The Drive Report: Maserati MCPura

The MCPura, just like its near-identical predecessor, leans heavily on its outrageous good looks.

On a tepid October morning, fall season appears to officially be in session, its arrival heralded with the roar of a twin-turbo V6. Glistening under the Tuscan sun is Maserati’s updated halo car – the Maserati Corse Pura, aka the MCPura. Its sculptural, finely-boned bodywork, with not a single proportion out of place has managed to draw considerable attention. In its home country of Italy, with Modena, Maranello and Bologna in close proximity, that’s no small feat. Especially considering that the MCPura isn’t really an all-new car. It’s a born-again MC20, a car so named because that was the year it was launched. And since the year 2020 came with, shall we say, an unprecedented bout of turbulence, Maserati had been itching to undo the nomenclatural faux pas of what has clearly been its greatest offering, and the percolation of its loftiest engineering aspirations in its post-Ferrari era.
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The MCPura, just like its near-identical predecessor, leans heavily on its outrageous good looks. Now featuring a sharper, more protrusive nose that includes a revamped front bumper and rear diffuser, the overall design has been optimised for greater airflow. It’s also got a new colour palette including a new AI Aqua Rainbow colour, and a new set of alloys to really help tell it apart from its predecessor. If there’s one way to describe the MCPura – it’s sublimely pretty. Not since the Ferrari 458 has a mid-engined supercar looked possessed such delicate beauty. There’s an elegance to the MCPura that’s missing from today’s overly busy, sharp-edged supercar design. It’s a force that’s out to restore balance in the supercar universe.

Make no mistake, the MCPura, as its name suggests, continues to remain a purist’s sports car. It’s mid-engined for optimal weight distribution, powered by a dry-sump twin-turbo Nettuno V6, that’s entirely home-grown, F1-derived and is the crowning jewel of Maserati’s modern-day portfolio, powering everything from the new Gran Turismo GT to the Grecale SUV.
The 3.0-litre Nettuno V6 remains untouched, continuing to put out 621hp of peak power. In fact, apart from a few changes to the vehicle’s underbody, again, to enhance airflow, there aren’t any major structural changes to speak of. The carbon tub from the MC20 has been carried over to the MCPura, as has the twin-combustion system borrowed from Formula One race cars. Paired with an 8-speed dual clutch transmission, the MCPura remains real-wheel driven and although practical enough in terms of its dimensions, is best experienced on a closed circuit. Swing-up butterfly doors continue to be the only mark of theatricality in this otherwise precise, clinical and driver-focussed design.

The previous version featured a fairly minimalistic interior and the MCPura is no different. It gets a variety of carbon fibre options, but other than a physical drive control selector, most other critical functions are carried out via a small touchscreen. The interior tub is bathed in a specially-sourced alcantara. In the Cielo, that’s the convertible, the roof can be retracted in 12 seconds via a touch-enabled function – no physical buttons, which is always lamentable.
Performance
Of late, Maserati has been insisting that the MCPura is a grand tourer. I’m here to tell you that it most certainly isn’t. To say a mid-engined supercar dubbed “Pure” or “Pura” in this case, is a grand tourer is an inherent contradiction. The MCPura, even in GT setting, is a track-bred performance machine that’s been gentrified but only a tad bit. On the mountain roads of Tuscany, it leaps forward like an amphetamine-enhanced pitbull. Even in GT setting, a solid dab of the throttle is enough to get the rear wheels to spin. Its carbon ceramic discs need to heat-up properly before they can stop squealing.

Once again, overall body balance and sharp steering response remain the car’s USP. Moneycontrol tested the MC20 at Sepang, all the way back in 2021, and not much has changed since. No gimmicky rear-wheel steering required – this car responds in an almost telepathic manner. What’s also incredible is the response of the twin-clutch 8-speed automatic gearbox. Never missing a beat, no hint of transmission lag. In fact, the Nettuno V6, while taking-in audibly sharp gasps of inducted air, acts almost like a naturally-aspirated engine, with sharp, crisp and instantaneous throttle response.
The suspension, even in the most road-friendly setting, is unforgivingly stiff. Not unbearable mind you, but it does require caution. The MCPura doesn’t suffer fools either, it’ll hug the tarmac and take corners with total adhesion, but poorly-judged dabs of throttle will cause it to fishtail.

Verdict

There’s a certain quality to the Maserati MCPura that only rebellious outliers possess. It dares to operate in the territory of faster cars from Lamborghini and Porsche, marching to the beat of its own drum. At Rs 4.12 crore for the coupe and Rs 5.12 crore for the Cielo convertible it’s certainly priced like the top-shelf supercar that it is. It doesn’t attempt to be faster, it doesn’t believe in chasing ridiculous power figures. Instead, it marks a return to sensibility, one that’s defined by a focus on near-perfect driving dynamics, a balanced rider tasteful restraint and technically brilliant design. In a sea of sugary pop tarts, this is a crème brulee. A clear outlier, it packs a certain novelty value, that India’s rapidly growing supercar market will hopefully, come to appreciate.