Under the direction of Giorgio Ascanelli, Maserati developed the MC12 simultaneously as a race car (initially called the "MCC", for "Maserati Corse Competizione") and a road car ("MCS", "Maserati Corse Stradale"). Andrea Bertolini served as the chief test driver throughout development, though some testing was conducted by Michael Schumacher, who frequently tested the MCC at the Fiorano Circuit.
The GT1 race car shares its shortened nose with the MC12 Versione Corse variant; the nose was shortened by 201 mm (7.9 in) in an effort to comply with American Le Mans Series length restrictions, though the car remained 66 mm (2.6 in) too wide for full ALMS eligibility. In race specification — as used in the Versione Corse, which was developed directly from the MC12 GT1 — the Enzo Ferrari-derived V12 engine produces 555 kW (755 PS; 745 hp) at 8,000 rpm, 90 kW (122 PS; 120 hp) more than the road-going version.
Maserati completed three MC12 GT1 race cars for the 2004 FIA GT season. The AF Corse factory-backed squad debuted at Imola; however, the FIA initially refused to allow the MC12 to score points owing to a disputed homologation. Despite this, the team took second and third at that round. At Oschersleben, the MC12 of Andrea Bertolini and Mika Salo won for the first time. At the final round at Zhuhai International Circuit, the FIA granted homologation and permitted points scoring; the MC12 again took victory and finished 7th in the Teams' Championship.
In 2005, Maserati won the FIA GT Manufacturers' Cup with 239 points — nearly double second-placed Ferrari's 125 points. The two MC12 teams, Vitaphone Racing and JMB Racing, finished first and second in the Team Cup. Four drivers entered the final race at Bahrain International Circuit in contention for the Drivers' Title: Karl Wendlinger and Andrea Bertolini each on 71 points, and Timo Scheider and Michael Bartels on 70. Gabriele Gardel of Ferrari — also on 70 points — placed ahead of all Maseratis and won the title in an older Ferrari 550 Maranello.
In 2006, Vitaphone Racing was the sole Maserati representative. On 30 September 2006, Vitaphone secured the Teams' Championship despite their drivers finishing 5th and 7th in the Budapest 500 km race, absorbing weight penalties of 85 kg and 105 kg respectively. Bertolini and Bartels finished joint-first in the Drivers' Championship on 71 points, but the Manufacturers' Cup went to Aston Martin.
Vitaphone Racing won the GT1 Teams' Championship again in 2007 on 115 points, followed by fellow MC12 team Scuderia Playteam on 63 points. JMB Racing also entered MC12s, used by amateur drivers in the Citation Cup, which was won by JMB driver Ben Aucott. Thomas Biagi won the Drivers' Championship; Maserati won the Manufacturers' Cup by a significant margin. Fellow Vitaphone drivers Miguel Ramos and Christian Montanari tied for sixth, while Scuderia Playteam's Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini were just behind.
For 2008, Vitaphone Racing returned with MC12s for Andrea Bertolini, Michael Bartels, Miguel Ramos, and newcomer Alexandre Negrão. A third car was fielded as Team Vitasystem, driven by Pedro Lamy and Matteo Bobbi, scoring one point. JMB Racing retained a single MC12 for Ben Aucott, Peter Kutemann, and Alain Ferté for the first five events. The season closed with a Teams' Championship for Vitaphone (122.5 points) and the Drivers' Championship for Bertolini and Bartels.
In 2009, Vitaphone Racing took its fifth consecutive Teams' Championship, with Bertolini and Bartels claiming their third Drivers' Championship. The other drivers, Miguel Ramos and Alex Müller, ended sixth. From the fourth round, a third car entered as Vitaphone Racing Team DHL, driven by Matteo Bobbi and Alessandro Pier Guidi; despite a partial season, they finished fourth in the Teams' Championship (32 points) and won the final round.
With the inauguration of the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010, Vitaphone Racing Team — the defending FIA GT Champions — entered and won five races en route to the Drivers' and Teams' World Championships. A second Maserati team was entered by Alfrid Heger's Triple H Team Hegersport.
In 2005, Maserati introduced two MC12s to the Italian GT Championship's GT1 division under Scuderia Playteam and Racing Box, with the teams placing first and third overall respectively. The cars returned in 2006, with Scuderia Playteam again taking overall victory and Racing Box second. From 2007, GT1 cars were no longer permitted in the Italian GT Championship, and Scuderia Playteam moved to the FIA GT.
Racing Box also competed in the non-championship 6 Hours of Vallelunga, winning in 2005 with Michele Rugolo, Leonardo Maddelena, and Davide Mastracci, then again in 2006 with Pedro Lamy, Marco Cioci, and Piergiuseppe Perazzini.
In 2006, Team Goh planned to race an MC12 in the Japanese Super GT series. The attempt was abandoned due to driver problems — Jan Magnussen fell ill and returned to Denmark — and disappointing lap times at Suzuka Circuit. While the car was faster than its Super GT prototype rivals on the straights, it lost more than a second per lap in corners owing to poorer aerodynamics.
The MC12 was barred from ACO-backed series in 2004 for exceeding both length and width restrictions. Despite the nose being shortened by 201 mm, the car remained 66 mm too wide. In 2005, the governing body of the ALMS — the International Motor Sports Association — allowed MC12s to compete as guests, without championship points and carrying weight penalties. Some ALMS teams initially objected, citing accident risks affecting their 24 Hours of Le Mans eligibility. The 2005 campaign under the Maserati Corse banner, run by American team Risi Competizione, produced no wins; the final race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ended in retirement after the car struck a curb following cold-tire traction loss, breaking the radiator.
In August 2007, Fredy Lienhard and Didier Theys announced preparation of a former FIA GT MC12 for the American Le Mans Series. Debuting at Road America, the car finished 3rd in GT1 after qualifying competitively. Their only other entry was at Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans, where the team was classified second in class despite failing to finish following an accident; Doran's Maserati had qualified on class pole. The team selected Michelin tires in place of the Pirelli P Zero Corsa originally specified, and was permitted to run a full-width rear wing — not as tall as a standard wing — and to score championship points.
The MC12 Versione Corse was developed directly from the MC12 GT1 and released in mid-2006, described by Maserati Australia and New Zealand general manager Edward Butler as "in response to the customer demand to own the MC12 racing car and fueled by the growth in track days". Only twelve were sold, each at €1 million (US$1.47 million); three further cars were built for testing and publicity. Unlike the Ferrari FXX, Versione Corses were used solely for entertainment — not research and development — on specially organized track days, with Maserati retaining responsibility for storage, upkeep, and maintenance. The car was available in a single standard color named "Blue Victory". Three Versione Corses were later converted to road-legal use by German tuning firm Edo Competition, gaining a butterfly intake exhaust system, adjustable road suspension, and a slight power increase.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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