The Maserati MC20 Cielo: Modena's Open-Air Masterpiece

Twelve seconds. That is how long the Maserati MC20 Cielo takes to fold its glass roof away, and you can do it while rolling — no pulling over, no planning ahead, no waiting for the marine layer to decide what it's doing. Behind your shoulders sits a 621-horsepower V6 that Maserati built itself, using combustion technology lifted from Formula 1. Ahead of you is Pacific Coast Highway. And almost nobody you pass will know what you're driving. That last part is the entire point. The Car Maserati Waited Fifteen Years to Build Maserati's last real supercar was the MC12 — a Ferrari Enzo underneath, 50 cars built, gone by 2005. For the fifteen years that followed, the company made handsome grand tourers while Ferrari and Lamborghini ran the supercar conversation without them. The MC20 was the answer, and it came with something to prove. Designed in Modena. Built in Modena. And for the first time in over twenty years, powered by an engine Maserati developed in-house rather than borrowing from Ferrari. The Cielo — Italian for sky — is the open-top version. It was engineered alongside the coupe from day one, not cut down from it afterward. That distinction is why it gives up so little. An Engine Borrowed From Formula 1 The Nettuno is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 making 621 horsepower and 538 lb-ft. That works out to roughly 207 horsepower per litre — more specific output than engines carrying twice the cylinders. What makes it genuinely unusual is how it lights the fuel. The Nettuno uses pre-chamber combustion with twin spark plugs, a Formula 1 technology that had never reached a production road car before this one. A small chamber fires first and shoots jets of flame into the main chamber, burning fuel faster and more completely than a single spark can manage. You feel it as a hard, urgent surge at the top of the rev range that doesn't sound like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. It sounds like itself. 0–60 mph: about 3.0 seconds Top speed: 199 mph Drivetrain: 8-speed dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive, mid-engine Weight: roughly 3,252 lbs on a carbon fibre monocoque The Roof That Turns Opaque The retractable hard top is glass, and it does something no fabric roof can. Closed, it uses PDLC glass — polymer-dispersed liquid crystal — which flips from completely transparent to completely opaque at the touch of a button. Clear, you get a cathedral of light and an open view of the sky with the cabin still sealed. Opaque, it's a dark-roofed coupe. No shade to slide across, no compromise in either direction. Open, you get the thing you actually came for. The engineering cost was small. The carbon monocoque was stiff enough to lose its roof without needing weight added back in, which is why the Cielo drives like the coupe instead of like a convertible made from one. It Doesn't Shout The MC20 opens on butterfly doors, hinged forward and up. Everything else about it is quiet. There is no rear wing. No stacked vents. No aggression applied to the bodywork for the sake of being noticed. A Lamborghini shouts and a Ferrari performs; the Maserati just looks expensive and fast and says nothing until the doors go up. In satin black — which is how ours is finished — it photographs like sculpture. For a wedding, a proposal, or a shoot, that restraint does more work than a louder car would. Why Rarity Is the Real Argument Here is the case our clients usually land on. You will see Lamborghinis in Newport Beach. You will see Ferraris. On a Saturday afternoon you might count a dozen without trying. They are extraordinary cars and we rent plenty of them — but they no longer make anyone look twice. You will almost never see an MC20 Cielo. Production runs at a fraction of its rivals, and Maserati has already moved the model forward under a new name, which quietly closes the MC20 chapter. Turning up in one doesn't say you spent money. It says you knew what to ask for. Who Should Book It Coastal drives. PCH, Laguna Canyon, Ortega Highway. Roof down, mid-engine balance, and a car that rewards you at legal speeds instead of only above them. Days that get photographed. Weddings, engagements, milestone birthdays, content shoots. Butterfly doors and satin black paint carry a frame. Drivers who've done the obvious ones. If the Huracán and the F8 are familiar, this is the one that still feels new. Anyone who hates choosing. Roof open for the coast, opaque for the drive home, clear for the canyon at golden hour. Three cars in one booking. Book the MC20 Cielo We keep the 2024 MC20 Cielo Convertible in satin black. Self-pickup at our Costa Mesa shop, or delivered anywhere in Orange County, Los Angeles, or San Diego. Rentals run from a single day to a full week. Tell us what the day looks like and we'll tell you whether this is the right car for it — a wedding getaway has different needs than a weekend on the coast. Reserve the MC20 Cielo, or call and we'll walk you through availability. About First Class Exotics First Class Exotics is an exotic and luxury car rental company serving Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego. We deliver to homes, hotels, venues, and airports across Southern California. Our fleet spans Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bentley, Mercedes-Maybach — and now Maserati.