Maserati unleashes its sexy new MC20 Cielo spyder

Maserati unveiled to the world on Wednesday night its eagerly-awaited MC20 Cielo.

Essentially a drop-top version of its coupé sibling that was launched towards the end of 2021, this evocative newcomer differentiates itself with an innovative retractable glass roof that can be stowed safely out of sight in 12 seconds. The glass is also electrochromic, meaning that it can be transformed from clear to opaque with a quick touch of a button. 

According to Maserati the Cielo (that's "sky" in Italian just in case you were wondering) weighs a mere 65kg more than the coupé, meaning that the car's power-to-weight ratio hasn't really been affected much. Indeed, armed with the firm's newfangled 3.0l twin-turbocharged "Nettuno" engine sending 470kW and 730Nm to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual clutch auto transmission, you can expect this seductive spyder to scorch its way from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 320km/h. 

To better suit realtime road conditions customers can use a new digital interface to cycle between five different driving modes including GT, Sport, Corsa (track) and Wet. If you're feeling brave you can also opt for ESC Off mode, which is similar to Corsa mode but with the traction control completely disabled. The firmness of the suspension can be similarly tweaked with Soft or Mid available in GT and Sport modes and Mid or Hard in Corsa mode. According to Maserati the Hard setting is best reserved for use on race tracks. 

Now while the MC20 Cielo shares the same glorious swan doors as the coupé there have been some minor structural tweaks made to the carbon fibre monocoque chassis to endow it with an extra wodge of torsional rigidity – something that's rather important in a performance-orientated convertible such as this. Other key differences can be found at the rear of the Cielo where the coupé's sleek roofline and clear engine cover have been replaced by a pair of buttresses that sit either side of the composite tonneau. The latter can be emblazoned by a gigantic Maserati trident graphic cut from matte aluminium film. Finally, the Cielo also sees the debut of some all-new active safety systems including autonomous emergency brake, traffic sign information and a new 360-degree camera. 

While Maserati hasn't announced any pricing information just yet, you can probably bet on the MC20 Cielo costing more than the coupé that already retails for over R5.5m.