2023 Maserati MC20 Cielo

Performance and comfort: the dual souls of Maserati, harking back to the brand's racing roots and its iconic GranTurismo spirit. These features are now taken to a new level in terms of performance and driving pleasure in the great outdoors: Maserati presents the MC20 Cielo spyder. Equipped with the revolutionary V6 Nettuno engine that made its debut in the 2020 MC20, MC20 Cielo offers a perfect mix of sportiness and luxury, courtesy of a specification unique to the segment: the innovative retractable glass roof. A "first of its kind" and best-in-class in terms of thermal insulation, of opening and closing speed (just 12 seconds), and of how it epitomises the best in technology. To do so, the new model is equipped with a state-of-the-art electrochromic (smart glass) window that can instantly be transformed from clear to opaque at the touch of a button on the central screen, courtesy of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology. As such, Maserati MC20 Cielo provides a multi-faceted driving experience: all-encompassing with the roof closed and opaque; a unique "sky feeling" when the roof is transparent; holistic with the top down. When a coupé is transformed into a convertible, the increase in weight is usually a major challenge. Innovative by nature, Maserati has managed to limit this and maintain the innate sporty DNA of the MC20. MC20 Cielo weighs just 65 kg more than the coupé, made possible by meticulous, precise work during the stages of the car's design. By limiting the increase in weight to around 60 kg, Maserati maintains the dynamic performance and driving pleasure of the coupé version in the MC20 Cielo.

The innovative electrically retractable glass roof

Maserati MC20 Cielo is "First of its Kind", bold in every respect and designed for perfection, all the way to the minutest detail. The component that makes it stand out from every other spyder is the electrically retractable glass roof, the epitome of technology. The clear glass roof, the largest in the segment, is 909 mm long, 615 mm wide and has a surface area of more than half a square metre (5,268 cm2). MC20 Cielo is the only model in its class with a fully retractable glass roof as standard, with no impact on the car's storage space. To operate it, all you need to do is tap a button on the central touchscreen: in just 12 seconds, the roof opens or closes, transforming this super sports car. Another tap on another touch button and the glass changes from clear to opaque or vice versa. Advanced Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology makes it possible for the change of transparency to take place in an instant; it works at virtually all temperatures, from -30°C to +85°C. Made by Maserati in partnership with Webasto, the device also guarantees perfect heat sealing and reduced in-car noise, setting the benchmark in a segment where retractable roofs are often made of canvas or sheet metal. As usual for Maserati, innovation is accompanied by unique and immediately recognisable styling cues. Therefore, just as the MC20 coupé proudly sports a stylised Trident - acting as a cooling air intake for the Nettuno engine - on the polycarbonate engine compartment cover, the brand's icon can likewise make an appearance, in the optional extra of an all-new Trident decal.

Exterior

For MC20 Cielo, Maserati has created a new colour: known as Acquamarina, it is available as part of the Maserati Fuoriserie customisation programme. The concept that led the brand to select this special three-layer paint consisted of taking such a high-performance car in a more contemporary direction: holistic, high-tech and uniform in colour, all at once. Maserati searched for a colour that would recall driving in the great outdoors, with the wind in your hair. A fresh, luminous and light shade. An iridescent colour, in its interaction with light, revealing itself in a surprising way. The base is a pastel grey inspired by racing, reminiscent of the MC20's sporty DNA, accompanied by an iridescent aquamarine mica that enlivens the colour and makes it stand out. MC20 Cielo is fitted out in a colour that not only speaks of performance, but also serves as a nod to its racing origin by bringing together the brand's dual souls: elegance and racing. Other than the launch hue, MC20 Cielo revisits the colour palette created for the coupé, plus Grigio Incognito (a pastel grey). The range therefore encompasses five other colours: Bianco Audace, Giallo Genio, Rosso Vincente, Blu Infinito, and Grigio Mistero.

The Nettuno engine

The engine is the same revolutionary Nettuno that debuted in the coupé version. Nettuno is the result of a genuine technological revolution, protected by international patents. A strategic operation for Maserati, a brand now preparing to launch a project "100% Made in Modena" for the MC20 and MC20 Cielo family of super sports cars, starting straight from its engine, the heart of the new car. Nettuno has a V 90° architecture, with a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder twin-turbo, and features a dry sump (a classic solution on super sports cars). It can deliver 630 hp at 7,500 rpm and 730 Nm of torque from 3,000 rpm. The power-to-weight ratio is 210 hp/litre. The compression ratio is 11:1, the stroke is 82 mm, with a bore of 88 mm. The soul of the engine is the innovative pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin spark plugs. This technology is derived from Formula 1 and is now available for the first time on an engine destined for the road.