MODENA, Italy—Italian sports car maker Maserati S.p.A. has selected Bridgestone Corp. as the exclusive tire supplier for its newest super sports car, the 621-hp, two-door MC20 coupe.
Maserati claims the MC20 has the best power-to-weight ratio, 5.3 pounds/hp, in its class. MC stands for Maserati Corse (corsa is Italian for racing) and the 20 refers to 2020. The $230,000 car competes head-to-head with the Ferrari F8 Tributo and Lamborghini Huracan.
To harness the car's power adequately, Bridgestone engineers from the firm's European R&D Center near Rome collaborated with Maserati engineers on the development of the Potenza Sport, which are fitted to the car in sizes 245/35ZR20 95 (Y) XL front and 305/30ZR20 103 (Y) XL rear.
Bridgestone said the tire features an asymmetric tread design for enhanced steering response and cornering stability, a newly developed tread compound that enhances grip and an internal crown structure designed to distribute footprint pressure evenly when cornering.
Bridgestone did not release photos of the tire, which will be produced at the company's factory in Poznan, Poland.
The MC20 is the first Maserati to use the car maker's new 3-liter turbocharged V6 engine mated with an eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission, a combination that helps power the car to 0 to 62 mph acceleration in less than 2.9 seconds and a top speed of more than 203 mph.
The V6-powered version of the MC20 is rear-wheel drive only, but hybrid and all-electric versions in development will have four-wheel drive, Maserati said.
The car has both visual and conceptual references to the MC12, which marked the auto maker's racing comeback in 2004. Maserati has said the MC20 will form the basis of a racing effort.
Bridgestone said the development teams for this project employed "ground-breaking" virtual development technology to develop and test the car and tires. This process allowed the company to cut the length of the development process, limiting its environmental impact by using less resources and cutting the project's time to market to approximately 24 months.
Federico Landini, Maserati vehicle line executive, sports cars, said the MC20 project is the "latest chapter in the pioneering relationship between Bridgestone and Maserati. We both share the same passion for innovation and excellence and want to offer to our customers premium products that deliver outstanding results."
Maserati is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles S.p.A. Sales of the MC20 are expected to start in Europe in early 2021.