2007-09-16T02:42:00.001-07:00

Maserati MC 12

A car or automobile is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for between one and six people, typically have four wheels and be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. This definition includes cars and smaller SUVs - but not motorcycles, buses, trucks or vans. The term automobile is derived from Greek auto- ("self") and Latin 'mobilis' ("movable"), referring to the fact that it "moves by itself".

The Maserati MC12 is a grand tourer produced by Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced (five of which were not for sale). A further 25 were produced in 2005 making a total of 50 cars available for customers, each of which were pre-sold for €600 000 Maserati designed and built the car on the chassis of the Enzo Ferrari but the final car is much larger. The MC12 is longer, wider and taller than the Enzo Ferrari, which has faster acceleration and a higher top speed. The top speed of the Maserati MC12 is 330 kilometres per hour (205 mph) whereas the top speed of the Enzo Ferrari is 350 kilometres per hour (217,5 mph). The MC12 was developed to signal Maserati's return to racing after 37 years. The road version was produced to homologate the race version. One requirement for participation in the FIA GT is the production of at least 25 road cars Three GT1 race cars were entered into the FIA GT with great success. Maserati began racing the MC12 in the FIA GT toward the end of the 2004 season, winning the Zhuhai International Circuit. The racing 12s were entered into the American Le Mans Series races in 2005 but exceeded the size restrictions and consequently paid weight penalties.

VEHICLE DATA

Manufacturer	Maserati
Parent company	Fiat Group
Also called	MC12 Versione Competizione^[1]^[2] Maserati MC12 Stradale^[1] Maserati MCC (development codename)^[2]^[3]
Production	2004–2005 (50 produced)
Class	Grand tourer/supercar
Body style(s)	Coupe
Engine(s)	6 L V12 465 kW (630 bhp)^[4]
Transmission(s)	Maserati Cambiocorsa Semi-automatic transmission^[5]
Wheelbase	2800 mm (110.2 in^[6]
Length	5143 mm (202.5 in)^[6]
Width	2100 mm (82.5 in)^[6]
Height	1205 mm (47.4 in)^[6]
Curb weight	1335 kg (2943 lb)^[4]
Fuel capacity	115 L (30 U.S. gal)^[1] (25 Imp. gallons)
Related	Enzo Ferrari Ferrari FXX
Designer	Frank Stephenson

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