2025 Maserati MC20 GT2 Stradale review

This gorgeous two-door should have Ferrari and Lamborghini checking their rear-view mirrors.

John Mahoney

3 min read

February 21, 2025 - 9:08AM

Motoring

Don’t you just love how everything seems negotiable in Italy?

Admiring the drop-dead gorgeous Maserati GT2 Stradale as it bathed under the warm morning sunlight, its designer attentively hung over my left shoulder.

Complimenting him on his fine work on turning the already pretty MC20 into the stunning GT2 Stradale I remarked how large the track-suited coupe’s rear carbon-fibre spoiler is.

Fearing the worse, he muttered, “it’s OK, we can remove it, it can go”.

And it’s true, the centrepiece of the GT2 Stradale aerodynamic armoury can be binned for a cool $2950 and be replaced by either a stubby ducktail air bender, or no spoiler at all whatever you want, you get with the Italians. We’d keep it.

After all, the swan neck-mounted surfboard is a less than subtle reference to the GT2 Stradale’s roots.

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2025 Maserati MC20 GT2. Picture: Supplied

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The extreme road-going track-focused coupe was developed side-by-side with the racer that competes in GT2 racing, hence its name.

More parts inspired by motorsport include the reshaped front splitter that also helps cooling and, alone, produces as much downforce as the MC20 it’s based on.

A reshaped rear diffuser, larger rear air intakes all do the rest - but it’s not just the GT2’s ability to suck itself to the ground that boosts its ability to batter Porsche and Ferraris on track.

Engineers have also managed to carve 60kg off an already lightweight supercar by introducing a pair of lightweight seats that saved 20kg, bolting on a set of new forged alloy wheels (-18kg), developing new more powerful brakes (-17kg), adding a new bonnet (-1kg), redesigning the centre consol (-1.5kg) and then throwing away all the sound deadening (-4.5kg), among others.

2025 Maserati MC20 GT2. Picture: Supplied

Turning up the wick of the already punchy twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 to liberate more might (471kW) and the plucky little Maserati suddenly has a power-to-weight ratio that beats many rivals and helps it storm from 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds.

Since the GT2 race series largely caters for amateurs with more money than actual talent (rather than professional racing drivers) the road-going version nature means it doesn’t feel like it’s going to kill you the first time you provoke it on track.

In fact, it does the opposite, it flatters you.

Grip is high and, thanks to that huge wing, stability both mid-corner and under brakes goad you to push a little harder on the next lap.

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2025 Maserati MC20 GT2. Picture: Supplied

Shame the twin-turbo V6 isn’t the best cheerleader for your on-track heroics but that’s nothing an aftermarket set of pipes won’t fix.

On road and the GT2 Stradale isn’t as much fun as a regular MC20.

There’s a little too much noise, while the unforgiving ride becomes annoying, low-speed braking inconsistent, but back in its natural habitat the Maserati holds huge appeal.

Pouring cold water on the GT2 Stradale experience is its cost of admission.

The base price of $699,000 is misleading as you’ll need to spend at least another six-figure sum to get the car you actually want and then the GT2 starts to look hopelessly expensive beside the 911 GT3 RS that has more tech and is even faster and more involving on track. Ultimately, owners of the GT2 Stradale won’t care.

Maserati says it will only ever make 914 cars so it will be rare and as soon buyers pop open the butterfly door and sit low down in its racy cabin, just inches off the ground, they’ll relish how properly exotic the Maserati feels.

Going so fast on track in a modern supercar has never looked so good and if there’s anything you don’t like, Maserati will probably happily change it anyway.

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