The Maserati GT2 Stradale is a (slightly) lighter MC20 dressed for track days

First, there was the Maserati MC20 – the first mid-engined Maser supercar for two decades. And it was good.

Then Maserati decided it fancied finding out how good, by taking it racing. And lo, the world smiled in the Maserati GT2, with its huge swan-neck rear wing and a bonnet like an angry cheese-grater.

Now, Maserati’s decided to combine those two for a more extreme, road-legal-but-track-focused supercar. This is the GT2 Stradale or ‘street’. They don’t even call it ‘MC20’ anymore.

Obviously though, that’s what it is. Same carbon fibre tub, same butterfly doors, same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with another 10bhp dolloped on top to give 631bhp. That means it’s actually more powerful than the old MC12 supercar’s Ferrari Enzo V12, needing enlarged cooling ducts to gulp in 16 per cent more air.

As a result it’ll go from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and the top speed is 201mph. But it’s not been set up for drag races – the Stradale is here for the corners.

The new splitter, rear wing and diffuser combine for a claimed 500kg of downforce at 174mph. Sounds like a lot, but we need context. So to compare, take a standard MC20 up to 174mph. You’ll only have 145kg of downforce at the same speed.

Weirdly, the wing actually comes in a ‘neutral’ setting from the factory. You have to get the spanners out yourself to adjust it if you want to take advantage of that sweet laptime-helping aero.

Overall, Maserati has taken 60kg out of the MC20 – a third of that saving comes from the new forged wheels with centrelock lugnuts. There’s also more carbon fibre than Adrian Newey’s garden shed, and inside the central tunnel has been slimmed down to shed even more weight.

Noticed the ‘triangular’ steering wheel? Yes, the upper section is angled and features nine white, blue, and red LED shift lights. Ahhh, Merry Christmas!

There’s also new modes, because what supercar in 2024 would be complete without modes? The GT2 Stradale offers Wet (for British owners), GT (the comfy default) Sport (obviously) and Corsa, which is Italian for ‘small Vauxhall hatchback'.

Whoops. It actually means ‘course’ or ‘track’, which dials back the stability and traction controls and sets the electronic limited-slip diff to a mid-way setting for neutral on-the-limit handling. Maserati warns that in the racier modes “the suspension is extremely stiff". So there’s a button to soften it off it you’re starting to bruise.

Not hardcore enough? Good news: Maserati will sell you a ‘Performance Pack’ with stickier tyres which unlocks ‘Corsa Evo’ mode. Now you can go on winding down the safety nannies and even trim the ABS for extra-late braking.

Still want more race, less road? Fine. Then try the Performance Pack Plus. This adds four-point harnesses, a fire-extinguisher, and a large quantity of smugness.

How much more than a stock £222,000 MC20 you’ll have to pay hasn’t been announced yet. Maybe Maserati’s waiting to see what the competition is up to. Porsche is known to be testing a facelifted GT3 RS with even more downforce, and it can’t be long until Ferrari lavishes the ‘Speciale’ treatment on the mesmerising 296 GTB.

Or should you just forget the road legal element and buy a proper racing car? Let us know what you reckon below…