Maserati’s new Nettuno engine is a twin-turbo, 3.0-litre V6 that weighs 220 kilograms.
Maserati’s new Nettuno engine will be the beating heart of its much-anticipated MC20 super sportscar that will make its world premiere in September 2020.
The unit was designed at Maserati’s Modena facilities: the Maserati Innovation Lab on Via Emilia Ovest, the workshops on Via Delle Nazioni (Maserati Corse’s historic base) and developed at the Engine Hub, situated at the famous Viale Ciro Menotti address where it will be built.
After 20 years, Maserati has once again taken on the challenge of returning to its Modena HQ with the development and production of the new, high-tech, high-performance engine—one protected by international patents.
The launch design of the new engine, which represents the historic beginning of a new era for Maserati, will officially begin on September 9 and 10, 2020, in Modena during an event titled “MMXX: The time to be audacious.”
At the launch, new models will be revealed, which will go into production in the coming years and innovative propulsion systems, as well as ambitious programmes developed by the Casa del Tridente, will be announced.
The new power unit is a V90-degree architecture, with a 3-litre, 6-cylinder twin-turbo and features a dry sump (a classic solution on super sportscars). It delivers 621-horsepower at 7500rpm and 730 Nm (538 feet-pound) of torque from 3,000 rpm, with a specific power output of 210CV/litre.
The compression ratio is 11:1, the stroke is 82 mm and the bore 88 mm.
The soul of the engine is an innovative pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin-spark plugs. This technology is derived from Formula 1 and is now available, for the first time, on an engine destined for the road.
The engine has three main features:
The pre-chamber: a combustion chamber is set between the central electrode and the traditional combustion chamber and connected by a series of specially designed holes
Lateral sparkplug: a traditional sparkplug acts as a support to ensure constant combustion when the engine is operating at a level that doesn’t need the pre-chamber to kick in
Twin injection system – direct and indirect: linked to the fuel supply pressure at 5076 psi, the system reduces noise low down on the rev range, lowering emissions and improving consumption.
The new “Made in Modena” engine will be used for the first time on the MC20 super sportscar and will take Maserati back to the world of racing.