Maserati has a lengthy racing heritage dating to the company’s founding in 1914. This was illustrated in grand fashion last year, when the Maserati GT2 race car finished on the podium in all but three of 14 races in the GT2 European Series, winning 12 of those races and taking the AM championship and finishing second in the Pro Am class. And the GT2 accomplished this feat in only its first full season of competition.
This year a fortunate few will get a taste of that racing heritage with the limited-edition 2025 Maserati GT2 Stradale; a racetrack-oriented version of the rear-engined MC20 supercar. The GT2 Stradale is a sleek, lightweight tool for the track that slots between the MC20 and the full-blown GT2 race car, though it’s closer to the latter in specs and it’s street legal. Admission to this racetrack special is pricey, however, starting at $479,500.
What is the Maserati GT2 Stradale?
Maserati’s press release states that the GT2 Stradale is not a track-oriented version of the MC20 street car, but rather a “road-legal version of the GT2” race car. It also labels it “the sibling of the GT2 racing car” and not of the MC20. Its more aggressive styling supports this, with a big front spoiler and large mouthy grille, downforce-enhancing louvres in the hood and front fenders, and a large, adjustable wing out back. The added aero parts produce 500 kg of downforce at 280 km/h. That’s 130 kg at the front and a whopping 370 kg out back.
While the MC20’s smoother, elegant lines give it a classic, flowing silhouette, the GT2 Stradale looks like it’s going full tilt even at a standstill. I don’t think I’ve ever used this word to describe a vehicle before, but the GT2 Stradale is gorgeous. And the pallet of available colours are deep and rich, and only make it more desirable.
What powers the Maserati GT2 Stradale?
- 3.0-litre Nettuno twin-turbo V6 making 631 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque
- It’s the same engine as the race car, but bolted to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox
The GT2 Stradale is powered by Maserati’s F1-derived 3.0-litre Nettuno twin-turbo V6 that claims 631 horsepower (10 hp more than the MC20), and 531 lb-ft of torque, the latter peaking between 3,000 and 5,500 rpm. It’s the exact same engine as the race car, though it’s bolted to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox as opposed to the race car’s race-spec sequential six-speed. The Stradale comes standard with a mechanical locking differential, though it can also be equipped with an optional adjustable electronic limited-slip diff.
An uber-rigid and lightweight carbon-fibre chassis is the same as on the race car, and it contributes to the Stradale’s 1,365 kg weight, which is 60 kg less than the MC20. Dropping almost one third of that weight is the new 20-inch wheels, which are 19 kg lighter than the wheels on the MC20 (that’s un-sprung weight, which benefits track handling) and like on the race car, they’re mounted by a single nut.
Electronically adjustable suspension is derived from the GT2 race car, and it includes several of the racing components and is set up with the same geometry as the race car. The front can be raised by 35 mm via a button on the steering wheel for a more comfortable road ride and for a bit more ground clearance.
What’s it like to sit inside the GT2 Stradale?
Because normal doors are boring, the GT2 has butterfly doors that pivot up and out, making ingress and egress (relatively) easy. You’re reminded you’re in a racetrack special as soon as you spoon yourself into the driver’s seat — it’s still a long way down into the bucket seat, and it grips you like a giant hand. Straps are mounted inside the doors so you can pull them shut once seated.
And when it comes to those seats; they are the raciest I’ve yet to see in a street car, made with very deep one-piece carbon-fibre shells. Because the seats are so deep and rigid, they can be tailored for a proper fit by selecting from two sizes of cushions. The seats are ready to accept optional four-point-harnesses for driver and passenger, however North American cars will not get this option because, well, regulations.
Maserati must have caused the Alcantara factory in Italy to shift into overdrive, because I’ve never seen so much of the velvety material applied to an interior before; it’s everywhere. Its abundant use has a specific function, however: it reduces reflections for a better view of the track when lapping. The steering wheel is masterfully constructed from carbon fibre and Alcantara, and has a flat top and bottom with an easy-to-see array of LED shift lights at the top. There’s no plush carpeting beneath your feet; instead the bare carbon fibre floor is imbedded with anti-slip rubber strips so your feet don’t slide around.
Maserati’s Performance Packs and drive modes
Drive modes include Wet, GT, Sport, and a Stradale-only Corsa drive mode, which is said to provide a “360-degree professional driver experience,” or in other words: it’s the racetrack mode. You can add further fine tuning of the Corsa mode with the optional Corsa Evo mode, which has four levels of intervention, with the most aggressive level turning off traction and stability controls, backing off ABS, and setting the e-diff to its most aggressive setting. Corsa Evo mode is part of the Performance Pack ($18,300), which also adds semi-slick Michelin Cup2R tires in place of the standard Bridgestone Potenza Sports, larger, thicker carbon-ceramic rotors, the e-diff, and specific tuning of the ABS and stability control systems.
Taking the Maserati GT2 Stradale on the road
The engine and gearbox are smooth and not excessively loud on the road, and while the suspension is tuned about 10% stiffer than the MC20, it nonetheless behaves better than expected considering it was designed primarily to help the car post quick lap times.
Despite being stripped of some of the interior luxuries of the MC20, the GT2 drives remarkably well on the road, with none of the harshness or other bad habits that a car with a sharp racetrack focus exhibits. Well, except for the copious amount of road noise that makes it into the cockpit. And while the turbocharged V6 lacks the delightful aural symphony of a V8 or V12, I do appreciate that Maserati has not programmed in any fake burbling and popping.
Taking the Maserati GT2 Stradale to the track
The track time, which took place at Ascari Race Resort in Spain, was limited, but we were also accompanied by instructors, which was a first for me during a racetrack press event. I’m familiar with the racetrack having driven on it a few times before, however the instructors weren’t familiar with me or the level of my driving skill, and unfortunately didn’t allow me to explore the full, unrestricted potential of the GT2 Stradale, so I cannot give you a thorough track assessment.
At a moderately quick pace, however, I did learn a few things. For instance, because I was always running a gear taller than I would normally, I did find out that the 3.0L Twin Turbo has a fat midrange, allowing it to drive hard out of corners without spinning the engine hard. And it can be fast, blasting from zero to 100 km/h in a blistering 2.8 seconds, which Maserati rightfully claims is the absolute quickest acceleration time of any car driving only the rear wheels.
The rigidity of the carbon-fibre chassis combined with the optional high-grip Michelins to generate enough G-forces through a tight S bend to make it feel like the GT2 had bounced off a wall when changing direction. I also preferred the heavier, more communicative feel of the steering in Corsa mode than the lighter feel in the other modes. And also in Corsa, the gear changes were hyper quick, so much so they felt almost violent.
And finally, the brakes are eye-bulgingly powerful — as they should be considering their composition and size — though, again, here I wasn’t allowed to use them anywhere near their full potential. All that is to says that, while I didn’t set any personal track records at the wheel, Maserati says the modifications to the GT2 Stradale result in a huge five-second improvement in lap times compared with the MC20 at the company’s 5.4-km-long Balocco proving ground track.
Maserati wants to offer drivers a supercar racetrack experience, but without the drawbacks of a purpose-built race car. On the road, the GT2 Stradale proved to be surprisingly civilized for a racetrack special spun off from race car. The only things missing for the full racing effect are the interior rattles and the whine of straight cut gears of a competition gearbox, which I’m sure won’t be missed on the road. And if you do take it to the track, you can carry your helmet, Nomex racing suit, boots and gloves with you; this race car for the street has a trunk with 113 litres of storage space.
Only 914 units will be produced, each one with a badge embedded in the centre console curiously declaring it as “1 of 914” referencing the year Maserati was founded. About 40 of those will come to Canada starting in August.
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