Maserati MC-12 smashes Nurburgring record
October 14, 2008 by Matt Brogan
British performance car magazine, Evo, is claiming to have smashed the production car lap record at the infamous Nurburgring race track in a Maserati MC-12, taking just 7:24.29 minutes to lap the circuit regarded as the ultimate test of a super car.
Armed with a fleet of supercars provided by a German collector, which included a Ferrari Enzo, the Koenigsegg CCX, the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport and the Porsche Carrera GT, as well as the Maserati, Evo borrowed American Le Mans Series race driver, Marc Basseng to do the driving.
While none of the cars could, in any way, be described as slow, the car that was the least quick around the track was the Koenigsegg CCX, which, while staggeringly fast in a straight line thanks to its 672 kW, had trouble using its immense power in the corners, humps and hills of the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife.
In the Porsche, Basseng matched the time set by the legendary Walter Rohrl during the final testing of the Carrera GT, but it was only sufficient to finish in fourth place. Next came the Ferrari Enzo, just behind the Pagani, which averaged more than 165km/h, yet was still shadowed by the mighty Maserati MC-12.
What makes the performance of the Maserati MC-12 all the more impressive was the fact that not only was it the heaviest of the cars tested – a fact that has added significance on a track that goes up and down a mountain during a lap – and was also running with conventional dampers and steel brakes.
The magazine concluded that while it was not the quickest on the straights, the Maserati MC-12 triumphed thanks to the balanced chassis and race-bred aerodynamics and an engine that provided easily accessible power, a combination that enabled Basseng to get the power earlier and harder than its rivals.
This balance that enabled the MC-12 to capture the Nurburgring record is hallmark of all Maserati designs and is just as evident in the Maserati Quattroporte and GranTurismo models, with their engines placed behind the front axle line and, in the GranTurismo S, a rear transaxle to ensure optimum weight distribution.
This allows Maserati drivers to fully exploit the potential of their cars with confidence as the chassis is both responsive and consistent in its performance, an ability that is further enhanced by the smooth and effortless power provided by the Maserati V8 engine.
Print it: 
whats the previous quickest lap?
It’s a pity they didn’t have a Nissan for the day as well, then this driver could have put the controversy to rest.
Since he exactly matched the Porsche time, his time in the GT-R would also have been a reference.
My god i have had this magazine for a week.. why is print media beating the internet?
Evo is one of the best magazines you can buy IMO. That and top gear is all you need.
print media is so far behind the web it is not funny! One story doesn’t provide the grand picture of media these days.
Yeah, it would have been good to see a standard Nissan try and get anywhere near the times that they (Nissan) have been claiming for the car. Good topic for CA to jump on.
ummm… Has everyone forgotten that the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR got 7:22.1?
Acilk, good point, but the MC-12 is a production car that was totally out of the box. That Viper was modified, not stock. Specifically, the production seats replaced for lighter weight ones and other such things along those lines.
Ah k. I don’t know the details for the Viper run. Just the time it got
I’m not surprised at all. Despite using the same Ferrari Enzo powerplant and chassis, Maserati have taken tings a step further in tuning and areo. The Stig proved it’s quciker around the track than the Enzo on TopGear. It also looks better than an ugly Enzo as well.
The amazing thing about the nissan is it’s price for performance, how much is the MC-12 vs GT-R?
The GT-R is a very clever car that could be driven by not so good drivers and get a good result, according to TGUK the MC is a very fast car but a very nervious car to control and hard to control.
Give me the GT-R and some boot space and able to look out the back window and being able to park in a standard parking space
MC-12 a road car I dont think so, not on Australian country roads anyway.
Capri_XR2 Says:
October 14th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
“The GT-R is a very clever car that could be driven by not so good drivers and get a good result,”
That appears to be untrue, since Nissan is now saying that they are willing to give driving lessons to enable the GTR time to be matched.
They are actually saying the Porsche drivers are unable to match the Nissan driver in the car without lessons on how to get the best out of the GTR.
the reson that the acr viper is faster then the mv12 on the ring is that the viper has way more torque then the mc12 so the the acr viper can exit the corner with some grunt and much faster.and that improves its time. viper rules