Maserati MC Corse

Maserati has been teasing us with talk of a surprise it has in store at the Paris motor show. Speculation as varied wildly, with a lot of talk centring around a smaller model to rival the Porsche 911. A day later and this GranTurismo MC Corse concept has made an appearance. Is this the big one then, or is there another surprise to come? It seems odd that the pictures would come out so soon after the PR tease had begun... The car itself follows on from the track-focused MC12 Corse that Maserati produced in 2006, and takes the GranTurismo S as its basis. Power and torque are up, from 433 to 444bhp and 361 to 376lb ft, while weight is down by around half a tonne, ensuring a dramatic boost in performance when the MC Corse hits the track. Aerodynamics are improved thanks to a front splitter, larger rear spoiler and side skirts while the intake and exhaust system are revised, and there’s a high performance, conical air filter. The chassis and fuel tank are FIA approved. The MC Corse is much more aggressive than the stock GranTurismo, with big air intakes on the front of the car, twin, centrally-mounted exhausts at the rear and big, dark alloys completing the transformation from grand tourer to track-car. That’s all the details for now, but there’ll be more firm information when the car makes its bow in Paris on October 2 2008. Whether anything else will take a bow alongside it remains to be seen. Discuss it all in the forum.