What Is It?

2005 Maserati MC12

What's Special About It?

Like so many of today's road-going super-sports cars, this all-new Maserati is nothing more than a thinly veiled race car with license plate holders. In the case of the MC12, Maserati was required to build at least 25 street-legal versions of the car in order to qualify for participation in the FIA's GT Championship race series. Based on Ferrari's world-beating Enzo flagship, the MC12 boasts the same 6.0-liter V12 engine as its Ferrari counterpart. Generating an astounding 630 horsepower, the all-aluminum power plant is able to push the car to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Maserati's Cambriocorsa six-speed is the standard transmission with no fully manual gearbox available.

As ready-for-Le Mans as it looks on the outside, the MC12 does offer a reasonably hospitable cabin on the inside. A mix of carbon fiber, leather and grippy suedelike material dresses the seats, dash and doors with a nicely finished look that's surprising given the car's competitive roots. There is no radio (as if there was a need for one), but standard climate controls, electric windows and an analog clock all come standard.

What's Edmunds Take?

Consider the MC12 platform-sharing taken to the extreme. With performance, looks and a price tag similar to its Ferrari cousin, the MC12 will go down as yet another example of exotic Italian machinery that you can't have. If anything, the MC12 is slightly better-looking than the hard-to-swallow lines of the awkward Enzo. — Ed Hellwig