When it comes to Italian sports cars, it really doesn’t take much more than a casual glance to develop an instant infatuation from a very young age. But, unwilling to sit on its very pretty haunches, Maserati has decided to unveil its latest and greatest addition to its stable of super steeds. The GT2 Stradale takes everything we already loved about the MC20 and ratchets it up several notches into “Wow” territory.
The GT2 Stradale is a street-legal version of Maserati’s race car
The GT2 Stradale is essentially a street-legal variant of Maserati’s GT2 race car. Until now, the company’s MC20 has been its halo car, with its 621 hp and 3.2-second 0-60 mph time. The GT2 Stradale also uses the same Nettuno 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged and intercooled aluminum block and heads V-6, but gets an additional ten horsepower for a new max of 631 hp at 7,500 rpm. At the same time, torque remains at a still-impressive 538 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm.
Combine that power bump with a 132-pound drop in curb weight compared to the MC20, and we have a car that is very serious about its performance. To take advantage of its improved power-to-weight ratio, Maserati engineers also tweaked the GT2’s aerodynamics. A redesigned diffuser sits just below the impossible-to-ignore carbon-fiber spoiler (which has three settings) to bend air to do your bidding at high speeds. The redesigned front bumper and integrated front splitter also do their part to keep the car planted on the tarmac despite its stratospheric speed potential. At its steepest setting, the GT2 Stradale can generate up to 1,00 pounds of downforce at 173 mph.
The GT2 Stradale can run from 0- 62 mph in 2.8 seconds
The end result of these tweaks to what was already a fast car is an even faster car. Maserati says that the GT2 Stradale can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a scant 2.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). Of the GT2 Stradale’s main objective, Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO, had the following to say in the company’s press release introducing its newest member:
“Maserati GT2 Stradale is a unique product, bringing together as it does the brand’s greatest sporting heritage, and at the same time representing evolution of one of Maserati’s most iconic vehicles, the MC20 halo car. This model intended for everyday driving was created based on the desire to offer our customers more and more in terms of technical mastery, innovation, design and emotions in road driving: on the one hand, we find sophisticated solutions reserved for models designed for track use only, the epitome of Maserati’s racing DNA; on the other, we can guarantee optimal comfort paired with all the most advanced driver assistance systems. Maserati GT2 Stradale is a product that can fulfil the requirements of the most discerning enthusiasts, a new creation that expresses the brand’s entire essence.”
Although pricing was not announced, it is not an unreasonable assumption to expect the GT2 Stradale’s price tag to be north of the 2024 MC20’s $242,995 base price but well shy of the all-out GT2 race car’s more than half-a-million dollar MSRP.
