The new Maserati GranTurismo MC will be officially unveiled during the FIA GT "Media Days" at the Paul Ricard circuit. The new model is an offshoot of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept introduced last September in Monza and based on the Maserati GranTurismo S road version, with electro-actuated gearbox system.

On 17 and 18 March the car participated in the "Balance of performance", two days of practices organized by SRO at the Paul Ricard circuit in order to analyze and balance the performance of the models that will be racing in the GT4 European Cup.

A Maserati GranTurismo MC entered by a private team is to participate in some GT4 European Cup events during the second half of this season.

A limited series of the Maserati GranTurismo MC produced for gentlemen drivers who wish to race in the 2010 GT4 European Cup and the national series, will be on sale as of October 2009. The indicative price is 135,000 Euro + VAT. The cars will be sold directly through Maserati Corse.

In 2010 Maserati intends to once again organize a European single-make cup race. The cars participating in this Cup shall naturally present specifications that will set them apart from the GT4-version Maserati GranTurismo MCs.

Maserati chose to create a model with GT4 features because GT4 is the category with the closest links to production models. There is a niche of GranTurismo road car owners who love racing and want to be able to test their mettle on a track driving a racing version of the same model they own.

The Maserati GranTurismo MC is the result of a development work carried out during many test sessions that started in the Summer of 2008.

Various drivers have taken turns developing the Maserati GranTurismo MC Concept from which the Maserati GranTurismo MC stemmed. With their strong professional and racing background, each and every one of them contributed to the creation of the final version.

The predominant part of the fine-tuning work was conducted by Andrea Bertolini, official Maserati tester as well as incumbent FIA GT Champion at the wheel of the MC12.

Bertolini worked together with Thomas Cremonini, Maserati series production tester, and Vitaphone Racing Team teammate Michael Bartels, also 2008 FIA GT champion.

During the most recent tests, the Maserati GranTurismo MC with GT4 specs was also tested by former F.1 driver Ivan Capelli.

With the creation of the Maserati GranTurismo MC, the tradition of the Trident logo car manufacturer who remains loyal to its origins - those of a company founded in 1914 to tune and subsequently build racecars - lives on.

The Maserati list of wins is abundant and it includes a two consecutive wins at the famous Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and in 1940, with Wilbur Shaw at the wheel of the 8CTF "Boyle Special". This year is the 70th anniversary of that first success.

Juan Manuel Fangio won two F1 world titles in 1954 and in 1957 at the wheel of a Maserati 250F.
In the 1950s and 1960s cars with the Trident logo won a good many Endurance races, while the last victory in a Formula 1 GP was clinched by Pedro Rodriguez on a Cooper-Maserati in 1967.

In 2004 Maserati Corse started racing again internationally in the FIA GT Championship featuring the MC12; it achieved three victories at the prestigious Spa 24 Hours (2005, 2006, and 2008 Vitaphone Racing Team) and no less than ten absolute titles:

- Three FIA GT Drivers Championships in 2006 (Michael Bartels/Andrea Bertolini), in 2007 (Thomas Biagi) and in 2008 (Michael Bartels/Andrea Bertolini)
- Four FIA GT Teams Championships in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 (Vitaphone Racing Team)
- Two FIA GT Manufacturers Cups in 2005 and 2007
- One Citation Cup for gentlemen drivers in 2007 (Ben Aucott).

Race have always been the most demanding test-bench for all cars. Traditionally, reliability and performance are checked on track. It is in races that new technologies and materials are tested. And it is on the circuit that Maserati has decided to raise the much praised-sporty verve of its Maserati GranTurismo S to even higher levels to create the Maserati GranTurismo MC.

GRANTURISMO MC - TECH. SPEC.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Width: 1914,0 mm
Lenght: 4935,3 mm
Height: 1300,0 mm
Overhang front: 930,5 mm
Overhang rear: 1064,1 mm
Wheelbase: 2940,7 mm
Front track: 1618,4 mm
Rear Track: 1580,7 mm
Weight: < 1400 Kg
Weight distribution: 51,3 front / 48,7 rear

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

Engine: V8
Displacement: 4,691 cc
Maximum power: ND
Maximum torque: ND
Weight/power ratio: <4.6 Kg/KW (<3.4 Kg/HP
Ignition: Bosch - digital system
Air intake: Double cone racing type filter
Exhaust system: Racing type with removable catalyzers
Lubrication: Wet sump
Gearbox: Rear, longitudinal gearbox, with transaxle scheme.
6 gears + reverse, syncromesh.
Electrohydraulic activation, with paddles shift

CHASSIS AND BODYWORK

Bodywork: Carbon fiber
Windows: Windscreen, rear and side windows in Lexan.
Chassis: Steel with welded integral rollcage structure, FIA approved.
Interior: Backward-set driving position, with racing seat, dashboard and console in carbon fiber throughout.
6-points seat-belt compatible with HANS protection system.
Electrical system: Specific, with data acquisition system integrated in the dashboard.
Fuel tank: 120 L, with carbon safety structure, FIA approved.

Brakes:
Racing system without ABS, with steel discs:
Front disc: 380 mm
Rear disc: 326 mm
Front caliper: 6 pistons
Rear caliper: 4 pistons

Wheels:
Front: 11''x18''
Rear: 11''x18''

Tyres:
Front: 305/645/18
Rear: 305/680/18

Shock absorbers: Carbon fiber

Maserati is once again organizing single-make championship for its gentlemen-driver clientele, featuring the GranTurismo MC Trofeo car, the racing version of the GranTurismo S 4.7, market leader under the luxury coupé category.

Just like the road model, the racing version is also produced on the same assembly line in Viale Ciro Menotti. The first cars were manufactured and tested on the track a few days ago.

The Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC consists of seven meets at the most prestigious European circuits, in conjunction with the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) and the Italian GT Championship.

The debut of the series is scheduled on the 23rd of May in Monza, followed by Zolder (B) - 20 June, Brands Hatch (GB) – 18 July, Brno (CZ) – 1 August, Oschersleben (D) - 5 September, Valencia (E) -19 September and the closing race in Mugello, slotted for 10 October.

In addition to the GranTurismo MC Trofeo put on the track by Maserati Corse itself, the GranTurismo MC GT4 purchased by private teams can also participate in the championship, competing in a special classification separate from that of the Trofeo.
The formula consists of two free practices on Fridays (lasting 40’), two qualifying practices on Saturdays (20’) and two races (38’ + 1 lap ) on Sundays.

The participation fee for the Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC is €162,000 + VAT for the entire season (€168,000 + VAT should the driving team consist of two drivers who will be alternating at the wheel), while the owners of GranTurismo GT4s can participate at the cost of €45,000 + VAT.

MC Trofeo spec

The GranTurismo MC Trofeo is the evolution of the GranTurismo MC Concept, the prototype car developed from the road-going model, the successful Maseroti GranTurismo S.

The modifications applied by the designers of the Maserati Design Centre to the rood-going model, to develop the race version, have improved the aerodynamic performance without affecting the elegant and sinuous shape.

The Maserati Corse technicians hove worked on the road-going model to achieve a dramatic weight reduction, improving the dynamic performance by means of specific racing-type components while keeping the reliability of the original design for the engine, gearbox and transmission assembly.

Thanks to the new CCU mapping, the use of a new racing-type exhaust system and a specific oil filter, the power of the 4691cc V8 engine increases to 330.9 kw (45- bhp) with a torque of 510 Nm at 4.750 rpm.

The GranTurismo MC Trofeo chossis has been stiffened by means of an FIA-approved welded roll cage. The aerodynamic requirements have determined some modifications of the bodywork, fabricated in composite material.

The suspension settings of the GranTurismo MC Trofen have been adjusted to race requirements, maintaining the optimal weight balance of the road-going car.

The car is equipped with racinq-type, single-rate, dampers and specific wheels 11x18" front and 13"x18" rear, suitable for slick tyres to maximise the efficiency on track.

The braking system features new monobloc callipers and racing-type steel discs, but, of course, no ABS.

Maserati is joining the group of manufacturers bidding for the GTS class title in this year’s International GT Open thanks to Swiss Team, who will campaign its own-developed Maserati Granturismo MC3 as from the next round at the Nürburgring. “We are excited to join such a high-level championship with our latest project and we are embracing this new challenge full steam ahead!”, commented Guido Bonfiglio, the team principal of Swiss Team.

The Helvetic squad, based in Balerna, in the Canton Ticino, has a long experience with Maseratis and has won the Superstars title last year with a Quattroporte developed in-house. The Granturismo MC3 to be entered in the GT Open stems from that project and fits the traditional V8 engine of 500 hp. The car is taking the track for the first time this weekend at Jarama in the Spanish GT Championship.

The team will be driven by two élite GT divrers, as it will be entrusted to Italy’s Alessandro Pier Guidi (28), who was a GT Open vice-champion in 2006 and won the last race of the 2011 in Barcelona in his reappearance in the series, and Switzerland’s Gabriele Gardel (35), who is a former FIA-GT, LMS and ILMC champion and a GT winner at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010.