MASERATI MC8 GRANSPORT

SPECIFICATIONS
YEAR: 2006
KILOMETERS: –
POWER: 470 HP
DISPLACEMENT: 4700 cm3
FUEL: PETROL/PETROIL
GEARBOX: Sequential
CYLINDERS: 8
EXTERNAL/INTERNAL: Vitaphone livery

Technical passport
Unique specimen
Maserati official

Very rare and last official Maserati racing car. It certainly represents an important piece of Maserati's contemporary history, as well as having been driven in races by important drivers.

History

Car set up in a unique example by the Maserati R&D Factory Team (created in just a few months thanks to Maserati's cutting-edge planning system), entered in the "DMSB E1XP" class of the 2006 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Fielded at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in year 2006 marked by the race number 7, it was driven by the official Maserati driver Andrea Bertolini (3 times FIA GT World Champion and former Ferrari F1 test driver), Michael Bartels (FIA GT World Champion), Eric Van de Poele (former Formula 1) and Gianni Giudici (well-known Italian driver and team manager with extensive experience in numerous categories).

The “MC8 Laboratorio” is based on the GranSport GT3 and features technical evolutions developed by the “Maserati R&D Factory Team”, at that time directed by Eng. Giorgio Ascanelli (well-known engineer with long experience in Formula1). Among the numerous solutions tested were the carbon drive shaft and the sequential gearbox.
Claudio Berro, director of Maserati Corse at the time, said: “The setup of the R&D Factory Team is proof that Maserati is trying to test the most innovative technologies to be applied on future models in racing conditions.”
The car was equipped with official Pirelli Pzero Racing tyres, as Maserati and Pirelli had renewed their partnership agreement for the next two seasons just a few weeks before Maserati's debut at the Nurburgring.

With over 200 cars at the start of the 24 Hours held on the legendary "Nordschleife", the Maserati GranSport Laboratorio - making its debut in this race - had given a demonstration of extreme competitiveness, with 10th place on the starting grid, qualifying time 9'15 ″033.
Unfortunately, in the race while occupying 5th position overall, after 4 hours and thirty minutes of racing, under the yellow flag regime, Eric Van de Poele was hit by a lapped competitor, who rolled onto the roof of the GranSport Laboratorio, forcing Maserati to retire .