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T ODAY, MASERATI HAS A LINEUP of grand touring coupes, sedans, SUVs, and a world-class supercar, the MC20. Although Maserati established its 119-year- old reputation in racing and sportscars, it's been more than four decades, with one tiny exception, since the legendary trident brand has offered a car competitive with Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin. All that time elapsed because the venerable automaker had various owners before teaming with Ferrari when both brands were part of Fiat. And in my humble opinion, Ferrari didn't want a trident supercar sharing its showrooms with its prancing horses. Maserati's tiny supercar exception was the MC12, a racecar in the GT class that FIA rules stipulated had to be built as a handful of street-legal models. It was quite an interesting machine, based on Ferrari's Enzo supercar mechanicals that included its 6-liter, 621-horsepower V12. My very short experience in the car suggested that although it packed quite a few thrills, its long bodywork and zero rear window visibility made street driving a challenge for many drivers. And although its $810,000 price in 2005 seemed like a whole lot of money, remaining MC12 models from the 50 produced are fetching at least $4 million these days. I first encountered Maserati's new MC20 on the "Concept Lawn" in front of e Lodge at Pebble Beach during the 2021 Concours d'Elegance. Bill Peffer, then Maserati's CEO for the Americas, gave me a walkaround along with product detail and I was smitten with this stunning supercar. We both agreed that it was the perfect halo for Maserati and I couldn't wait to drive it. en, of course, came COVID, along with a variety of other issues that managed to interrupt my MC20 driving plans. Maserati recently delivered its MC20 into the Miami press fleet for a few review loans, so we flew to the fashionable city to drive this new supercar. e Maserati was waiting at our hotel and it was detour transportation EXTERIOR: PHOTO BY BRIAN DOUGLAS INTERIOR COURTESY OF MASERATI BY BRIAN DOUGLAS Maserati Brings Back Its Heritage ranchandcoast.com 88 MARCH 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE