For Klaus Busse, Maserati’s Head of Design, MCXtrema Continuing Brand’s Racing Lineage

Maserati unveiled the MCXtrema, formerly known as Project 24, during the The Quail event during Monterey Car Week. At its core, the MCXtrema is a modified MC20 built exclusively for track use, with only 62 units planned for production made by the engineering team and the Centro Stile.

In speaking with Klaus Busse, Maserati’s Head of Design, we learned just how much the MCXtrema means for the brand’s legacy and future.

“When you’re on the track, the gloves are off. We can really go and focus only on the technical details. We don’t do things for decorative purposes. And that basically puts this as the very extreme expression of what Maserati is. And to come full circle, it takes us back to where we were 109 years ago. This is carrying the legacy of the Alfieri brothers. This is not [just] a car for 2023. This will continue this iconic story.” – Klaus Busse

The Maserati MCXtrema track-only supercar’s bodywork features a Maserati Centro Stile design and has a power-to-weight ratio of approximately 1.8kg/CV and a total dry weight of about 1,300kg. It features a lightweight full-composite bodywork, an adjustable rear wing, a fully closed carbon-fiber underfloor, an integrated safety roof hatch, and polycarbonate windshield and side windows.

The cockpit is stripped for a racing-focused aesthetic. It features a fixed racing bucket seat with four-point mounting, adjustable racing pedal box, adjustable steering column, six-point racing safety harness, air conditioning system, FIA-spec fire extinguisher system, and a Carbon-fiber ergonomic grip multifunction steering wheel with an integrated 5.0-inch display. Customizability is on offer, with the steering wheel, pedal box, and control positions personalized for each customer. The command center and steering wheel controls allow access to steering and traction control calibration, lap times, pit speed limiters, and communications systems. A fixed single-seat layout is standard, but a passenger seat is an option.

In order to blaze through the tracks, the Maserati MCXtrema runs on a boosted Nettuno 3.0-L V6 engine with new turbochargers that deliver 730 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque, channeled through a 6-speed sequential transaxle racing gearbox. It has a central carbon-fiber monocoque, double-wishbone suspension geometry and kinematics, fully adjustable racing dampers, springs and antiroll bar, and carbon-fiber racing brakes.

Though no pricing has been released, all 62 Maserati MCXtrema units have been spoken for. Production of the MCXtrema starts in the second half of 2024, with deliveries starting that autumn. For more information, please visit the official Maserati website.