First Look: The Maserati MCPURA Turns Up The Heat At Goodwood

The Trident’s latest thunderbolt landed not on a racetrack, but at the genteel hillclimb of Goodwood, where refinement and roaring madness share the same narrow lanes. Maserati chose this year’s Festival of Speed to pull the silk off its newest super sports car, the MCPURA. A distilled expression of everything the MC20 kicked off five years ago, the MCPURA (available as a hardtop coupé or open-air Cielo) arrives as a harder, shinier, and arguably purer evolution of Maserati’s mid-engine renaissance.

Let’s get this out of the way: no, it’s not some bloated grand tourer riding on nostalgia fumes. This is a carbon-fiber-clad, butterfly-doored, Formula 1-tech-packing road missile born from the same lineage as the MC20 but polished into something more focused and more flamboyant.

MCPURA: Same Nettuno, Sharper Suit

The engine remains the homegrown 3.0-liter twin-turbo Nettuno V6, delivering a snarling 621 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds familiar, it is. But context matters. The Maserati MCPURA shaves weight thanks to its extensive carbon-fiber diet, tipping the scales under 3,307 lbs. That gives it a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 5.21 lbs per horsepower, translating to brutal acceleration wrapped in Italian couture.

But it’s not all about numbers. What matters here is how the MCPURA makes you feel. Maserati’s goal wasn’t just to make something faster, but to make it more emotive, more tactile. And it starts with how it looks.

Design as Performance

The MCPURA has the same core silhouette as the MC20, but everything is turned up, like someone took the dial labeled “passione” and snapped it clean off. The debut example wore a mesmerizing matte Ai Aqua Rainbow finish, somewhere between an F1 diffuser and a Lisa Frank daydream. In convertible Cielo trim, it sparkled in gloss, constantly shifting color depending on the light. Maserati says the finish is inspired by the prism, and it shows: it’s dynamic, exotic, and just enough to make a parked Ferrari blush.

The MCPURA also gets unique trim touches, magenta Trident badges with blue mica flakes, custom rims, and laser-etched Alcantara seats with iridescent contrast backing. The “lasered” visuals give the cabin a layered depth, like you’re sitting inside a high-end concept car that just happens to have a license plate.

Inside, it’s all Maserati: minimalist but sculpted, draped in materials that whisper “one percent” without shouting it. The seats manage to look futuristic and heritage-driven at once, a balancing act the brand is finally nailing.

Doors That Say “You’ve Arrived”

One of the showstoppers? Butterfly doors. Yes, they serve a practical purpose, better access, especially in cramped urban garages or concours showfields, but let’s be honest, they’re mostly for drama. And drama is what you want in a six-figure Italian sports car. The exposed carbon monocoque adds visual flair every time they swing open, revealing the car’s track-bred DNA even before it lights up.

A Roof with a View (or Not)

Cielo buyers get a bonus trick: a retractable PDLC (polymer-dispersed liquid crystal) roof that can turn from transparent to opaque in a second. Top-up in Texas summer? Hit the button and block the sun. Want to cruise through Big Sur with nothing but the sky overhead? Go full convertible. The roof’s party trick makes the Cielo feel like multiple cars in one, coupe, targa, and cabriolet, all in a single shell.

Italian by Birth, Modenese by Nature

Built in Maserati’s historic Viale Ciro Menotti facility in Modena, the MCPURA is hand-assembled with the same attention to detail you’d expect from a region that treats engine tuning like a religious rite. From the first torque wrench to the final coat of custom Fuoriserie paint, every MCPURA is a product of local artisanship and global ambition.

Modena isn’t just a factory town; it’s Maserati’s soul. And this car carries that identity proudly, especially now that the plant is cranking out everything from the GT2 Stradale to the returning GranTurismo. The MCPURA may be new, but its roots run deep.

Customization, Elevated

Thanks to Maserati’s expanded Fuoriserie program, buyers can choose from over 30 colors, including three standouts: Devil Orange (think Supercar meets Louboutin), Verde Royale (a deep, moody green with old-money vibes), and Night Interaction (a layered, technical blue that looks like the sky just before a thunderstorm).

This isn’t just paint, it’s storytelling. Every MCPURA can be tailored to a degree that puts even the most bespoke options from rivals to shame. If your dream is a matte eggplant coupe with a silver Trident and blood-orange interior, well, they’ll make it happen.

Sure, the MCPURA will hit 60 in the low threes. Yes, it’ll carve up a back road with the confidence of a Porsche GT3. But none of that is really the point. The point is that Maserati has made something irrational again. Something seductive. Something you want just because it’s beautiful.

In an age where supercars risk becoming too digital, too sanitized, the MCPURA keeps it visceral. It’s a reminder that Italian cars are not meant to be efficient. They’re meant to be felt.

Maserati didn’t just evolve the MC20. They put it on a pedestal, lit it like an art exhibit, and named it after a formula that doesn’t actually exist. And somehow, it works. Welcome to the MCPURA era.

Fast Facts: 2025 Maserati MCPURA

• Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6 Nettuno
• Power: 621 hp @ 7,500 rpm
• Torque: 538 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm
• Weight: Under 3,307 lbs
• Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive
• Transmission: 8-speed DCT
• Doors: Butterfly
• Convertible Version: Cielo, with PDLC retractable roof
• Customization: 30+ body colors via Fuoriserie
• Base Price: TBD, but bring six figures and some charm