MASERATIMC 12 2004 - 2005

　　In order to be eligible as a race-car for a certain category, a car must be produced in a certain amount of units. This is why Maserati produced the series version of the race-version of the Maserati MC12.

　　While some car manufacturers are building series models and then modifies them to comply with the FIA regulations, Maserati worked the other way around. Using the main ingredients from its famous brother Ferrari Enzo, it built a race-car. And then it transformed it to be road legal and sold all the 25 units from 2004 before the first one came out of the assembly line. Another 25 units were built in the following year.

　　The Maserati MC12 was a two-seater long-tail coupe-spider. It had a typical racing set-up with a removable hardtop for the road-going version. It was powered by a V12 Ferrari Enzo engine. The entire bodywork was made out of carbon-fiber and it was available in only one livery: white with blue stripes. The unusual long coupe was designed and finished in the Giugiaro wind-tunnel, with the hood behind the cabin since the car featured a mid-rear engine setup. The transmission was via a sequential six-speed gearbox.

　　The roof was removable, and it could convert the car from a coupe to a roadster. Since the car was built for racing, it had a tubular chassis with a complex space-frame architecture and there were not needed any further reinforcements for the bodywork. Inside the cabin, there was a combination of leather and carbon fiber trims, which made the car looks not only luxurious but also sporty.