| Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction Friday, August 18, 2006 - Saturday, August 19, 2006 |
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| 2004 Maserati MC12 | ||||||||
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The First Example Imported into the United States and Less Than 500 Miles From New 5,998 cc. 630bhp, 481 ft.lbs. 65° vee twelve-cylinder, six-speed paddle-shift Maserati Cambiocorsa transmission, independent wishbone suspension front and rear, four-wheel cross drilled ventilated disc brakes. Wheelbase: 110.2" The Trident has graced the face of some of the most venerated automobiles for race and road since the brothers Alfieri and Ettore Maserati built their first car in their small workshop in Bologna, Italy in 1926. Older than Ferrari and Lamborghini, Maserati for decades was the dominant force in international autoracing, feared and revered by all. However through mismanagement and unfortunate circumstances its place at the crown of Italian motorsports would eventually become a distant memory then simply a chapter in automotive history when in the early 1990s the under the ownership of Fiat, the company faded away. Ferrari acquired Maserati in 1997, determined to sharpen the Trident and rebuild the company’s image. To accomplish this, Maserati was in need of a halo car, a tangible symbol of the new Maserati, one that would pay homage to the cars that dominated race tracks around the world, cars like the 450s and the Tipo 60/61. The FIA GT Championship series was chosen to be the venue where Maserati would attempt to win its first victory in an international championship since the Cooper Maserati F1 car won the South Africa Grand Prix in 1967. Homologation rules required a run of 25 cars and Maserati planned to match that number both years of the 2004-05 production run. Using the Ferrari Enzo as the platform for the MC12, a halo car Maserati was guaranteed. American Frank Stephenson, Director of Concept Design and Development at Maserati, worked closely with wind tunnel engineers in forming the design of the car. The car’s general dimensions recall the Group C Le Mans cars of the 1980s, with the Enzo wheelbase lengthened half a foot and overall length increased 17.5 inches. Not only does this added length increase high-speed stability, much of it is transferred into the passenger compartment, making the car a better fit for taller drivers. Also borrowed from the Enzo is the naturally aspirated dual-overhead cam six-liter 12-cylinder engine, which aside from producing one of the most wonderful mechanical songs, develops 630 brake horsepower and 481 foot-pounds of torque at full tune. With a curb weight of 2,943 pounds the MC12 boasts a zero to 60 time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed in excess of 205 miles per hour. All the power is harnessed by Maserati’s own Cambiocorsa six-speed transmission. Fully computerized, the driver selects gears via paddles located behind the steering wheel. The car performs seamless upshifts and perfect double-clutch downshifts blipping the throttle automatically to match revs, in essence making a poor or miss-shift impossible. With either sport or race modes to select from, the MC12’s transmission is capable of lightning fast aggressive shifts on the track as well as delivering the road manners for which Maserati’s latest generation of road going cars are famous. Also, to assist with regular drivability, the front of the car can be raised at low speeds with the push of a button to clear moderate bumps and inclines. The 50 road versions of the MC12 produced over the two year production run were all made identically, finished in pearl white over blue as a tribute to the America Camoradi Scuderia which raced the famous Maserati Tipo 60-61 Birdcages in the very early 1960s with Stirling Moss as their lead driver. Throwing modesty out the door, the MC12’s ability to take one’s breath away was a prerequisite established by the Maserati brass. Like a great race car, this form following function purpose-built machine is intoxicating to the purist’s senses. However to fully accomplish its mission as the ultimate Maserati, certain signature elements were incorporated into the design to make the car both immediately recognizable and to secure its place in automotive history as one of the most beautiful cars. Viewed the front, the eye is immediately drawn to the bonnet, where just inboard of the wheel arches organically shaped ribs are tautly stretched across the functional apertures. However, the MC12 looks particularly striking when viewed from the rear three-quarters; the architectural half moon arch-like shape of the rear wing stands tall and wide, above the black engine louvers, the suggestive quad-exhausts and the enormous carbon-fiber diffusers. Perfect harmonizing race car and rolling sculpture the Maserati’s visual appeal is arresting. The body of the MC12 is constructed entirely of carbon fiber with the stressed chassis made of carbon fiber and Nomex sandwiched in a honeycomb configuration. The cabin of the Maserati has a removable top, which converts the supercar from coupe to spider. The interior was designed with the driver in mind with everything perfectly located making the driving experience intuitive, yet there is a meticulous care evident in the fit and finish, always reminding the occupants that they are in a Maserati. With clean tailored lines, materials of the finest quality and special attention paid to comfort, the MC12 perfectly marries luxury with racecar. The 50 Maserati MC12s made in 2004 and 2005 were essentially sold before being built. They each boasted a sticker price of $799,000 and were ushered out of the Modena factory into the stables of some of the most enviable sports car collections in the world. The example offered here, built in the first year of production, is the very first MC12 to be delivered to the United States and is essentially as it was when it rolled out of the factory two years ago with only 456 miles registered on the odometer. Not yet eligible for registration in California, the MC12 has not been properly emissions tested nor met the minimum mileage requirements. As for Maserati’s success in the FIA GT Championship series, MC12Rs have taken the checkered flag two of the three races thus far this season. Halo car? Absolutely. |
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