Maserati’s MC20 supercar is the pinnacle of the brand’s performance. The 621-horsepower supercar debuted in 2020 as a spiritual successor to the MC12 supercar from the 2000s, and since then the brand has gone on to create variants like the track-ready GT2 Stradale and the convertible MC20 Cielo. While the MC20 might not attract the buyers in ways that competitors like the Porsche 911 Turbo and Chevy Corvette Z06 have, it’s still a halo car for the brand.
That halo status was further cemented recently with an impressive showing of the MC20’s performance and AI technology as part of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, the world’s only active racing series for autonomous cars. In a combined effort with Italy’s largest scientific technology school, Politecnico di Milano, and Italy’s National Center for Sustained Mobility, Maserati set a new world speed record with a driverless MC20. With no one behind the wheel, the MC20 was able to hit nearly 200 mph in a controlled setting.
Setting a new world record
The basis for the driverless MC20 was an MC20 Cielo convertible. Using AI programming that was developed by PoliMOVE-MSU, an artificial intelligence team from the school, the autonomous MC20 was able to hit 197.7 mph at the Kennedy Space Center. Not only is that impressive for a driverless car and just a few ticks shy of the Cielo’s 202-mph top speed, it’s also a new world record, beating the previous record set in November 2024 by another driverless MC20 coupe at Piacenza Military Airport in Italy. During that run, the driverless car reached 177 mph. This new record also beats a previous driverless car record set at the Kennedy Space Center in 2022 when the IAC AV-21 race car hit 192.8 mph. Paul Mitchell, CEO of Indy Autonomous Challenge and Aidoptation BV, said the new record helps push the boundaries of what AI can do so it can be used in real-world driving.
These world speed records are much more than just a showcase of future technology; we are pushing AI-driver software and robotics hardware to the absolute edge. Doing so with a streetcar is helping transition the learnings of autonomous racing to enable safe, secure, sustainable, high-speed autonomous mobility on highways.
Maserati says a second driverless MC20 Cielo will drive around the U.S. as part of the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida. This MC20 has already driven nearly 40 miles autonomously in Italy, and the brand says it’s now in the U.S. to showcase the “excellence of Italian research.” Maserati echoed Paul Mitchell’s statement in its announcement of the record, saying that this run helps further AI and driverless car research so it can be used in both production and motorsport applications. Could this all be the beginning of a new age of driverless car tech? It could be. It remains to be seen what benefit a driverless car going nearly 200 mph would be for the public, but if it helps improve Level 2 and Level 3 automated driving systems already in use, it’ll be a win for sure.
