A prototype of the impending Maserati MC20 supercar will pay homage to British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, the Italian company confirmed.
Monaco master
Sir Stirling passed away in April 2020 at the age of 90 and in a fitting tribute to the motorsport colossus, the MC20 prototype will sport a design based on the Maserati Eldorado single-seater that Moss drove on its debut at Monza in 1958.
Maser also took the decision to make this announcement on May 13, which is 64 years to the day since Sir Stirling led from the last corner of lap one until the finish at the 100-lap Monaco F1 Grand Prix in his Maserati 250F. Moss, when looking back on his career in later life, often said the 250F was 'his favourite' race car of all and he had some memorable battles at the wheel of the Italian machine while competing against none other than Juan Manuel Fangio.
Sir Stirling had a long association with Maserati and also drove cars like the Tipo 60 Birdcage, the Tipo 61 and the 300 S. And the reason the forthcoming MC20 was chosen to receive this 'signature' of the motor racing great is because Maserati hopes to use competition versions of the new machine to return to a leading role in global motorsports. It last won a world championship when the MC12 contested by the Vitaphone Racing Team won the Drivers' and Teams' titles in the 2010 FIA GT1 series.
The MC20 itself will also be a hugely important car to the Trident, because it will be the first vehicle to adopt a brand-new engine that has been 100 per cent designed, developed and produced by Maserati itself - instead of being sourced from a Ferrari, as is usually the way.