The Maserati GT2 Stradale Is Italy’s Answer to the Porsche 911 GT3

Maserati couldn’t let every other supercar brand show off at Monterey Car Week while it sat home eating biscotti. Instead, the Italians crashed the party Tridents blazing with their own racey supercar, the Maserati GT2 Stradale. And while it doesn’t break much new ground, essentially being a lighter and faster version of the MC20 supercar, it’s still nice to see Maserati trying to hang with the Porsche 911 GT3s of the world.

The GT2 Stradale was developed alongside Maserati’s GT2 racer, the car that brought Maserati back to the track after a long hiatus. Like the race car, the GT2 Stradale starts out life as a normal MC20 but is then given a comprehensive racing upgrade. Thanks to lots of carbon fiber overall, including its hood and upgraded aerodynamics, and some lightweight 20-inch center-locking wheels, the GT2 Stradale is 132 pounds lighter than the standard MC20.

It doesn’t make much more power than the MC20, though. The 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 “Nettuno” engine remains but now makes 640 horsepower versus the normal car’s 621. Sixty mph happens just a tenth of a second quicker than normal, at 2.8 seconds. But Maserati seems to argue that the GT2 Stradale’s charms are less about straight-line speed and more about track capability.

The massive rear wing and front spoiler can apparently generate up to 1,102 pounds (287 pounds up front and 816 pounds at the rear) of combined downforce at 174 mph in its most aggressive “High-Drag” settings. Both ends are manually adjustable, so if owners want a less aggressive setup, they can have it.

Maserati also tuned the GT2 Stradale’s suspension the same as it did for the GT2 race car, with a double-triangle design and UNIBAL joints. If you get the Performance Pack, the GT2 Stradale gains semi-slick Michelin tires and a specific tune for the limited-slip rear differential. If that isn’t enough, there’s a Performance Plus package that brings four-point harnesses, a fire extinguisher, and the Corsa Evo driving mode. The latter has four different levels of control and allows for personal adjustment to the traction control, stability control, ABS, and electronic limited-slip diff.

From the outside, the GT2 Stradale isn’t too different looking than the MC20, which is a good thing—the road car is good-looking already, the less that’s fixed there, the better. However, its big rear wing and carbon fiber hood vents do add some additional anger. Inside, most of the design is the same, except for the paper-thin-looking carbon fiber race seats and carbon steering wheel. The latter of which packs shift lights in the top, flat part of its rim.

There’s no pricing yet but the standard MC20 starts at over $240,000, so it’s entirely within reason to expect the GT2 Stradale to crest $300,000, well outside of 911 GT3 money. However, when you consider that most hardcore track Ferraris, such as the SF90 Stradale, can cost over $500,000, the Maserati seems like a relative bargain.

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