Maserati MC20 Cielo, elegance and sport (for a journey en plein air)

On the one hand, the performance uncompromisingly Neptune enginea twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with technology derived from the Formula 1on the other the immersive experience through the retractable roof in electrochromed glasswhich gives passengers an unprecedented novelty sky-feeling. The curtain rises on Maserati MC20 Cielouncovered version of the super sports car of the Trident. Even if, when observed closely, speak simply of cabrio variant seems reductive.

The clean lines of MC20, in fact, in the new spyder they open and become one with the clouds and the stars. Thanks to the hi-tech roof, which provides various levels of contact with the outside: they are enough 12 seconds to discover and enjoy the wind in your hair. But you can also travel covered and take advantage PDLC technology (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) that modifies via a touch command the transparency of the glasscoming to completely opacify it.

A touch is enough, therefore, egr awaken the senses and dive into some kind of holistic dimension: a travel idea en plein air also told by the launch color, Aquamarineavailable within the customization program Maserati Fuoriserie. The tri-layer paint has a gray base of racing inspiration, an iridescent aquamarine mica, a fresh and luminous shade that interacts with light and reveals itself in an iridescent way.

And nothing is taken away from performance of the coupe: just like its twin, MC20 Cielo is too essentiality in its pure state e aerodynamics refined, studied in the wind tunnel. Everything is functional, starting from butterfly doors that open like two wings and facilitate entry / exit from the car. Under the hood, of course, there is the patented Maserati heartcapable of unleashing 630 horsepower in 3000 cc (it exceeds 320 km / h and sprints from 0 to 100 in 3 “).

Among the differences compared to the classic MC20, they stand out the back extensively redesigned (which in any case does not affect the size), the queue behind the doorsthe descending crystal that becomes when the car is uncovered an adjustable wind-stop (and protects the passenger compartment from air vortexes), the design of the engine cover (with the fins that rise and shape the profile) e the reinforced shell (not having a roof, it requires more torsional stiffness).

But where is the Trident spider born? Nello historic factory in Viale Ciro Menotti, in Modena, recently modernized with new ones production facilitiesengine assembly areas and the new department of painting specific for the new Maserati MC20. We went to see for ourselves how the car comes to life, with the first stop In the warehouse: the password is just in time, that is, they arrive only the pieces you need (from over 166 suppliers, 80% Italian).

In the first shed there are 22 assembly stations, with the car moving from one to the other through a AGVthat is a Automated Guided Vehiclea kind of mobile support which allows you to move goods in factories. The assembly it is done completely by handThere are just 3 semi-automatic robots anthropomorphic: two are used for the painting of the body and one for spreading with extreme precision the glue on the windscreen and rear window.

The car is then brought in the testing areawhere it alternates between the various benches (roller, vibrating, for convergence …), with final water test in which it is enveloped by jets of water that occur watertight insulation of the passenger compartment. Then, carefully wrapped, it moves on to road test (runs on the provincial roads of Modena, not on the track). Finally comes in paintinga process that for the first time is carried out in the factory in Viale Ciro Menotti.

In short, in the Maserati house for over 85 years you breathe the heritage of the Trident but at the same time a strong push towards future and innovation: a magical place, where the digitization intertwines and merges with craftsmanship.

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