What if Ferrari’s most iconic supercar had a twin? Meet the Maserati MC12 – born from the Ferrari Enzo, engineered for the track, and turned into one of the rarest street-legal beasts in the world.
In this video, we take you deep inside the story of the Ferrari-powered MC12, its insane V12 performance, limited production run, and the engineering secrets that make it worth over $800,000 today.
✅ Based on the Ferrari Enzo ✅ Only 50 road cars ever made ✅ FIA GT1 Winner ✅ A true collector’s dream
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00:00MC Hammered, How a Ferrari Enzo Got a Makeover and Became the Maserati MC12
00:05You know that movie Victor Slash Victoria?
00:09Julie Andrews Plays a Woman Pretending to be a Man Pretending to be a Woman
00:13It's hilarious, weirdly convincing, and super stylish
00:17Now imagine that same identity crisis, but with a supercar
00:21That's basically the wild story behind the Maserati MC12
00:25Let's break it down
00:27Start with the Ferrari Enzo
00:29A raw, street-legal V12-powered beast
00:32Then, give it a full racing makeover for the FIA GT Series
00:37Once that's done, take the racer and glam it up again for the street
00:41What you get is the MC12
00:43Part Ferrari, part race car, part road-going showstopper
00:47A streetcar-turned-racer-turned-streetcar again
00:50The MC12's core is pure Enzo
00:53Same carbon-fiber chassis
00:55Same 6.0-liter, 65-degree V12 engine
01:00But Maserati stretched the wheelbase by 5.9 inches and added 11.5 inches in total length for better aerodynamics
01:08They also made the body too
01:112 inches taller, thanks to that aggressive roof snorkel
01:15And 2.4 inches wider
01:17The only body panel it shares with the Enzo?
01:20The windshield
01:22The result is a long, sleek machine that looks part spaceship, part Jaguar, as in the XJ220 kind
01:29And it's functional
01:31At 125 mph, the MC12's aerodynamics shift the weight balance from 41.59, front-slash-rear, to 34.66
01:42That means this thing hugs the road like a champ
01:45Under the skin, still Ferrari, but tougher
01:48A lot of the MC12's hardware is lifted straight from the Enzo
01:52But Maserati went full race mode with things like a hardcore dry-sump oil system and gear-driven cams, instead of chains
02:01The engine had to breathe through a 33mm air restrictor to meet FIA regulations, but it still rips
02:07The 6-speed paddle-shift gearbox is also mostly unchanged from the Enzo
02:13Painted deep Maserati blue, toss in some carbon, slap on a giant rear wing
02:18And you've got the MC12 version Competizione
02:21A full-blown race car
02:23And a successful one at that
02:25In its debut FIA GT season, the MC12 scored 2 wins, 3 second-place finishes, and 1 third
02:33Coming back to the street
02:35Now here's the twist
02:37To comply with FIA's rules, Maserati had to sell 25 road-legal versions of the MC12
02:43But instead of barely making them street-legal, Maserati went all-in
02:48They made the MC12 Straydale, Italian 4, street
02:52Something genuinely livable and luxurious
02:55That meant
02:56A removable roof panel
02:59Something the Enzo did
03:00To make it more civilized, Maserati mellowed out the cams and engine tuning a bit
03:05The MC12 Straydale makes 624 horsepower and 479 lbft of torque
03:12That's slightly less than the Enzo's 651 horsepower and 485 lbft, but still ridiculous
03:20It'll rev to 7,700 rpm, versus the Enzo's 8200, and still gives you a neck-snapping ride
03:29They also softened the suspension, non-adjustable this time, swapped in more street-friendly tires and brakes, and replaced the big racing wing with a smaller version to improve rear visibility, since that massive air snorkel blocks the mirror otherwise
03:44Time to drive
03:46Maserati let us loose on their historic 4.75-mile Belaco test track in Italy
03:52Originally built for Alfa Romeo's F1 program
03:55This place is serious
03:57Even with a bunch of tight chicanes, we managed to push the MC12 up to 170 mph before hammering the brakes
04:05The stopping power?
04:08Rock solid
04:09No fade, no drama, just confidence
04:12Then we headed to the twistier 6.7-mile handling circuit
04:17First lap
04:18Get a feel for the car
04:20Second lap
04:22Push it
04:23The steering is pinpoint sharp and gives you plenty of feedback
04:26The street brakes are quiet and predictable
04:29The Pirelli P0 courses grip well, though there's a little squirm on initial turn-in
04:35When you hit the corners just right, you can even get the rear to step out in a controlled drift
04:40The traction control, in race, mode, lets you have some fun without putting it in the wall
04:46It's way more forgiving than the Enzo
04:48In fact, it's smoother than even the ultra-friendly Acura NSX at the limit
04:54One hotshot journo tried to treat it like a full race car and came back with flaming brake pads
05:00Lesson, the MC12 is a gentleman racer, not a maniac
05:04Straight line numbers
05:06We strapped on test gear for some acceleration runs
05:10Here's what we got
05:11Zero to 60 miles per hour
05:143.7 seconds
05:16Quarter mile
05:1811.8 seconds at 123.9 miles per hour
05:22That's a hair slow
05:24Maserati's big picture
05:26The Ferrari divorce
05:27In early 2005, Maserati was sold by Ferrari back to Fiat, which raised some eyebrows
05:34But really, it was all corporate shuffling
05:37The move let Ferrari clean up its books before potentially going public
05:41Meanwhile, Maserati got closer to Alfa Romeo, also under Fiat, forming a new commercial and technical partnership
05:49Ferrari still co-develops engines in tech with Maserati
05:53But Alfa's broader manufacturing capacity might help Maserati crank up more cars and offer something at a slightly lower price point
06:01Think Porsche and the Cayenne
06:03A luxury brand partnering with a volume carmaker to boost profits
06:07Will Maserati make an SUV?
06:10Maybe
06:11But Fiat doesn't have a ton of SUV expertise
06:14More likely?
06:16A smaller, cheaper sports car
06:18Something closer to the Boxster
06:20Time will tell
06:22Final thoughts
06:23The MC12 is a bold, rare, beautiful machine
06:27It started life as a Ferrari Enzo
06:30Went to race car boot camp
06:32Then came back in designer clothes as a street-legal Maserati
06:36It's brutally fast, surprisingly comfortable
06:39And handles like a dream
06:41Just don't ask it to carry your groceries or play the radio
06:44And that, my friends, is how you turn a Ferrari into a Maserati and make it work
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