Tag Archives: Maserati

News

Maserati Blocks Sale of First Customer MCXtrema After Bidding Hits $751K

For a company that’s spent the last decade searching for relevance, Maserati doesn’t get many moments of genuine buzz. The MCXtrema should have been one of them. A track-only, 730-horsepower evolution of the MC20, limited to just 62 units worldwide, the MCXtrema is exactly the kind of unhinged halo car that makes enthusiasts lean in and start paying attention again. Instead, Maserati has found a way to turn that excitement into confusion, frustration, and a canceled auction.

Late last month, the first customer-owned MCXtrema ever to hit the open market appeared on Bring a Trailer. The car was essentially new, showing just 228 kilometers (141 miles), and had been delivered to its original owner during 2024’s Monterey Car Week. Not long after, it landed in the hands of a dealer—almost certainly with resale profits in mind.

Bidding quickly surged to $751,000. Then, just as quickly, the entire listing vanished.

The reason? Maserati didn’t like it.

Bring a Trailer confirmed that Maserati of North America intervened and restricted the sale of the car, forcing the auction to be withdrawn. No official explanation was offered as to why Maserati would block the resale of a vehicle that had already changed hands once.

“We obviously cannot put the eventual winning bidder into a problematic post-auction situation,” BaT wrote, adding that the seller was informed Maserati was restricting the transaction. Translation: the manufacturer made it clear the buyer might not be able to register, service, or even properly take ownership of the car if the auction continued.

That’s not how you want your million-dollar track toy introduced to the world.

Unsurprisingly, the enthusiast community didn’t take it quietly. On BaT’s forums, reactions ranged from annoyed to outright mocking. One user summed up the mood perfectly: “For the first time in years, there’s finally some excitement around a new Maserati… and Maserati of North America finds yet another way to mess it up.” Another commenter was less subtle, suggesting Maserati should instead focus on stopping its normal cars from depreciating “like used Kleenex.”

The irony is that the MCXtrema is exactly the kind of machine Maserati should be celebrating in public view. Beneath its wild aero and track-only bodywork sits the familiar MC20 architecture—but turned up to a near-ridiculous level. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 has been cranked to 730 horsepower, channeled through a six-speed sequential gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential driving the rear wheels. It’s lighter, louder, more aggressive, and entirely unconcerned with things like emissions, ride comfort, or road legality.

In other words, it’s everything modern Maseratis usually aren’t.

Manufacturers trying to control who buys their ultra-rare cars isn’t new—Ferrari has made a sport of it—but blocking a resale after a car has already been delivered sets a different, far more awkward precedent. If Maserati wants the MCXtrema to be taken seriously as a hardcore driver’s machine rather than just another rich-guy toy, it probably shouldn’t treat its first public resale like a scandal.

The MCXtrema was supposed to signal that Maserati still knows how to build something wild. Instead, it’s also becoming a reminder that even when the hardware is finally right, the brand can still trip over its own shoelaces.

Source: Bring a Trailer

NEW CARS

Maserati MCPURA Cielo Frozen Magma Is Proof That Italian Drama Can Still Burn on Ice

If there’s one thing Maserati has always understood better than most, it’s how to turn a car into a moment. Not just a machine, not just a product launch—but a cinematic event. So of course the company chose the frozen surface of Lake St. Moritz, surrounded by the kind of winter-glam crowd that treats Ferraris like wristwatches, to unveil something it insists is more art piece than automobile: the Maserati MCPURA Cielo – FROZEN MAGMA.

Yes, the name is a mouthful. But once you see it, you’ll understand why Maserati didn’t bother with restraint.

A Supercar Dipped in Ice and Fire

The MCPURA Cielo is already a dramatic thing—a mid-engine, carbon-tub, open-top Italian supercar powered by Maserati’s in-house Nettuno V-6. But in this one-off Fuoriserie specification, it looks like it was sculpted by the weather itself.

The star of the show is the Ai Aqua Rainbow paint, an iridescent finish that shifts between shades of icy blue and shimmering crystal depending on how the light hits it. Under the Alpine sun, it doesn’t just reflect—it glows, like frozen water lit from beneath.

Then Maserati does what Maserati does best: it adds a splash of drama. Glossy orange accents slash through the cool tones like molten lava breaking through a glacier. The dreamline livery, Trident logos, badges, and even the wheel hub details glow in orange, creating a visual tension that feels intentional, not decorative. Blacked-out lower bodywork and glossy black 20-inch Cyclonic wheels ground the whole thing, while orange brake calipers peek through like embers behind smoked glass.

It’s theatrical. It’s bold. And it’s exactly the sort of design move that reminds you this brand still has an Italian soul.

A Cockpit Built for a Supercar, Not a Showroom

Open the door and the Frozen Magma theme continues, but in a more controlled, motorsport-inspired way. The cabin is wrapped in black Alcantara, punctuated by orange stitching and accents that mirror the exterior’s hot-and-cold contrast. The laser-etched Chevron patterns and embroidered Tridents give the interior a bespoke feel without tipping into gaudy.

Carbon-fiber trim reinforces that this is still a serious driver’s car, not just a rolling art installation. And sitting quietly on the center console is a badge that makes the whole thing official:

“Maserati Fuoriserie – THE I.C.E. 2026 – ONE OF ONE.”

In other words, if you’re seeing this car in person, you’re looking at something you will never see again.

The Nettuno Engine: The Real Heat Source

Beneath all that frozen-lava theater sits Maserati’s best piece of engineering in decades: the 630-horsepower Nettuno V-6. This twin-turbo 3.0-liter uses Formula 1–inspired pre-chamber combustion, a trick that allows for more efficient and explosive ignition. The result is an engine that feels both razor-sharp and muscular—exactly what a mid-engine supercar should be.

Maserati didn’t skimp on hardware either. This one-off comes loaded with carbon-ceramic brakes, a suspension lift system for real-world usability, and a full suite of driver-assistance tech. There’s also a Sonus Faber premium audio system, because even a bespoke Italian supercar should be able to soundtrack its own drama properly.

Why This Car Matters

The MCPURA Cielo – FROZEN MAGMA isn’t just a flashy one-off for wealthy collectors in fur-lined ski chalets. It’s a statement. It says Maserati is serious about making cars that stir emotion again—not just with horsepower numbers or Nürburgring times, but with design, atmosphere, and occasion.

In a supercar world increasingly obsessed with lap times and battery tech, Maserati showed up on a frozen lake with something far more old-school: a machine built to make people feel something.

And honestly? That might be the hottest thing about it.

Source: Maserati

News

Italy’s Twin Supercar Soul Takes Over Paris

At Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, where Rétromobile celebrates its 50th birthday in a haze of carburetors and nostalgia, a very different kind of history is being written. Ultimate Supercar Garage—the show-within-a-show dedicated to modern excess—has handed the spotlight to something new, something unapologetically Italian, and something wildly ambitious.

It’s called BOTTEGAFUORISERIE, and it’s what happens when Alfa Romeo and Maserati decide that regular supercars simply aren’t enough anymore.

For the first time ever, the two legendary brands are sharing a motor-show stage, and they didn’t come quietly. Four machines—each rarer and more intense than the last—stand under the same roof:
Alfa Romeo’s New 33 Stradale and Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa, alongside Maserati’s MCXtrema and GT2 Stradale. This isn’t a lineup. It’s a statement.

Bottega, Not Factory

The name BOTTEGAFUORISERIE isn’t marketing fluff. “Bottega” means workshop, and the whole idea is to treat each car less like a product and more like a commissioned piece of mechanical art. Think Savile Row tailoring, but with carbon fiber, V6s, and downforce instead of wool.

This philosophy is already paying off. Maserati says 80 percent of GT2 Stradale buyers are choosing Fuoriserie customization, proving that in the modern supercar world, individuality is the ultimate luxury.

And nowhere is that more obvious than in Paris.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa: The Sailboat Slayer

Let’s start with the most exclusive four-door you’ll probably never see: the Giulia Quadrifoglio Luna Rossa. Just ten examples exist, and every single one is already spoken for.

Born from Alfa Romeo’s partnership with the Luna Rossa America’s Cup team, this is the most aerodynamically aggressive Giulia ever built. A carbon-fiber aero kit—front canards, underbody vanes, side skirts, and a towering rear wing—creates five times more downforce than a normal Quadrifoglio. At 300 km/h, it presses itself into the pavement with 140 kg of aerodynamic grip.

That’s not a styling package. That’s physics.

Inside, the racing-boat theme continues, with Sparco seats inspired by the team’s flotation gear and dashboard trim made from actual Luna Rossa sail material. It’s weird, wonderful, and very Italian.

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale: A Legend, Reborn

If the Giulia is extreme, the New 33 Stradale is emotional. This modern resurrection of Alfa’s 1960s icon is limited to just 33 cars, all sold before most people even knew it existed.

Under the skin is a 630-hp twin-turbo V6, enough to launch this sculpted two-seat coupe to 100 km/h in under three seconds and on to 333 km/h. But numbers aren’t the point here. This car exists because Alfa Romeo still believes beauty and performance should be inseparable.

The Paris show car wears a deep green livery inspired by classics like the GTA and the outrageous Bertone Carabo, reminding us that for Alfa, color isn’t decoration—it’s identity.

Maserati MCXtrema: A Track Weapon With a Tailor

Then there’s the MCXtrema, a car that barely acknowledges the concept of public roads. Built in only 62 examples, it’s the most powerful track-only Maserati ever, with 740 hp from a Nettuno-based twin-turbo V6.

The version in Paris is a perfect example of what Bottegafuoriserie is about. Its blue-and-white matte livery references the iconic MC12, while the number 77 on the door honors its owner’s lucky digit. Inside, it’s all business—telemetry, rear-view camera, and a cockpit that feels more Le Mans than Monte Carlo.

It’s a racing car for collectors who want something no one else has—even in a world of extreme supercars.

Maserati GT2 Stradale: Race Car, But Make It Livable

Finally, there’s the GT2 Stradale, the road-legal evolution of Maserati’s GT2 race car. With 640 hp, a 2.7-second sprint to 100 km/h, and a top speed over 320 km/h, it’s the fastest and most powerful internal-combustion Maserati ever built for the street.

It’s also 60 kg lighter than the MC20 it’s based on, sharper in every response, and still elegant enough to wear a trident on its nose without irony. This is Maserati proving it can still build a proper driver’s car in an era increasingly obsessed with software.

A New Italian Power Duo

Underneath all the carbon fiber and couture paint, BOTTEGAFUORISERIE represents something bigger. Alfa Romeo and Maserati aren’t just sharing a booth—they’re sharing a future.

In a supercar world dominated by tech giants and billion-dollar hypercars, these two Italian brands are betting on something more human: craftsmanship, heritage, and emotional design, blended with modern performance.

And judging by the crowd around their stand in Paris, that gamble is paying off.

If this is what happens when Alfa and Maserati join forces, the rest of the supercar world should be very, very nervous.

Source: Stellantis