A surprising bonus from attending the Maserati Trofeo races in Abu Dhabi a week ago was netting a closer look at this — the Maserati MC12 Corsa.
If you remember your supercar history, Maserati got its own version of the Ferrari Enzo back in 2004 and 2005, called the MC12. Larger and heavier than the Enzo, it was intended more to homologate the racing version of the car rather than set any records for street-legal cars. One requirement for participation in the FIA GT is the production of at least 25 road cars similar to the racing car. Maserati went on to build 55 of the road-going supercars, of which 5 weren’t even put up for sale.
The MC12 rode on an Enzo-derived rear-wheel-drive carbon/aluminium/nomex platform, and was powered by a slightly-detuned version of the Enzo’s 6.0-litre V12 mated to a 6-speed semi-automatic, making 620 hp and 652 Nm of torque since redline was limited to 7500 rpm, compared to the Ferrari’s 8200 rpm. Still, it could do the 0-100 kph run in 3.8 seconds, and reach 200 kph in 9.9 seconds, with a top speed of 330 kph.
Ah, but the car we’re seeing here is the MC12 Corsa variant that debuted in 2006. These cars are not street-legal, intended only for track use by their wealthy owners. Only 12 of these were built, at a price of €1 million each, or about Dhs 5 million. Three more were built for publicity and testing purposes.
The Corsa was developed directly from the MC12 GT1 race car that won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers Cup. Maserati is responsible for the storage, upkeep, and maintenance of the cars, and they are only driven on specially-organised track days. The Corsa shares its engine with the MC12 GT1, making 745 hp at 8000 rpm. The MC12 Corsa also shares the GT1′s shortened nose and was available in a single “Blue Victory” colour, although it could be customised upon request, as seems to have happened with this yellow car. The MC12 Corsa also has a different rear spoiler, and comes with steel/carbon racing brakes without ABS aid.
The yellow Corsa was being used by the Maserati Middle East boss Umberto Cini to give passenger rides to guests in between the Trofeo and Gulf 12 Hour races, and being a track-only car, you’ll never see it on the streets.
