Starting in October, Maserati will offer gentlemen drivers who wish to race in the 2010 GT4 European Cup and the national series a chance to purchase the GranTurismo MC race car, developed for the FIA GT4 class and slated to compete in several GT4 European Cup races later this year. The cars will be priced at €135,000 and will be sold directly through the Maserati Corse racing division. An offshoot of the GranTurismo MC Concept introduced last September in Monza, it’s based on the GranTurismo S road version with an electro-actuated gearbox system.
The Italian marque hopes to launch its own one-make series, similar to Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo, in 2010. While performance data is being kept under wraps for now, we do know that the car features the GranTurismo 4.7L V8 engine with the addition of a double cone racing air filter, high-flow exhaust with removable catalysts, and full carbon-fibre bodywork. According to Maserati the car also has a power-to-weight ratio of less than 3.4 kg/hp (4.6 kg/kW) and a kerb weight of less than 1,400 kg, which makes it go like a bat out of Dante’s Inferno.
