Maserati teases MC20 convertible

MODENESE sportscar brand Maserati is preparing to take the wraps off the drop-top version of its MC20 supercar.

This week, Maserati released images that show a disguised prototype of its MC20 convertible exiting the gates of the Viale Ciro Menotti plant outside Modena. The camouflage that the brand chose features a play of blue sky and clouds – quite befitting for an open-topped supercar!

Ever since Maserati unveiled the carbon fibre-tubbed and butterfly-doored MC20 coupe in 2020, which is powered by the brand’s first in-house-designed engine in 20 years, motoring enthusiasts have anticipated the unveiling of the second variant (a convertible/roadster/Spyder version). 

The front of the MC20 convertible clearly takes its cue from the coupe’s distinctive frontal styling, which has crafted by Klaus Busse, who is now Maserati Vice President of Design. 

The MC20’s sculpted front end, which is said to be the product of 2000 man-hours in motorsport firm Dallara’s wind tunnel and more than 1000 computational fluid-dynamics simulations, incorporates vortex generators and its fully-encased floor gradually rises in the centre. Channels behind the front wheels effectively push the front axle downwards, while door-sill ducts channel air to the motor, while the diffuser and subtle spoiler utilise up-washed air to create downforce.

The all-new twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 (named Nettuno) is mated with an eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission and produces peak outputs of 463kW at 7500rpm and 730Nm of torque from 3000 to 5500rpm. 

In combination with the supercar’s lightweight body (the MC20 coupe is said have a kerb weight of about 1500kg) and advanced aerodynamics, the sonorous Nettuno motor propels the Maserati from zero to kph in a claimed 2.88 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 326km/h.

Maserati has not released official details about the MC20 convertible, but it’s likely to be only fractionally slower than its tin-topped sibling, which made its Australian debut earlier this month.

The Geneva Show in late February 2022 would have been ideal for the unveiling of the MC20 convertible, but that event has again been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Suffice to say the final version of this vehicle should break cover in the first half of next year, at which point we may have details about its estimated local arrival. Maserati has said it will follow up the MC convertible with either an electrically assisted or battery-electric variant of the car.