Maserati unleashes another true track car.
Age-wise, the number of people who remember Maserati’s road-racing glory days of the late 1950s would be quite small today, but the marque is leveraging some recent racing with a new road model, the MC20 GT2 Stradale. The MC20 GT2 racer that currently competes in the Fanatec GT2 European Series is a return to classic form, and the MC20 GT2 Stradale brings that spirit to the road and track-day fun.
Don’t let the seemingly small 10-horsepower boost over the standard MC20 fool you. The GT2 Stradale is a fully street-legal track-focused bullet with body, chassis, and interior modifications. So, make room in your private track condo garage, because this Maserati is, as the social media world likes to say, “fire.”
Pricing has not been announced, but you can certainly expect a sizeable premium over the standard MC20’s $242,000 starting point.
Born to Race
When Maserati introduced the MC20 four years ago, the automaker confirmed there would be a competition variant and, right now, that’s the MC20 GT2. In fact, the plan to race was hiding in plain sight: MC stands for Maserati Corse – “Maserati Racing.” (The “20” was for its introduction year.)
You may remember Maserati had returned to FIA GT racing with great success in 2004 with the MC12. That car, with just 50 built for customers and 12 for racing, was heavily based on the Ferrari Enzo, when the two marques were under the same Fiat-Chrysler corporate umbrella. Today, Ferrari is on its own and Maserati is part of that global automaker with the oddly pharmaceutical-sounding Stellantis name.
The MC20 GT2 is not the first track version of the MC20. That was the MCXtrema, which debuted at The Quail in 2023. The MCXtrema is Maserati’s most powerful track car, with 714 horsepower. It is a track-only model, however, with just 62 built. The MC20 GT2 Stradale, which shares some body features with the MCXtrema, is built for road and track.
Racing Pedigree from the Start
The 2025 Maserati MC20 GT2 Stradale comes with more than old racing heritage. The GT2 racer had a stellar first season (2024) in the Fanatec GT2 European Series, with teams taking first and third in the Am (amateur) class and second in the Pro-Am category.
The GT2 racer used different body panels than the standard MC20 but essentially the same underlying carbon-fiber main structure. Although the racecar’s 3.0-liter twin turbo V6 used bigger turbos than the production car, the computer mapping was different between the two, and the 621-horsepower output remained the same. As noted, though, the MC20 GT2 Stradale’s output is dialed up an extra 10 horsepower over the MC20. So, how does the GT2 Stradale split the difference between the standard model and the GT2 racecar?
Weighty but Wicked
For starters, the MC20 and its GT2 racecar and GT2 Stradale brethren all start on the same assembly line. In addition to gaining 10 horsepower, the GT2 Stradale drops about 130 pounds. For the record, the standard model weighs about 3,750 pounds.
The Maserati MC20 GT2 Stradale keeps the standard model’s 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and it gets standard cross-drilled, carbon-ceramic disc brakes. Developed with Brembo, these brakes are larger and thicker than those offered as an option for the standard MC20. They also feature revised cooling over the standard model.
Maserati claims 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph for the MC20 GT2 Stradale. That’s a bit quicker and with a higher top end than the standard model. This is all evidence of just how good the standard MC20 really is.
Track-Focused Aerodynamics
Bigger changes are found in the GT2 Stradale’s body, which gains a slew of external aerodynamic aids, including a huge carbon-fiber rear wing. The carbon fiber front splitter adds more downforce at track speeds, and the redesigned rear diffuser helps pull air front-to-back from underside channels.
Maserati says the GT2 Stradale generates a total of 1,100 pounds of downforce at 173 mph. Take the GT2 Stradale on the track, and in capable hands, that downforce will make a difference in grip.
Optional Performance Packs for the Track
If you’re serious about taking the MC20 GT2 Stradale to the track, consider adding one of the two optional Performance Pack upgrades. The first level adds Michelin semi-slicks for track usage, and specific calibrations for the electronic limited-slip differential, ABS brakes, stability control, and traction control. The included Corsa Evo mode from the GT2 racecar adds four more levels of adjustment to tweak those calibrations. On top of that, the Performance Pack Plus adds four-point seat harnesses and a fire extinguisher.
The MC20 GT2 Stradale’s cockpit is a study in functional, comfortable minimalism, all designed to reduce distractions when track driving. All surfaces are dark, to minimize glare. The number of buttons is small: engine start/stop, drive mode selector, the transmission’s drive/manual mode, and another for reverse gear. Everything else is accessed via the touch screen.
The Stereo’s Pretty Good, Too
Despite its track intent for the MC20 GT2 Stradale, Maserati did not strip the interior to the bare minimum. It is a bit sparser than the standard MC20 but still comes with the Maserati Intelligent Assistant multimedia that runs the Android Auto operating system and includes Apple mirroring. The display screens can provide a wide array of real-time and historic vehicle data to allow the driver to monitor track performance.
A premium six-speaker audio system comes standard, while the Italian-made Sonus Faber 12-speaker setup with surround sound is optional. That one combines a 12-channel amplifier with 695 Watts of power. It could be a lifesaver when your passenger turns to you and asks, “Could we please listen to something besides the exhaust howling?”
