Maserati MC12 Corsa
Maserati's version of the Ferrari FXX?
by Justin Kaehler


June 9, 2006 - Feast your eyes on one of the rarest, most exotic cars to ever come out of Italy: the Maserati Corsa MC12. Based on the Maserati MC12, which is based on the Ferrari Enzo, the blue race car you see here was built... well... just for the hell of it.

This car is not road legal and it is not homologated for any kind of racing use. The rich bastard that buys this car will only be allowed to drive it at private testing sessions or exhibitions -- any and all of which will be organized by Maserati. So whoever buys this car can't drive it on the road (legally) and they will only be allowed to use it when and where Maserati says it's okay to do so.

Wanna know the cost for all of this automotive "freedom"? Why, it's a "paltry" 1 million Euros. Yes, for just $1.2 million U.S. dollars, you can have the privilege of having someone dictate the way you drive your own car.

Sounds like a deal, huh?

So why would someone want to pony up the cash for such a machine? Well, as we said at the top of the article, it is based on the Ferrari Enzo, which is one of the finest-handling cars on the road. However, this Corsa MC12 is kind of like a full-race version of the Enzo, which in a sense, makes it a re-badged Ferrari FXX. This FXX connection comes into play again when one remembers that the only way FXX owners can drive their cars is if/when Ferrari decides to allow it. So... now that we think about it, this Corsa MC12 is more-or-less a re-badged (and re-skinned) FXX.

The monocoque chassis of this car is made of the lightweight super material, carbon fiber, giving this car an overall weight of just 1,150 kg (2,500 pounds). Sitting in the middle of this chassis, right behind the two front seats, sits a 6.0-liter V12 engine that is good for 755 horsepower at a screamingly high 8,000 rpm. 18x14-inch rims wrapped in super gummy rubber ensure that all 755 of these horses get to the ground via the rear, while a matching set of 18x14-inch rims up front ensure that the front end has as much grip as possible.

Should things get to be a little too fast in this car, the carbon ceramic Brembo brakes are sure to slow things down in a hurry. However, this car doesn't have any sort of ABS or electronic brake force distribution, so the driver of this car had better have a solid understanding of how to modulate the brakes. It would be a shame if anyone actually crashed this car.

With less than 12 units planned for production, crashing one of these cars would be unforgivable. We guess that Maserati feels the same way, which is why the company will be dictating how, where and when these cars can be driven. If you're rich enough to afford one of these and are thinking of buying (or would the correct word be "renting"?) one for yourself, consider us to be extremely jealous of you. Then put yourself on a waiting list and hope that Maserati decides to let you have a Corsa MC12 when they are released this fall.

The rest of us will have to make-do with looking at the pictures of this car in our Media Gallery.