In the era of hybridization and 100% electrification, it is becoming increasingly rare for a car manufacturer to communicate on a purely thermal engine. At Maserati, it is still relevant. The Modena-based automaker has presented the new Maserati Nettuno, a futuristic engine that is the beating heart of the future Maserati MC20 super sportscar.
Fully developed by Maserati, this new power unit is a V90° architecture, with a 3-liter, 6-cylinder twin-turbo, and features a dry-sump (a classic solution on super sportscars). It delivers 630 hp at 7500 rpm and 730 Nm of torque from 3000 rpm with a specific power output of 210 hp/liter.
With a compression ratio of 11: 1, the stroke of 82 mm, and the bore 88 mm, the Maserati Nettuno features technology imported from the world of Formula 1. The engine benefits from an innovative pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin-spark plugs. This technology is developed for Formula 1, which, for the first time, comes with an engine designed for a road car.
This combustion pre-chamber, placed between the central electrode and the conventional combustion chamber, is connected by a series of specially-designed holes. Maserati indicates that a lateral sparkplug ensures constant combustion when the use of the pre-chamber is not necessary. The fuel supply is based on a double injection, direct and indirect (coupled to the fuel pressure of 350 bar) with the aim of reducing noise at low speed, lower emissions, and improve consumption.
Maserati nevertheless specifies the size of the engine: the Nettuno V6 is 1 meter wide, 60 cm long, and 65 cm high and weighs around 220 kg. Now that we know the “heart” of the future Maserati MC20, we just need to wait for its official presentation on September 9 and 10 in Modena during the event, for more information about the car.
