Maserati MC20 vs Corvette Z07: Europe vs USA Track Showdown | 4K

The United States and Europe have a very special relationship, we tend to cooperate on most things, but when it comes to cars, we love a good fight. The problem is, when it comes to supercars, there really is no competition. Europeans do it better, don't shoot me. but it's true, but America is fighting back with this: the Chevy Corvette has upped its game considerably with a Ferrari-inspired mid-engine V8 monster that not only attempts to compete on a level playing field in many ways, but puts its European rivals . It's a shame that's easier said than done, isn't it, especially when Europe's elite is made up of things like this, the Maserati

mc20

?

This is the very definition of a supercar, the latest in a long line of Italian thoroughbreds and it has all the ingredients you want Passion for power The logic of poise says that if you are looking for a mid-engined exotic, then there is nothing better than this. Looks like we have a good old-fashioned InterContinental

showdown

. Today's goal is to see if the Corvette is possibly The only real mass-market supercar left in America can compete with one of the last ones from across the pond and before we begin we should take a closer look at the similarities, but also to some of the key differences between these two protagonists: the Maserati.

Introduced in 2020 with the C8 Z6 arriving a year later in 2021, the

mc20

was built in Modera Italy and is priced at $212,000 compared to the Kentucky-built ZO6 is $160,000, a price that includes the zo7 package Focused on the

track

, both cars use a high-speed 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends power to the rear wheels, although the power units in both cars are very different, the Maserati MC20 uses a slightly unconventional engine, some might Say it's a 3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 sitting right in the middle of the car, missing a couple of cylinders, but it's not as unusual as the engine found in the Corvette, it looks like Chevy engineers could having turned their attention to Europe when developing this because this is the first Corvette to feature an engine that's not in the Front, it's now right in the middle and doesn't it look amazing?

They finally built a proper supercar, but if we're really talking about what makes supercars super, then you've got to have some dumb doors and, in the case of the mc20, a set of dihedral doors mounted on a high-quality carbon tub. technology. I don't know which one is faster on a

track

, but if racing were decided by style, the mc20 would be licking this. I tell you that not only is the mc20 beautiful to look at, it also has something else on its side, it is full of heritage, the company was founded in 1914 in Mona, Italy and since then they have left a huge mark on the world of motorsports , they dominated the famous thar Florio.

They had a couple of big successes in Formula 1 with Juan Manuel Fangio winning the drivers' championships in a Maserati and they have had multiple successes in the Indie 500. It's not just a pretty face because Motorsport Heritage is integrated into the mc20 and marks the return of Maserati a Relevance in motorsport: a return to form that competes not only with mid-engined rivals on the road, but also participates in proper competition, including the GT2 racing series. What's really interesting is the engine that Maserati has brought back not with a V8 but with a V6. unexpected, but you could argue that Maserati was a little ahead of the curve because now we're looking at a bunch of other supercars, including the 296 GTB and the McLaren arura, although both are hybrids that use V6s and, to be fair, the V6 Maserati's engine is a little bit smarter than the regular Nuno engine, using F1-inspired pre-chamber combustion, essentially using two sets of spark plugs to generate more efficient combustion in a shorter period of time, allowing for a better ratio. higher compression ratio of 11:1 and greater engine power. density than any of its main rivals no other production V6 produces as much power forget the nerdy stuff what you want to know is is it fast and the answer absolutely not to 60 2.9 seconds flat out 2 202 mph it's a fast car, the The only small drawback is the sound.

I like the whine of the turbos, but let's be real. This is not the best sounding car in the world. Meanwhile, the Corvette sounds excellent. It has 670h of power or 679hp and this one is equipped with a track-focused zo7 package. meaning it has a number of additional features that reduce weight, add downforce and improve grip. It's about 60kg heavier than the Maserati, with the standard co6 managing the same 0-60 time, but with the use of extra-sticky 2R cup tires on the z0 7, this car does the Sprint N to 60 in just 2.6 yeah, there's no two ways about it, this is a fast car, it's got so much power, so much power, but you know, even though it has a couple extra cylinders, this thing actually offers similar power. weight to weight ratio like the mc20 434 horsepower per ton versus 420 per ton, but this soundtrack is much more impressive, it's really shocking.

Peak power comes in at 8,400 RPM, 1,100 more than a mc20 and just listen to that, it's incredibly fast. Americans say there is no replacement for displacement? Well, you can add noise to that list and also mention this gearbox. Super fast raising and lowering the box. In fact, Chevy says the best way to get lap time is to leave. Put it on automatic and let it do its thing, which is fair enough because it always seems to be in the right gear at the right time. One could argue that the Corvette's engine is not particularly American, as it is of the flat-crank variety that Europeans typically prefer.

One could also argue that Corvette could have taken inspiration for the engine directly from Ferrari, but Maserati also borrows some Ferrari flavor and shares many similarities with the Ferrari-derived V6 found in the alpha Julia GTA, whichever way you look at it. , although the engine offers this. The engine is simply addictive, oh yes, Maserati 1 Corvette. We talked about the design earlier with the mc20's doors making a great first impression, but it's only fair that we take a closer look at both cars to ask which is the prettier. There is no clear winner. but the Maserati is certainly beautiful, it is a car of two halves with the upper section finished in the body color being the more emotional side and one designed entirely by hand.

The lower section here finished in computer-designed carbon fiber is said to encapsulate the leading engineering side. of the car, but there's plenty of flash, the provocative, pouting front end, the deep sculpted skirts, the high-mounted air intakes and the sea of ​​references to the Maserati Trident badge, including the floating design at the front, the Trident on the wheels and even a trident on the lightweight Lexan engine cover, meanwhile, the Corvette seems to have been dreamed up in the mind of an OV-excited kid in a good way. I love how this looks, if you're not familiar with Corvettes there are basically three versions, there's the standard Stingray. the upgraded ZO6 and then there is the top ZO6 with the zo7 package that we have here today and this is the car that has a ton of upgrades to make it much faster on a race track including all kinds of Arrow, big old splitters forwards, large diving planes. front and is actually also wider than before by 30mm at the front and 40mm at the rear to accommodate much larger wheels and tires 27530 ZR 20 at the front and 34525 ZR 21 at the rear and in addition these wheels save carbon 18kg Unsprung Mass of the car, by the way this is a convertible and a coupe, the roof comes off if you want, it also has this unique air intake on the side and then things get really crazy at the rear, including a big old rear diffuser. quad exhaust pipes and a huge gun-shaped rear wing that together helped this car generate a massive 332kg of downforce at 186mph fast, which is prettier, depends on what you like.

I like the rear of the Corvette and the front of the Maserati, so since design is completely subjective it's probably a tie, the mc20 is clearly not as bold as the Corvette, but it's a lovely car even in the Speedway. What I really like about it, first of all, is the ergonomics of these seats. They are really lovely, you sit nice and low in the Chassy, ​​there is excellent support which keeps you in place in the corners and this steering wheel, although a bit Lar, really feels brilliant in the hands, this steering is incredibly Quick, small, small steering wheel inputs result in big movements of the chassis taking a little getting used to and you need to be resourceful and focused on the task at hand because if you're not focused, this carbon fiber chassis can catch you up quickly.

It's also wonderful, super super stiff, very very composed even in the corners or any bumps, it stays remarkably composed, it just feels extremely happy with anything you can throw with it, it's very well sorted, the only drawback if it were to point out something. of the brakes, you press them and at first you feel that nothing happens, then you press harder, yes, and suddenly they wake up. They're super strong through carbon ceramic, which means they're resistant to fading and overheating, but that bit of reluctance to actually stop the car from that initial push concentrates the mind, let's put it that way, clearly not it's going to be as fast as the z7 and a lot of that will be down to the tires and of course the lack of downforce, but you know if you put a couple of bridgestone runs on this thing it would be absolutely huge on the track.

This is so much fun that the word fun probably wasn't on the agenda when Chevy designed the Z6 with the z7 package. His intention for this particular track-oriented car was lap time and, as a result, he feels like a much more focused, serious and relentless animal. The predominant impression you get when you drive this Corvette is that it feels very angry, the engine is angry, the ride, what is it? Angry. It takes corners like it's angry, but there's something that also makes me a little angry personally and that's the ergonomics. I don't think it's the most comfortable car in the world.

These seats almost feel a little too supportive. It's something like this. pinching myself in the wrong places and I'm also positioned relatively high in the car which means I don't feel connected to the chassis in the same way I do in the MC20. I'm not a big fan of this steering wheel either, but it's not a steering wheel, it's like a ruse, it has all the angles. I guess you get used to it after a while, but it's not as good as it would be if it were a real steering wheel and also These paddles move with the steering wheel, which means that when you're in the middle of a corner trying to upshift you sometimes get stuck.

Grabbing in the middle of the crotch trying to shift is not ideal. I tell you what I love about this car through the throttle response you can It's not a naturally aspirated V8 for throttle responsiveness you can balance the car with that pedal so easily and then the second you You accelerate, turn and watch the revs go up, the numbers go skyward, it's exciting to say the least that the MC20 can feel. a little lazy with its turbocharged engine, but this thing feels alive and effervescent and can do exactly what you want. The other really impressive thing about this car is the amount of traction you get from previous Corvettes that were front-engined.

Get a little tail happy but on this you balance it with the throttle and then you come out of the corner and it just feels planted, you get a ton of Drive, oh and it's rock solid, a lot of that comes down to the fact that it has the central engine. but also these tires are outrageous, these cup two RS's have a phenomenal amount of traction coming out of corners and also in the middle of a corner, they grip so well they are sticky like gum in your hair, the brakes are absolutely phenomenal day and night.

Compared to the MC2, very good bite response and consistency with that pedal, you can have a lot of faith in that brake pedal, it really stops the car and it's so fast it's really scary how fast this car is. The scary thing is that it can carry so much. The speed in the BZ the main limitation is not the vehicle, it is the driver, but here's the thing, despite being very F, it is also something accessible, you can play with the car and have fun with it, the front grip is simply powerful and then traction. cornering is ridiculous, it feels more like a race car than a street car, don't get me wrong you can drive it on the road but it's so dialed in it's just a different animal, wow let's see what it does in this title . one presses the accelerator, okay, as I said, the main limitation is not the vehicle, but the driver, he is an animal, the corette is without a doubt the most capable track of these two carsIf it were an all-out race, the United States would win.

In fact, the z7 would probably vaguely scare any European rival in the same category, but while the Maserati can't corner as quickly, it's a more approachable, approachable car and I think it's enjoyable to drive, more comfortable, more willing to play, more willing. to entertain and is less worried about the stopwatch on closing than I would choose the vet for pure speed, but the mc20 simply for daily driving and pure fun. United States for a lap record and Europe to let loose and feel good.