tourer. Maserati motorcycles were produced in 125cc, 160cc, 175cc and 250cc models with two-stroke and four-stroke engine configurations. Maserati mopeds were offered in 50cc and 75cc versions.