Maserati GT2 Stradale is a muscle performer that can use more visceral impacts

The Maserati GT2 Stradale has a weird flag. Its rear wing (with the “Maserati” script) is big enough to get the Wright brothers to surface and announce the car’s title champion racer from the GT2 European Series. Slap the butterfly’s door and comfortably enter the cocoon of the Zabul racing seat, leaving your eyes on the exposed carbon-fiber bathtub: there is no carpet here to absorb sound or footrests. This Maserati is designed to blur the lines between track and field and streets, as well as the scenery.

Marque’s MC20, that’s Rob Report The editorial team’s 2023 Car of the Year (although ranked third in the annual competition) provides a blank canvas for this new Modenese machine. The MC20 is considered by some as a six-cylinder weaker in the supercar category, and its small amount is unsafe, and the gentleman’s touch is a long-term relationship between the Trident brand and the big tourists.

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However, the redesigned GT2 Stradale raised its gaze to seek the inducement with an exclusive club known as the “supercar”. Think of Ferrari’s 458 Speciale or 812 competition models, Lamborghini’s Lurid Huracán Sto, McLaren’s 750s or Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS. But while this Maserati can certainly fly, it doesn’t quite move to those inner heights.

The GT2 Stradale recently provided me with a wide hip in Andalusia, Spain, starting from the coast of Marbella, which includes a 3.4 miles of spinning and the corner of the 26 Circuito Ascari racing track. Even in a camp where the value of aviation armor is enhanced, Maserati’s curved styling illuminates designer Klaus Busse, who tells us that cars “have the right elements to be aggressive without crossing the line.”

These elements are functional business in the form of dark slats, ventilation holes and protrusions. The huge rear wing is fixed to an aluminum tower, glues the Maserati to the sidewalk, up to 583 pounds of downforce and is manually adjusted via three attack angles. Then there is a wide oval “shark mouth” that is fronted by the trident badge, which acknowledges more air and guides it through the hood ventilation holes to generate nearly 300 pounds of forward downforce. The holes in the front fenders drain the brake heat and reduce wheel pressure. The carbon fiber “TV” above the rear fender is amplified and sucks the air to feed the engine and radiator installed in the middle, increasing the flow of cold air by 16%. The longer rear diffuser also helps keep the Maser straight at extremely high speeds.

Compared to the MC20, the GT2 Stradale shed is 132 pounds and has a dry weight of 3,023 pounds (very optimistic). Those dramatic double-shell carbon seats save 22 pounds and offer fewer sports seats. Center lock, 20-inch forged wheels and carbon ceramic brakes help to throw away more weight. LED shift lights track the upper edge of the steering wheel thickened. (More, Maserati). Apart from the lack of carpet, there are very few interiors inside and have thinner Alcantara packaging.

Ensconced in those wraparound seats, I ease the Maserati towards Ronda, its “1 of 914” console plaque an assurance of exclusivity, and an apparent nod to the company’s creation in 1914. The GT2 Stradale generates 631 hp from the twin-turbo Nettuno V-6, up nominally from 621 hp in the MC20 and open-air MC20 Cielo. This is an attractive output for a 3.0-liter engine, which is actually caused by Nettuno’s phone card: the pre-point disk chamber on each cylinder, triggering the charge of the initial fuel and air, which inject it into small cylinders, such as Little FlameThrowers, for a more efficient and thorough combustion. This hot sixtte generates power to the rear wheels through the same eight-speed dual-clutch Tremec automatic transmission found in the C8 Corvette.

Maserati quotes 2.8 seconds from zero to 60 mph, with a top speed of 201 mph. It’s time to try it out: On the winding hill route, I squeezed the throttle straight along a straight and cranked through dozens of curves, enough to appreciate the luxurious grip of the tranquil chassis and optional Michelin Pilot Sports Cup 2 tires. But within 20 minutes, there were already some contradictions: Maserati felt very fast, but the cerebral veins were very fast.

The steering is agile and well-weighted, although a little shy about road feedback. Although the ride quality of this car is still pleasing compared to the MC20, the car still offers a pleasing ride quality even in sport-drive mode. For the reputation of Maserati, other performance parameters can be adjusted through three firm settings. The transmission proved to be less flexible: Set to the highest CORSA mode, the changes in its kidney elastic gear were so incredible that I immediately dialed the thing back to “sport”.

Those sweet sticky Mining Cup 2 are part of the optional $13,750 performance pack. The package raises carbon ceramic brakes on all four wheels, adds an electronic limited-slip differential, and offers four sub-options in CORSA mode for steady ease of stability and traction supervision.

Supervision became a problem for Ascari, an unusually lush and scenic tour where I learned more about the racing soul of the GT2 Stradale. Maserati said the GT2 cuts lap time from the MC20 by five seconds, on the Balocco test track in Stellantis, Italy. Our shotgun coach instructor got us into a brief traction in Spain, but I managed to squeeze enough into the legs to understand the strength and personality of Maserati.

Even at the speed of Maserati’s huge downforce, the sense of balance is one of the clearest gains. The driver can lean hard against the front tire during the corner exit, while the rear end works along the front end with a hint of unnecessary surprise. This confidence helps the GT2 Stradale bend to the faster corners of Ascari for elegant, approachable ease.

I’ve never taken care of the brake feel of the MC20, and although the GT2 increases stop power, it hasn’t changed: the pedal itself may be more sensitive to smaller pressure changes before severe deceleration begins.

With its petite displacement and no hybrid assist, the Twin-Turbo Nettuno offers the best punching for the mid-to-Upper Rev range, including a spacious 531-foot-pound of torque from 3,000 to 5,500 rpm. Peak output reaches 7,500 rpm. But kind of like McLaren’s first V-8 in its early 12C road car (uninspired Blatt recalls the ocean engine), the Nettuno was never a particularly tuned motor. In the convertible MC20 Cielo adds auditory transfer to the WORHOSHISH TURBO accompaniment, the closed, largely uninsulated GT2 will amplify the Nettuno’s most single spread frequency. This is not the soundtrack I prefer in supercars, especially from the Beethoven-like Ma of the GT3 engine in the Porsche 718 Spyder RS.

Back in Marbella, I had time to think about the supercar universe, and this $313,995 Maserati (about the high fee for the standard MC20) is suitable for the company’s durability. In the Ferrari 296 GTB, for example, I’m always amazed at how its F1-derived system provides such a comprehensive performance, but in a holistic, transparent way. In the McLaren 750s, I felt like I was being transported. Star Trek– Style, enter adjacent galaxies.

That’s it. From the moment you jump on to the moment you reappear, the supercars in this elevated category should feel transformative and almost convincing. The GT2 Stradale’s racy looked at the pat, and there were some movements, but it never made my hands tremble or my head tremble. For this, there are still too many gentlemen.

Click here to see more photos of Maserati GT2 Stradale.

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