Now that the shapely GranTurismo coupe is on the street, Maserati's giving us a taste of what it could be like on the track. Meet the Maserati GranTurismo MC - a race-ready concept that will be unveiled at the 2008 Paris motor show.
Though the car is substantially modified for motorsports, those changes don't come underhood. The MC (or Maserati Corse) uses the same 4.7-liter V-8 found in the production GranTurismo S, unveiled at the 2008 Geneva motor show. At 450 hp, the MC's engine makes only 10 ponies more than its stock form.
The magic, however, lies with the car's weight. Aside from a fully-stripped interior, Maserati's gifted the GranTurismo MC concept with Lexan windows, a carbon fiber dashboard, and multiple composite body panels. As a result, the car weighs in at just under 3090 lbs (nearly 970 less than a stock GranTurismo S) and has a power-to-weight ratio of 7 lb / hp.
While Maserati says the MC is simply a concept, they've done their homework and engineered the car to FIA standards. That explains why it's equipped with a data acquisition system, six-point racing harness, and an integral roll cage.
That suggests the MC may have a future on the track, not just the auto show circuit. With the Maserati Trofeo an object in the distant past, the company's currently without a racing GT.
We'll learn more when we see the car in person at the Paris show on October 2. Stay tuned to Automobile Magazine for all the latest on this and other happenings from Paris.