Beschreibung:

MASERATI MC8 GranSport Laboratorio One-of-a-kind 468 CV Engine Year 2006 Extremely rare vehicle, last official Maserati to participate in races. It certainly represents a significant piece in Maserati’s modern history, in addition to having been raced by two well-known pilots. One-of-a-kind setup from the Maserati R&D Factory Team (developed in a few months thanks to Maserati’s state-of-the-art planning system), enrolled in the DMSB E1XP of the 2006 24 Hours of Nurburgring. It raced in the 2006 24 Hours of Nurburgring with the number 7, driven by official Maserati piAndrea Bertolini (3 times FIA GT World Champion and former Ferrari F1 test driver), Michael Bartels (FIA GT World Champion), Eric Van De Poele (former Formula 1 pilot) and Gianni Giudici (well-renowned Italian piand team manager with a vast experience in several categories). The “MC8 Laboratorio” is based on the GranSport GT3 and presents technical evolutions developed by the Maserati R&D Factory Team, headed at the time by Giorgio Ascanelli (well-known engineer with a long experience in Formula 1). Among the various tested solutions were the carbon fiber drive shaft and the sequential gear. Claudio Berro, head of Maserati Corse at the time, said: “The R&D Factory Team’s setup is the proof that Maserati is trying to test in race conditions the most innovative technologies to be implemented on future models.” The vehicle was equipped with official Pirelli Pzero Racing tyres, as Maserati and Pirelli had renewed their partnership for the following two seasons only a few weeks before Maserati’s debut at Nurburgring. Lining up for the 24 Hours on the legendary “Nordschleife” alongside 200 other cars, the GranSport Laboratorio - at its absolute debut in this race - had proven itself extremely competitive, with a 10th place and a qualification time of 9'15033. Unfortunately, four and a half hours into the race, while he was in overall 5th position, Eric Van de Poele was struck by another contestant, who rolled over onto the GranSport Laboratorio’s roof, forcing Maserati to withdraw. Maserati’s success in endurance races started in 1939 with a victory in the Indianapolis 500-Mile race with the 8CTF driven by Wilbur, a victory that was repeated the following year. Curiously enough, it was in Nurburgring that Maserati marked some of its most significant victories: three wins in the tough 1000 kilometers (1956, 1960 e 1961). Moss-Behra-Taruffi-Schell (300S), Moss-Gurney (type Birdcage 61), Gregory-Cassner (type Birdcage 61) were the winning teams. Described by the seller as fully original. The car hasn’t been driven in several years, we recommend testing it before use. Auto rarissima ed ultima Maserati ufficiale impegnata nelle corse. Rappresenta sicuramente un pezzo importante della storia contemporanea della Maserati, oltre ad essere stata condotta in gara da importanti piloti. Auto allestita in esemplare unico dalla Maserati R&D Factory Team (creata in soli pochi mesi grazie al sistema di pianificazione all'avanguardia di Maserati), iscritta alla classe DMSB E1XP della 24 Ore del Nurburgring 2006. Schierata alla 24 Ore del Nurburgring nell'anno 2006 contraddistinta dal numero di gara 7, venne guidata dal pilota ufficiale Maserati Andrea Bertolini (3 volte Campione del Mondo FIA GT ed ex collaudatore Ferrari F1), Michael Bartels (Campione del Mondo FIA GT), Eric Van de Poele (ex pilota di Formula 1) e Gianni Giudici (noto pilota e team manager italiano con vasta esperienza in numerose categorie). La MC8 Laboratorio è basata sulla GranSport GT3 e presenta evoluzioni tecniche sviluppate dal Maserati R&D Factory Team, in quel tempo diretto dall'Ing. Giorgio Ascanelli (noto ingegnere con una lunga esperienza in Formula1). Tra le numerose soluzioni sperimentate vi erano l'albero di trasmissione in carbonio e il cambio sequenziale. Claudio Berro, all'epoca direttore di Maserati Corse disse : L'allestimento del Team R&D Factory è la prova che Maserati sta provando a testare in c