The new Maserati MC20 Cielo made its North American debut today with an unveiling ceremony during The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, a prestigious automotive event in California. The Quail, part of the influential “Car Week” in the town of Monterey, was the perfect backdrop to share the open-topped version of Maserati’s newest super sports car with North American audiences.
Global Chief Executive Officer, Davide Grasso, was in attendance for the ceremony alongside Maserati Americas CEO, Bill Peffer, and Head of Maserati Design, Klaus Busse. Crowds of excited VIP guests and members of the media enjoyed the unveiling during a press conference which also showcased the new Maserati Grecale Trofeo SUV, and the Maserati MC20 Coupe. Thousands of guests were able to experience the MC20 Cielo during this year’s annual summer gathering, which has become a pivotal part of United States car culture.
Cielo — which means “sky” in Italian — is the spyder version of the new MC20 super sports car and offers a perfect mix of sportiness and luxury. Unique to the convertible segment, the Cielo features an innovative retractable glass roof with a state-of-the-art electrochromic (smart glass) window that can instantly be transformed from clear to opaque at the touch of a button on a central screen. The roof uses Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) technology to provide a multi-faceted driving experience: it can be all-encompassing with the roof closed and opaque, offer a unique “sky feeling” when the roof is transparent, and allow for a holistic experience with the top down.
The MC20 itself represents a renaissance for the Trident brand as Maserati’s first super sports car in more than a decade. The soul of the MC20 is the revolutionary new Nettuno engine, a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 delivering 630 horsepower (621 U.S. hp) at 7,500 rpm and producing 538 lb-ft of torque from 3,000 rpm. It also marks Maserati’s return to producing its own engines and, notably, is the first engine destined for the road to use an innovative pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin spark plugs, a technology derived from Formula 1 racing.
The MC20 Cielo was developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab and is produced at the historic plant on Viale Ciro Menotti in Modena, making it 100% Made in Italy.