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Orange 2007 Maserati MC12 Versione Corsa is a 755-hp track tiger, and it's for sale

Maserati will enter a new era when it launches an all-new vehicle called the MC20 in May. As the name tips, the upcoming super sports car will be the spiritual successor to the MC12, one of the greatest Maseratis (and greatest cars) ever produced. So the timing couldn't have matched up any better when the ultimate form of the MC12 popped up for sale. Girardo & Co. is currently offering an orange-over-black MC12 Versione Corsa, one of only 12 ever built, and it is undeniably special. Girardo touts the MC12 Corsa as the most powerful Maserati ever built, not surprising considering the Ferrari Enzo-sourced MC12 was related to a race car. The MC12 was the road-going homologated version of the MC12 GT1, which dominated during its time in international GT racing. The GT1 had an air-restricted 6.0-liter V12 that made 580 bhp, while the MC12 made 630. But the Corsa was different. The Corsa, which is not street-legal and is intended for non-competitive track use only, is based on the GT1, but it didn't have to play by all of the rules and regulations required of a race car. That meant no air intake restrictions. With the shackles off, the Corsa's V12 increased its output to 755 horsepower at 8,000 rpm. Weighing in at 2,535 pounds without liquids, thanks in part to the carbon fiber and Nomex honeycomb sandwich monocoque, the Corsa is capable of a 202.5-mph top speed. Maserati claims zero to 124 mph in 6.4 seconds. Gear work is handled by a six-speed sequential semi-automatic Cambiocorsa gearbox, and stopping power comes from carbon ceramic brakes. Whereas Maserati built 50 examples of the MC12 road car, the Corsa model was significantly more limited. In total, 13 examples were built, and one was a prototype. This specific car, chassis No. ZAMDF44B000029631, is No. 8 of 12, and it has an interior plaque that says, "Commemorates the victory at its maiden long distance race the 24hrs of Spa. A first in racing history." Originally, the cars were offered to top-tier customers through invitation to purchase the vehicle for $1.1 million, by today's conversion rates.  Although the price is not listed, we expect today's purchase number to be significantly higher. In 2017, a different Corsa was listed for $2.75 million. Check out more details and photos on Girardo & Co. Related Video:    

Maserati GranCabrio revealed in high-output Trofeo trim

As has been the tradition with Maserati over the past couple of decades, now that the four-seat GT coupe has launched, it's time for the drop-top version. And this latest convertible adopts the same name as its predecessor: GranCabrio. It is, in almost every respect, the same car as the GranTurismo, but with a fabric roof and a bit more weight. Said roof is available in five colors: a navy blue, dark red, black, grey and "greige." It is indeed fabric in order to fold more compactly and allow for cargo space with the top folded, though it will still take up a bit of trunk space when retracted. It also folds quickly at just 14 seconds, and it will come back up in 16. Operation of the top can be done at speeds up to 31 mph. To keep occupants comfy in all temperatures with the top down, the front seats have air vents in the seat backs to blow air onto the neck. Optionally available is a fold-open wind blocker that fits behind the front seats, though it can't be used with rear occupants. The soft top does bring some extra weight, around 220 pounds compared to the equivalent coupe. Maserati didn't specify exactly what contributes to the gain – whether it's more just top components or if some of it comes from chassis reinforcements (both seem likely). Interestingly, the extra weight actually gives the GranCabrio slightly better balance than the GranCoupe. The drop-top's front and rear weight distribution is 51/49 to the coupe's 52/48. Maserati is only offering the GranCabrio in the top-spec Trofeo internal-combustion trim for now. That includes the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 making 542 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The weight does ever so slightly blunt acceleration, dropping it by 0.1 second to 3.6 compared to the GranTurismo Trofeo. The same staggered 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels and Brembo brakes carry over from the coupe, too. And while the Trofeo is the only version for now, Maserati notes that the chassis remains designed for internal combustion and electric power, so an all-electric Folgore and more entry-level Modena gas-powered models will likely be added later. Maserati did not give a specific time for when the GranCabrio will hit dealers, but it should be sometime this year. Pricing is also a mystery, but should carry a premium over the GranTurismo coupe. Related video:

2017 Maserati Levante First Drive

You can argue all you want about whether or not certain companies should build crossovers. That's what the comments section is for. We'd argue that Maserati should have done it a long time ago, having shown its first crossover concept back in 2011 and only delivering on it now. Porsche blazed that trail with the Cayenne and others have followed suit since, racking up big sales. It's a little odd, then, that after waiting so long to get in the game, the Levante came together in just 22 months. Blame nationalism. The original plan was for the Levante to be based on and built in Detroit alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee. That changed when Sergio Marchionne decided, in his dictatorial way, that all Maseratis and Alfa Romeos would be designed, engineered, and manufactured in Italy. So the team hit reset, borrowed the Ghibli platform, and went about creating a not-quite-a-crossover, taller-than-a-wagon hatchback with air suspension. Just shy of two years later, we're driving the Levante. In Italy, naturally. The dimensions and stance are what set the Levante apart from the abundance of luxury performance crossovers and emphasize its Italianness. It's longer, wider, and lower than a Porsche Cayenne or the Grand Cherokee it was nearly spawned from. The hood looks impossibly long in person because it is really long. The front end takes inspiration from the Alfieri concept, and there's a refreshing lack of mesh or filler between the grille's thin vertical slats. It can stand to be so open because there is a set of active grille shutters just behind to manage airflow. What would be usable cargo space on a blockier crossover is sacrificed by a rakish hatch, which looks pretty and we're told routes air in a particularly aerodynamic-friendly fashion. Instead of building the boxy version first, Maserati took the gamble and went straight to the fashionable coupe-ish shape. That foresight paid off, as it seems the coupe-like SUV trend is here to stay. For all the scrambling that must have gone on to produce this new model so quickly, it doesn't present like a rush job. Sure, most of the engineering was already done for the Ghibli and Quattroporte, but the Levante actually feels like a more complete effort than those cars. The attention to detail is most felt in the cabin, where the latest corporate infotainment system has been neatly integrated into familiar surroundings.