YouTube - Maserati GranTurismo MC

The race car will be made available to private teams to compete in the GT4 European Cup next year
Maserati presents its GranTurismo MC, a GT4 European Cup racer based on the GranTurismo S road car that looks tame enough to take to the streets.
That may be the reason the car exists in the first place, since Maserati claims it chose to turn the GranTurismo S into a GT4 racer because it is the racing category closest to production vehicles. If so, then the numbers may not have to be overwhelming as the racer still looks like a road car but may just be wild enough to do well in the GT4 competition.

The GranTurismo MC comes with a 4.7 liter V8 engine that produces 450 hp and giving the car a weight to power ratio of 3.4 kg/hp. What distinguishes the drivetrain most, though, is the electro-actuated transmission with the MC shift (Maserati Corse), a system that reduces gear shift time to 40 milliseconds.

The MC will be made available for private teams to race in the GT4 European Cup next year (2010) and will also compete in GT4 events in the second half of the 2009 season. The car will be sold directly from Maserati Corse at a cost of 135,000 euros plus VAT (value-added tax).

 

Glad to hear this became legit and not just a concept car anymore! I wish they'd make a race series for them over here in the US. I can just imagine the beautiful sound that 4.7L V8 would make echoing through the hills and valleys at Road America!