The Italian name for Neptune is Nettuno, and it has been chosen by Maserati as the name of the new engine that will power the MC20 super sports car, which is scheduled to be unveiled September 9-10 at a special event, “MMXX: The time to be audacious,” in Modena.
In anticipation of that event, the Italian sports car manufacturer is promoting its new engine, which it says “adopts F1 technology for a road car.”
“Maserati’s new era begins with a new engine,” the company said as it showcased the V6, which it notes was developed in house and has technology derived from Formula 1 racing and protected by international patents.
“The engine is the result of a technical revolution,” the company said, adding that, “After 20 years, Maserati has once again enthusiastically taken on the challenge of returning to its Modena HQ with the development and production of a new, highly-technological, high-performance engine.
“The operation is a strategic one for Maserati, a brand that, today, is preparing to launch the new MC20, a project that is ‘100 percent Made in Modena‘ starting right from its engine, the heart of the new car.”
The Neptune engine is a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter, 90-degree V6 with dry-sump lubrication. It is rated at 630 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque.
“The soul of the engine is the innovative pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin-spark plugs,” Maserati said in its announcement. “This technology is derived from Formula 1 and is now available, for the first time, on an engine destined for the road.”
Other special features are a lateral spark plug — “a traditional spark plug acts as a support to ensure constant combustion when the engine is operating at a level that doesn’t need the pre-chamber to kick in” — and twin injection — “direct and indirect: linked to the fuel supply pressure at 350bar, the system reduces noise low down on the rev range, lowering emissions and improving consumption.”
The MMXX event not only will feature the unveiling of the MC20 but several other new models that will go into production in the next few years, Maserati added.
superb technology challenge after 20 years .