Maserati MC20 Cielo makes UK debut at Festival of Speed

With a carbon fibre tub, the MC20 can afford to lop the top without losing too much rigidity, so it hasn’t gained an awful lot of weight from strengthening. In total the Cielo adds just 65kg compared to the coupe, which is an astonishing achievement. So, it’s prettier, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of driving dynamics.

Yes, we said it’s prettier. From the sportscars of the 1950s, to the Ghibli road cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s, to the Spiders of the 2000s, all of the best-looking Maseratis have been topless. This is no exception. We love how brand proud the Cielo is too – is there a car that wears its maker’s logo larger than the Cielo does on its open-top lid? That lid tucks the roof away from fully open to closed inside 12 seconds too.

Of course, the Cielo retains the coupe’s highly sophisticated ‘Nettuno’ twin-turbo V6, with pre-chamber combustion technology. At 630PS (463kW), it’s a bit down on power compared with the V6s from McLaren and Ferrari, but they’re both hybrids, heavier and more expensive. Whisper it… the Maser could be the pick of the litter. The only downside? The Cielo is a fair wedge more expensive than the coupe, starting at £30,000 more, from £187,000. When we were faced with it here, though, sensible things like pricing weren’t exactly front-of-mind. The Trident’s going well in 2022.

You can catch the Maserati MC20 Cielo and much more at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed by clicking here to watch our live stream!

Photography by Phil Hay.