Maserati MC Stradale: From race track to high street

Only 10 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradales have been allocated to Australasia. Photo / Supplied

The first Maserati to break the 300km/h benchmark arrives in New Zealand next month, priced from $350,000.

Only 10 examples of the GranTurismo MC Stradale have been allocated for New Zealand and Australia and already nine have been sold.

It is the fastest production Maserati ever to be sold in this part of the world, a road-going version of the Maserati Trofeo and GT4 racing cars.

Under the bonnet is a reworked version of the company's 4.7-litre V8, tweaked to deliver 331kW/510Nm (with 80 per cent of peak torque from 2500rpm), a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 301km/h.

Maserati claims the Ferrari-built engine is 13 per cent more economical than the same-sized unit in the GranTurismo S, on which the car is based, and the convertible GranCabrio.

"In the area of the market in which the MC Stradale will be sold there are cars that are out-and-out track day cars, rendering them uncomfortable on New Zealand and Australian roads alongside grand touring cars that offer strong performance but with dynamics that cannot meet the needs of the race track," says Glen Sealey, the brand's general manager for New Zealand and Australia.

"The MC Stradale draws on Maserati's expertise to produce a unique performance car, one that can hold its head high on the race track and the high street - and every type of road in between."

It is the first two-seat Maserati since the MC12. At 1670kg dry, the MC Stradale is a whole 110kg lighter than the GranTurismo S but retains its 48/52 per cent front/rear weight distribution.

Weight-saving measures include carbon-fibre front seats (saving 26kg), 5kg-lighter 20-inch alloy wheels, a 6kg-lighter exhaust system, 18kg-lighter carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, 12kg less body sealing and the removal of the rear seats, saving 16kg.

The MC Stadale uses advanced electronics to slash gear-shift times from the upgraded MC Race Shift electro-actuated transaxle gearbox to just 60 milliseconds. It is also the first Maserati to have a dedicated Race mode to add to its upgraded Automatic and Sport modes in a simplified dash layout.

Maserati claims the mode produces more aerodynamic downforce without producing more aerodynamic drag.

Changes have been made to the front and rear bumpers, the front guards, the bonnet and the boot lid, aimed at boosting downforce and aiding engine and brake cooling.

The MC Stradale arrives as Maserati gears up to reveal a successor for its Quattroporte sedan and develops its first luxury SUV, based on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee platform from the Fiat group's US ally Chrysler.

Maserati is also working on a smaller sedan, codenamed M157, to take on premium versions of large German sedans.