Maserati MC20 2022 UK

 Yes, in one of those occasional reboots, here’s a new car that heralds a new age for the storied Italian sports car manufacturer. Mind you, it’s quite something, this new dawn. Much more exciting than a BMW 5 Series-size saloon or an SUV. It’s a supercar. Coo.

It’s called the MC20 – M for Maserati, C for Corse (meaning ‘racing’, for those who don’t know any Italian) and 20 for, um, 2020. It’s a mid-engined two-seater with a carbonfibre tub, from which are hung aluminium subframes front and rear, holding double-wishbone suspension all around and with adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars.

In a cradle behind that passenger cell is a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine making the good side of 600bhp and driving the rear wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, like the one the Chevrolet Corvette C8 uses.

It makes 621bhp at 7500rpm and 538lb ft at 3000-5500rpm. It’s said to do 202mph, and 0-62mph in less than 2.9sec, and its ‘homologated weight’ is under 1500kg (which will be very good if it turns out to be that light on our scales).

And that, in a nutshell, is the mechanical specification, although the back story, which I had all but forgotten before I got into the car, apparently isn’t quite so short. More on that in a moment.