Car pictures of the week
In this week’s car pictures, we look back at our drive in the blistering Maserati MC12 Versione Corse
Maserati had reason to celebrate when its MC12 Corsa took the championship FIA GT Manufacturers' championship in 2005. Yet while the MC12 racer was indeed spawned from a road-going version, those who wanted the ultimate MC12 experience were given another option when Maserati released the MC12 Versione Corse, a track-only version of the Corsa available to purchase by private customers for the first time.
Sharing its drivetrain and suspension with the GT1 racer, as well as its bespoke kevlar body and competition interior, this was a far more focused and extreme machine than its road-going counterpart. It’s unrestricted output of 745bhp and 545lb ft gave the Versione Corse higher figures than both the road and racing car, numbers derived from a race-spec 6-litre V12, able to reach heights of 8000rpm.
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Compared to contemporary track-only hypercars such as the near-1000bhp P1 GTR, its power figures seem meagre, but taking into consideration the Versione Corse’s 1150kg kerb weight, the experience could hardly be described as underwhelming.
Our drive took place at Fiat’s iconic Balocco test facility in Italy, and of course, in completely sodden conditions, yet the MC12 proved to be an astonishing approachable machine. There were zero electronic driver aids, even down to ABS, but it handled almost as if it was completely dry – even full application of its Brembo carbon ceramics, things resulted in nothing more than an organ-rearranging loss of speed.
Of course the notion of racer-derived hypercars, whether for the road or race track has yet to wane, with the next generation of track-bred hypercars now on the horizon. Mercedes-AMG is putting the final touches to its long-awaited Project One, with Aston Martin in the position with its controversial Valkyrie, which are both set to be just as mind-boggling.
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Car pictures of the week: archive
Below are some of our favourite images from previous editions of evo car pictures of the week. Click on the pictures for the full galleries.
Gallery 1
Click below to see all the images of our first car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring the indomitable Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 and the stunning Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer.
Gallery 2
Here we dig further back into the evo archives where we pull out some iconic images of the Ford GT slightly out of context in the European Alps, a TVR Sagaris in central London, the Audi RS2 as well as one of our most iconic twin tests between the Ferrari 599 GTO and Lexus LF-A.
Gallery 3
The previous-generation Bentley Continental GT seemed to get better with age, a notion mirrored by the Jaguar E-type when in modern ‘lightweight’ form. Both of these British icons, as well as the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 feature in gallery three.
Gallery 4
Fans might have cried fowl when Ferrari decided to turbocharge the Ferrari 488, but it’s not like Ferrari don’t have a history with turbocharged V8 engines. Here the 488 co-stars alongside the stunning F40, while elsewhere in this gallery we take a Porsche Cayman GTS to Japan for a stunning mountain blast.
Gallery 5
Italian twelve-cylinder supercars seem to be the main agenda in the fourth evo car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring four V12 Lambos and the stunning 599 SA Aperta limited edition alongside its 550 Barchetta predecessor.
Gallery 6
GT3s and GT-Rs are just the beginning for gallery number six, with the Noble M600, Aston Martin One-77 and a couple of McLaren flagships filling out our most amazing gallery yet.
Gallery 7
A gallery of new and old, here the McLaren 720S cemented its place as a truly great supercar alongside a daring night shoot with an Audi R8 LMX, pitch a Nissan GT-R and Audi Quattro against each other on Welsh mountain roads and drive the original 'Hakosuka' GT-R.
Gallery 8
Ford's RS200 in a moody dark garage is just one of many amazing shoots in our 8th gallery, click on the image for the full gallery
Gallery 9
Click on the image below for our ninth car pictures of the week gallery, including this hardcore lot!
Gallery 10
Our tenth gallery turned it up another notch, including the wettest shoot in history (apparently).
Gallery 11
The best hardcore Ferrari supercars and more feature in our 11th car pictures of the week gallery.
