Lighter, faster and even meaner is what perfectly describes Maserati's latest baby, the MC Stradale. Adil Jal Darukhanawala pits this baby round the Shanghai GP circuit to give you an exhaustive first-hand review
Maserati has always been like the Ralph Schumacher of the automotive world - glamorous in his own right but always taking a back seat to Ferrari as part of the Fiat Automotive group. With the GranTurismo MC Stradale, Maserati's sportiest model in its current line-up, the brand with the trident badge takes a big step towards endearing itself to enthusiasts who want a car that can balance track duties with daily driving activities.
The MC Stradale is much more than just a GranTurismo S with an extra 10hp and 20Nm. The car is an astonishing 100kg plus lighter, thanks to various weight-saving measures such as the removal of sound insulation (-25kg), carbon ceramic brake discs (-18kg), and carbon fibre race seats (-26kg). The MC Stradale is inspired by the Trofeo GranTurismo MC, but it needed to be modified in order to become road legal. For that Maserati needed a car with great aerodynamic downforce at high speed without creating more drag, even while it is diverting airflow into effectively cooling its brakes.
So, the MC Stradale has received a new front splitter and a redesigned rear bumper that adds 48mm to the total length, while the front splitter, side skirts and the front guard panels all combine as one unit in order to push the nose of the car down at high speed, to cool the brakes, extract the hot air from the braking system and to provide downforce along the length of the car.
Also, the car gets two hot air extraction outlets in the bonnet and the rear bumper has also been re-profiled, with the exhausts emerging closer to the center of the car. The entire look is completed by a new set of flow-formed 20-inch wheels.
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