Alongside the performance bump, Maserati has focused on improving the road car’s cooling. This is most dramatically visualised by the Stradale’s vented carbon fibre bonnet, which now draws hot air from the front-mounted radiator and runs it through a new duct in the space where the front boot used to be in an MC20. The side intakes are also much bigger, and draw in 17 per cent more air to help cool yet more radiators and feed the two charge-coolers mounted in the car’s flanks.
This joins a far more aggressive aero package made up of a much deeper front bumper and sills, plus an aggressive rear diffuser. The front wings also feature Porsche GT3 RS-like vents that help reduce pressure in the front arches – aiding both front-end downforce and front brake cooling. Unique centre-lock forged wheels are also new, and save 19kg compared to the MC20’s standard wheel package.
Joining the ground-based aero is a huge stacked rear wing mounted on race car-like swan-neck supports. Maserati’s designers have also integrated a small central dip on the wing itself – a design flourish referencing the same design element found on the front grille. Maserati quotes a peak downforce figure of 500kg at 173mph, 355kg more than the MC20. Depending on specification, Maserati quotes a dry weight of just 1,365kg which is up to 135kg less than the MC20.
More changes have been made inside the cabin, starting with a brand new centre console which is lighter and mounted higher up. This includes a different placement of many of the car’s main controls, including the driver-mode switch at its centre. The new bucket seats are made by French company Sabelt, and pair with a standard-fit half-roll cage mounted behind. Maserati’s also modified the steering wheel, giving it a marginally thicker rim, removing some of the controls and fitting a set of LED shift-lights onto its upper section.
Customers can also select one of two performance packs, the first incorporating a set of sticky Cup 2 R tyres, carbon ceramic brakes, an electronically-controlled limited slip differential and specific stability and traction control setups. The second ‘Performance Plus’ package adds four-point racing harnesses and a mounted fire extinguisher.
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