The track-focused Maserati GT2 Stradale takes the MC20 to its wildest excessive, mixing race-car precision and uncooked emotion.
Lighter, sooner, and meaner – the Maserati GT2 Stradale is the MC20 at its most unhinged. This isn’t only a track-focused particular; it’s a full-throttle, no-compromise assertion from Maserati. Developed from the GT2 race automotive however tailored for street use, the Stradale is sharper, extra highly effective and much more thrilling to drive.
The pit lane at Yas Marina hums with quiet anticipation. Parked in entrance of me, the Maserati GT2 Stradale squats low and broad, each bit the hardcore observe weapon it guarantees to be. Stripped of extra weight and dialled up on downforce with underbody diffusers and an enormous rear wing, the GT2 Stradale is primed for battle. So am I.
Maserati GT2 Stradale exterior design
Optimised for weight saving and downforce
One take a look at the GT2 Stradale, and its intentions are clear. The towering adjustable rear wing alone generates as much as 500kg of downforce at pace, maintaining the automotive pinned to the tarmac. Up entrance, bigger air intakes and a reworked splitter guarantee most cooling and stability. Carbon fibre isn’t only for present – it’s used extensively for weight financial savings and structural rigidity.
Rear wing produces 500kg of downforce.
Maserati GT2 Stradale efficiency and dealing with
Drop into the tight bucket seat, strap your self in, and hit the starter button. The Nettuno V6 ignites with a bark – uncooked, visceral and unfiltered, in a method the usual MC20 by no means fairly was. That is the GT2 Stradale’s truest type, road-legal in essentially the most technical sense however spiritually certain to the circuit.
Powered by 640hp, 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine
At its core sits Maserati’s spectacular 3.0-litre twin-turbo Nettuno V6, now massaged to 640hp – up from the MC20’s 621hp. And it’s lighter, too. The GT2 Stradale was placed on a eating regimen, shedding 59kg to tip the scales at simply 1,365kg. The consequence? A blistering 0-100kph time of two.8 seconds and a prime pace of 324kph.
Neatly styled air intakes to chill the Nettuno V6 engine.
Razor-sharp responses and equipment shifts
Out of the pit lane, I squeeze the throttle, and it’s instantly apparent how hyper-reactive this track-focused Maserati is. Each enter is met with a right away and razor-sharp response, and the 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox rifles by ratios with millisecond precision. Each shift feels instantaneous, and each prod of the throttle pedal is met with a exactly metered surge of energy.
Braking into Flip 5, the carbon ceramics clamp down with brutal effectivity, hauling the automotive down from triple-digit speeds immediately. The entrance finish has the sharp chunk of a Rottweiler clinging to the tarmac, fantastically complemented by steering that’s loaded with suggestions. Maserati’s engineers have widened the observe, stiffened the suspension and fine-tuned the aerodynamics for optimum downforce. The consequence? A automotive that feels surgically exact but alive with each twitch of the wheel.
Tight and comfortable bucket seats are important for dealing with excessive g-forces.
On slower corners, you possibly can provoke the rear right into a managed slide, nevertheless it by no means feels nervous. It’s playful but poised, letting you dance on the restrict with out ever making you’re feeling such as you’re about to overstep.
Nettuno V6 has a uncooked, mechanical sound
Maserati has at all times been in regards to the soundtrack, and whereas the GT2 Stradale’s V6 lacks the operatic wail of a naturally aspirated V8, it has a uncooked, mechanical ferocity that fits its persona. Go for the titanium exhaust (observe use solely), and it snarls like a correct race automotive, spitting and crackling on downshifts.
Throttle sensitivity is razor-sharp; although, under 3,000rpm, there’s a touch of turbo lag. However as soon as the enhance is available in, acceleration is relentless. It’s not the outright quickest in its class – the Ferrari 296 is faster – however the GT2 Stradale delivers a deeply immersive expertise.
Each enter is met with a right away and razor-sharp response.
Inside a lap, I’m snug with this automotive, which eggs you on to push tougher and tougher. By the point I roll again into the pits, my pulse is racing, my palms tingling. This isn’t simply one other track-focused supercar. That is Maserati rediscovering its soul.
Some bits of practicality
Regardless of its hardcore underpinnings, the GT2 Stradale hasn’t utterly deserted street manners. A nose-lift system raises the entrance by 1.4 inches – crucial for avoiding the heartbreak of scraping that carbon splitter. There’s even a 100-litre boot, however let’s be trustworthy, practicality isn’t why you purchase this automotive.
Maserati GT2 Stradale inside
Each element targeted for driving
Inside, it’s all enterprise. Alcantara dominates the dashboard to minimise glare, whereas the carbon-fibre bucket seats can be found in two sizes. They grip you tight – good for the observe however a reminder that this isn’t a automotive for long-haul consolation. Shift lights on the steering wheel, a relocated drive-mode selector – each element is designed for pure driving focus.
No skimping within the cockpit, which is roofed in Alcantara.
The place the GT2 Stradale stands aside is within the design. Maserati has at all times had a method of creating even its most excessive vehicles look effortlessly elegant. Not like Ferrari’s aggressive, function-first strategy to aero, the Stradale retains a way of Italian artistry.
Maserati GT2 Stradale verdict
Not an on a regular basis supercar
Scissor doorways are an integral a part of the GT2 Stradale’s visible drama.The GT2 Stradale is an beautiful mix of race-car aggression and road-going grace. It’s not an on a regular basis supercar – removed from it – however for these fortunate sufficient to get behind the wheel, it delivers a uncooked, unfiltered driving expertise few vehicles can match. Manufacturing is restricted to 914 models, a nod to Maserati’s founding yr, 1914. Pricing stays beneath wraps, however with this degree of exclusivity and efficiency, anticipate it to command a hefty premium over the MC20. For the driving purist, that is as near a road-legal race automotive as Maserati has ever constructed. And it’s totally magnificent.
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