There are no immediate plans to do so but it’s a possibility now
by Kirby Garlitos, onSome people may not remember it, but 12 years ago, Maserati released the MC12, a low-volume supercar that traced its roots to the Ferrari Enzo. It quickly sold out and just like that, Maserati’s venture into the world of limited edition exotics ended. Fast forward to 2016, and it looks like Ferrari’s former sister company could once again look in that direction.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chief Technology Officer and former Maserati boss, Harald Wester, said as much in a conversation with Autocar, confirming that a limited edition supercar in the vein of the MC12 could be built at some point in the future. The only caveat is to not expect it anytime soon. For now, the Italian automaker has more pressing matters to deal with, including minor updates for both the Ghibli and the Quattroporte later this year. Its production facility in Modena is also busy building the 4C for Alfa Romeo, another one of its siblings under the Fiat Chrysler umbrella.
Beyond that, there are also plans to replace the aging GranTurismo, which is on its last legs after first being introduced in 2007. Wester didn’t dive into the details of the planned successor, opting only to say that the automaker will adopt an entirely new formula that will take advantage of the “accelerating technology” the company has its disposal. The new GranTurismo, or whatever other name it ends up having, will likely remain as the face of Maserati’s entire lineup, at least until Maserati reveals its cards on its new low-volume supercar and the timetable it has before it hits the market.
On that note, we’ll all just have to wait and see.
Continue after the jump to read the full story.
Why it matters
This is interesting news for a number of reasons. First, I couldn’t help but notice that Harald Wester was still speaking for Maserati when in May 2016, Reid Bigland replaced him as the CEO of both Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Maybe the interview took place before the switch or maybe as FCA’s Chief Technology Officer, Wester still knows what goes on around the Italian brand.
Another interesting part about this item is that it took this long for Maserati to consider building a model that follows the lineage of the MC12. It’s already been 12 years since the MC12 was introduced and there’s a chance that the gap between the two limited edition models could stretch to at least 15 years if Maserati doesn’t develop the model sooner than later. That’s a generation’s worth of car enthusiasts who may not even be familiar with the MC12 considering how long it’s been and how few units (50 production units total) Maserati built in the first place. For the record, I’ve only seen the MC12 once in person. That was back in Hong Kong. I’ve never seen once since. That speaks to the status of the MC12 as one of the most unique supercars to come out of Italy.
Personally speaking, I love the fact that Maserati is considering another limited edition exotic, but I don’t know if it would be wise in the company’s part to establish some kind of association between the MC12 and the next limited edition supercar it plans to develop. Let the MC12 have its legacy and create a new one for this new car. That would present the new model the opportunity to shine on its own and not have to rely on the shadow the MC12 will inevitably cast over it.
Let’s see how Maserati plans to tackle this moving forward, but for now, let Wester’s comments sink in. Maserati is considering plans to build a new low-volume. That in itself is reason to get excited over the possibilities this revelation presents.
Maserati MC12
Read our full review here.
Source: Autocar
