Maserati has a new mid-engined sports car on the way, the MC20. Inside is the Nettuno, the brand’s first in-house motor. It’s a three-liter twin-turbo (or should we say biturbo?) V6 that’s good for more than 600 horsepower. It’ll probably do great in that car, but it’ll need to find its way into other models in order for Maserati to get the most out of its investment.
In the past, Maserati has had to make do with engines from other brands. The V8 in the monumental fourth-generation Quattroporte was a Ferrari lump, more or less. As is the V6 in the current Quattroporte, Ghibli, and Levante.
In the past, engines went the other way, though. Not to Ferrari perhaps, but to other automakers that had a stake in Maserati. The V6 in the Citroën SM, for example, was a Maserati design. That motor would even power Citroën rally cars as well. And it gave me a thought. This motor belongs in cars across the ranges of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel parent PSA as well. With an engine like the Nettuno in the family, these brands have an opportunity to introduce sophisticated performance beyond the “Hellcat everything” philosophy.
My first choice for where this motor should go is a reborn Citroën SM, of course. I’ll always pull to resurrect my all-time favorite. But I know it has potential across all the lineups joined together by the FCA-PSA merger. I’m sure you think so as well. So where should the Nettuno go? Which brand could use it best? Let us know in the comments below.