2004 - 2005 Maserati MC12 Corse - Images, Specifications and Information

Click here to download printer friendly version

Motorsport forms the heart of Maserati's heritage, as for over thirty years building racing cars was the core business for the Italian company. The few road cars produced were very closely related to the racing cars and were built solely to fund the Works racing program. Towards the end of the 1950s Maserati broke with tradition and since then only a handful of racing cars and engines were constructed. The switch has brought mixed fortunes for Maserati and in the 1980s and 1990s, the company struggled to survive. At the end of the 1990s, the company was sold to longtime rival Ferrari. Since then Maserati has steadily recovered and with the company's heritage in mind it was not a complete surprise that a return to level racing was announced in 2004.

With Ferrari clearly involved in Formula 1 and a high tech prototype racer probably too big of a step, Maserati opted to enter GT-racing. Unfortunately there was not a car in the range, which would be an ideal candidate to go racing with, so Maserati turned to Ferrari for some assistance. They were happy to help out and allowed Maserati to use the Enzo chassis and drivetrain as a basis for the new racer. To homologate the car for the GT1 class at least 25 examples a year for two years had to be produced. With a booming market for high performance cars, this did not seem to be a problem, so work was started on the Enzo based road car and racing car. Originally known as the MCC, both versions were planned to be launched at the 2004 Geneva Motorshow.

Pininfarina was employed to create a body that would be better suited to racing and did not rely as much on underbody aerodynamics as the Enzo's did. All seemed to be going well, but then the design and publicity departments made some major mistakes, almost ending the car's racing career before it had even begun. The designers made the car wider than the two metre specified in the regulations and the publicity department released images of the racing car long before coming up with photos of the road car. The former could potentially be fixed, but the latter mistake (rightly) gave the sport's governing bodies the impression that the new car was developed as a racing car first. Especially the Le Mans organizers, the ACO, did not take kindly to that.

At the Geneva launch, the wraps were taken off the road car and the official name, MC12, for the first time. The Maserati's shape was distinctly different from that of the Enzo and the road car sported a detachable targa roof. It quickly became clear that the other competitors, the FIA and the ACO would not make exception for Maserati; the MC12 was too wide and also not built to the spirit of the regulations. Eventually the FIA caved in and allowed Maserati to enter the MC12 in the FIA GT Championship, but under the condition that it ran with a smaller rear wing and a weight penalty. With full factory support, two cars were entered in the final four rounds of the 2004 season by AF Corse. Despite the penalties, the MC12 proved to be worthy competitor, scoring two wins and second place finishes in the other two rounds.

The controversy was pulled well into 2005 as Maserati found the ALMS willing to accept the MC12. Maserati welcomed the opportunity to further highlight the brand in the United States; the most important market of all. Again the ACO protested and at one point threatened to no longer endorse the series and force it to strip the Le Mans from the name. Finally a compromise was found that allowed the MC12 to run, however it would not be eligible to score points. Maserati Corse entered the car in all ten rounds of the season, but it was only to operate in the shadow of the brand new Corvette C6.R and Aston Martin DBR9.

Back in Europe, four cars were entered in the FIA GT Championship by Vitaphone Racing and JMB. Again the penalties hampered the cars, and JMB managed to score just one win. Vitaphone faired considerably better, especially after winning the all important Spa 24 Hours halfway through the season. Two more wins and a steady run in the rest of the races saw the German team clinch the team's championship. Despite strong competition, the 2006 season saw another Spa 24 Hour win and Vitaphone won the team and driver titles. There was more of the same in 2007, but this time the Maserati missed out on the Spa win. With no new GT1 cars coming along there is little doubt that the MC12 will remain competitive in the coming season(s).

Although the Maserati MC12 is one of the most successful GT racers of its era, it will always be remembered for the controversy surrounding its homologation. It will be interesting to hopefully find out in the future whether the 'mistakes' were made by accident, or that the Italians really felt that they could bend the rules a little. Maserati's persistence and absolute refusal to make the car legal would suggest the latter. It is safe to say that no smaller manufacturer would have gotten away with any of this.

Despite being three years old, the 2007 FIA GT season saw the strongest MC12 presence ever with six cars. Four were entered in the regular championship, while two more were raced in the Citation Cup for gentleman drivers. Not surprisingly, the Maserati teams and drivers walked away with all the silver at the end of the season. The cars are pictured above during the final round of the season, at Zolder.