Maserati has revealed the MC20 Cielo, a roadster version of the mid-engined MC20 junior supercar. “Cielo” means sky in Italian, which makes it a pretty apt name for a mid-engined car that at the touch of a button can stash its hardtop under the rear deck-lid in just 12 seconds, and whose Webasto glass roof panel can be turned from clear to opaque, also with the tap of a finger. We’ve seen older versions of that kind of dimmable roof technology before on convertibles like the Mercedes SL and McLaren 720S Spider, but this one can switch to fully opaque, like the Variable Light Control system in a Porsche Taycan fitted with a (non-retractable) panoramic roof. Maserati says the thermally insulated glass panel can alter its opacity at temperatures between -30C to 85C, so short of the Sun crashing into the Earth, it’s fair to assume it’s going to work 24/7.
When retracted, the roof stores below a
new solid rear deck-lid panel that means you can’t see the 3.0-liter bi-turbo
V6 that’s visible beneath a clear window on the MC20 coupe. But echoing the
trident-shaped vents in the coupe’s rear screen, and ensuring that SUV drivers
can tell what you’re driving from their lofty perches, the Cielo’s rear deck
can be optionally emblazoned with a giant decal of Maserati’s three-prong logo
made from matte titanium.
You won’t be surprised to hear that the
conversion from coupe to cabrio has added a few pounds to the MC20’s weight.
But Maserati claims it has limited the additional flab to 65 kg,
giving the Cielo a curb weight of 1,540 kg. Because the Cielo runs
the same 621 hp, 730 Nm and eight-speed dual-clutch
transmission as the coupe, performance still takes a hit. But it’s only a
modest one: the zero to 62 mph time increases from 2.9 seconds to 3.0 seconds,
and zero to 200 km/h is up four tenths to 9.2 seconds.
Maserati also quotes a top speed of “more
than” 320 km/h, rather than the “more than” 325 km/h it gives
for the coupe, but one thing that hasn’t reduced is the trunk space. Which is a
good thing, because the 50 liters available in the nose and 100 liters in the rear makes a McLaren GT (570 litres total)
look like a U-haul.
The Cielo shares various upgrades
introduced to the coupe for the 2023 model year, including a Roman
numeral-themed alloy rim, the option of lightweight carbon rims that save a
total of 30 kg, a standard Alcantara steering wheel that can be swapped
for a carbon version, and an optional electrically adjustable steering column.
Also updated is the rotary drive mode dial on the tunnel, which now features a
digital touchpad at its center. The display shows which of the five available
modes (wet, GT, Sport, Corsa, ESC Off) is selected and with a swipe of a finger
can be swiped to reconfigure the rotary dial to allow selection of suspension
settings using the same twisting motion.
A new three-layer pale blue Acquamarina
paint seen in these pictures is available via Maserati’s Fuoriserie
customization program, but if you see one on the street when the first Cielos
hit dealers later this year, you might well be looking at a PrimaSerie Launch
Edition. Around 60 cars will be created showcasing the new hue, Maserati’s
also-new Roman numeral-inspired MM20 wheels wearing a gold finish, and
PrimaSerie badging. Prices are still TBC, but given the MC20 coupe costs US$ 216,995, we’d not expect much change from US$ 230k for the Cielo.
