Posts tagged mc12
Royal British Car Show 2012
Aug 21st
Check out some of the classic British cars that were showcased at the AutoMotorPlex this weekend for the Royal British Car Show! This event highlights many different British car models, a British fashion show, live British music, authentic fish & chips and tea beer. Some of the cars at this event included Bentleys, Aston Martins, Jaguars, McLarens, and many more!
New Production Car Speed Record at the Nurburgring!
Oct 9th
For a long time I’ve pushed the fact that even though the Quattroporte was beat in horsepower and straight-line acceleration by the BMW M5 and the Mercedes S66 AMG, it was faster on the racetrack. The whole package of weight balance, suspension, chassis tuning, and electronics was such a superb setup that the car really is a lot faster than it looks on paper. EVO magazine proved it when they ran it around their Bedford Autodrome track in England. The Quattroporte was the fastest sedan, until they reconfigured the track and re-set the scores. Just look at these track times and the Quattroporte bests a lot of cars that should be faster.
Well now another Maserati has proven that it isn’t all about horsepower or straight-line speed. EVO magazine teamed up with a car fanatic we can all be jealous of, and a professional driver to push 5 supercars around the legendary ‘Green Hell’, otherwise known as the Nürburgring Nordschleife, all in an effort to answer one question: “Which one’s fastest?”
Apparently ONE guy is lucky enough to own an MC12, an Enzo, a Carrera GT, a Koenigsegg CCX, and a Zonda F. Now keep in mind, these cars range from 600 – 901 hp and are capable of sub 4 second 0-60 mph.
Surprisingly the most expensive car in the group – the Koenigsegg CCX came in dead last. Fast in a straight line, but the “…peaky way the power is delivered made it challenging to control.” No lap time was published for the CCX. The Carrera GT came in 4th with a lap time of 7.28.71 – matching the time set by factory driver Robert Rohrl during development.
Third place went to the Ferrari Enzo, with a lap time of 7:25.21. The Pagani Zonda, powered by a 7.3 liter Mercedes powerplant came in second with a lap time of 7:24.65.
With a lap time of 7:24.29 the Maserati MC12 came in first place. Not only did it beat the rest of these massively capable supercars, but it set a new production car lap record in the process. The MC12 was the heaviest car in the group, had ‘old-fashioned’ steel brakes and conventional dampers, but still took them on and won. Just like in the GranTurismo and the Quattroporte, the MC12’s sum is greater than its individual parts.
Just because one car should be faster than another on paper, doesn’t make it so.
FIA GT 2006 Roundup
Dec 12th
After dominating the 2005 FIA GT series, Maserati had many challengers vying for a piece of their success in 2006. The MC12 teams competed against six teams running Aston Martin DB9Rs, two Saleen S7Rs entries, and one Corvette C6R.
Overall the MC12s won five of ten races, and collected both Team and Drivers titles. These important wins brings the Maserati MC12’s international titles to four; (one Constructors’, one Drivers’, and two Team), a total of 10 wins, 21 podiums and two consecutive wins at the 24 hour of Spa-Francorchamps.
MC12 videos
Jul 3rd
Recently edo-competition took delivery of a customer’s brand new Maserati MC12. They modified the engine, gearbox, suspension, exhaust and brakes. This car is a daily driver and has been driven over 5000 kilometers in 3 months. Here is a very cool video of this MC12 being driven around Hockenheim racetrack.
Here are some more MC12 video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHzh6HZcBs (top gear)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlsLS7u7Oao (FIA-GT silverstone footage)
The MC12 – one two at Oschersleben
Jul 3rd
The Maserati MC12 continues its winning ways with a 1-2 finish at Oschersleben in Germany. The Vitaphone racing team beat out the competition from Aston Martin and Saleen at the end of three hours of hard racing. The Bartels-Bertolini car qualified on pole and never looked back, while the second MC12 driven by Davies and Biagi had more work ahead of them after a penalty moved them to start the race from the seventh row (14th position).
Jamie Davies climbed 7 positions in one lap, and up to fourth place by the first pit-stop, on lap 46. By the second pit-stop on lap 90 the Maseratis had gained their first and second positions and cruised to the finish. The 1-2 finish comes on the heels of first place success at Silverstone, and moves the Bartels-Bertolini car into first in drivers cup points, and Maserati into second for Manufacturers cup points.
The next FIA-GT race takes place July 29-30 with the fascinating 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps (Belgium).
MC-12 Corsa announced
May 26th
“Maserati is pleased to announce the production of the MC12 Corsa, a supercar build-to-order for a select number of Maserati clients.
The MC12 Corsa has been developed from the MC12 GT1 type which won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers cup, and will allow its owners to test their driving capability in the most exclusive gentlemen drivers’ environment. It will be used exclusively on track during private test sessions – or exhibition activities organized by Maserati. It will not be homogulated for road use or for any racing activities.”
With a price tag exceeding $1million dollars, this car will inevitably draw comparison to Bugatti’s Veyron. The Veyron is a W16 quad turbo (think Bentley Continental GT + two more turbos) making 1001hp. While the Bugatti makes almost 250 more hp than the MC12, it also weighs 4200lbs, over 1500lbs more than the Maserati. The Veyron ends up with a weight:power ratio of 4.2:1, while the Maserati is only moving 3.36lbs per horsepower. Put these two on a track side-by-side and the MC12 should prove to be king.
Be one of the lucky dozen to own one of these MC12s and you will feel like a king.
Victory for the MC12 at Silverstone
May 8th
This can’t be good news for the competition: Maserati MC12 driven by Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini wins first race of the season at Sebring, and takes home the prestigious ‘Tourist Trophy’. The Modenese car beat off Bert-Janis’ Saleen S7R and the Aston Martin DBR9 driven by Gollin-Babini.
The morning started with a wet track and uncertain weather, but after switching first to intermediate tires and then to racing slicks, the MC12s combination of speed, luck, and smart pit planning meant an easy 1st place finish.
Audemars Piguet Millenary MC12 Tourbillon watch unveiled
Apr 20th
The New Audemars Piguet watch was unveiled 4/5, and was created to celebrate the Maserati MC12’s victory in the 2005 FIA GT Championship. As with the MC12 road car, only exotic materials have been used in the construction of the MC12 watch, including a platinum body, a carbon fiber movement main plate and many aluminum moving parts.
The watch will go on sale exclusively to the official Audemars Piguet network from Autumn 2006. 
A busy year in racing for Maserati.
Apr 5th
Maserati has a busy 2006 lined up, competing in the FIA European GT3 Championship and Italian GT, while still running a full Trofeo series.
The first race of the 2006 Trofeo Audemars Piguet Maserati Europa season was run this past weekend at Monza. The race was won by Alberto Cerrai, winner of the 2005 Trofeo Maserati. The next race up for the Trofeo series will be held at Silverstone on May 7th, opening weekend for the FIA GT International Championship races.
Joining the FIA GT3 class this year is a brand new GranSport race car. This car is currently undergoing final testing in preparation for the May 7th debut at Silverstone.
In addition to the Trofeo and GranSport, the MC12 is currently competing in the Sara GT Italian Championship. The first round was held at the historic Italian circuit in Imola over the weekend of March 26th. Two MC12s took part in the race, with the Playteam Sara Free car taking the win. The next Italian GT race is scheduled for May 14th, at the Misano Adriatico circuit.
For more information about Maserati’s racing programs, check out www.maseraticorse.it
2005: A look back at Maserati’s victorious return to racing.
Feb 3rd
With a couple of months until the 2006 racing season starts, here is a look back at 2005, a major year in the history of Maserati racing.
For 2005, two customer teams each raced MC12 cars in the full FIA GT Championship; the German team, Vitaphone Racing, ran two cars in their distinctive black and green livery, while Monaco-based JMB Racing also had two cars, in dark blue. The races were designed to be a true test of man and machinery; most races were three hours in length, with a 24-hour race thrown in at mid-season.
Right from the beginning of the season, at the historic Monza circuit in Italy, the MC12 proved itself the perfect car for the series. It claimed four of the top five places in the season opener, and followed that up with a clean sweep of the podium at Magny-Cours, in France, three weeks later. These two races set the pattern for the season; the MC12 was fast and consistent, and at least one Maserati finished on the podium at each of the eleven races.
In their first ‘official’ season of competition since 1957, Maserati took the Manufacturers’ Cup, and Vitaphone claimed the Teams’ Championship from JMB – in both competitions, Maserati racked up more points than the rest of the competitors combined. The MC12 took four wins, eight second places and six thirds – eighteen podium finishes from 44 starts, a remarkable rate of success.
