MODENA (Italy): At a time when major carmakers have set their sights on electric powertrain systems as the way of the future, luxury and performance brand Maserati believes that combustion engines still have plenty of untapped potential left.
Enter Maserati's first 100% own-developed engine in decades - the Nettuno twin-turbo V6 - which features technology from Formula One racing.
The 3.0-litre engine features a 90-degree V angle, dual fuel system of port (6 bar) and direct (350 bar) injection, dual spark plug per cylinder and a F1 pre-chamber ignition system that - working together in a total package - delivers high levels of fuel combustion and efficiency as well as lower emissions.
Other features includes an oversquare piston design with a bore of 88mm and stroke of 82mm, a firing order of 1-6-3-4-2-5, double overhead camshafts with variable valve timing, 11:1 compression ratio, dry sump with variable oil pump and external oil tank.
The end result is an output of 620hp at 7,500rpm and 730Nm of torque from a high-revving engine that weighs some 220kg.
The Nettuno will mark a shift from using Ferrari-derived engines for Maserati's new family of performance vehicles.
The first Maserati vehicle to be equipped with the Nettuno engine is the all-new MC20 supersports car, promising a 0-100kph sprint in 2.9 seconds.
The Nettuno engine development started in 2015 when Maserati engineers were exploring the viability of using the F1 pre-chamber technology in an engine proposed for high-performance road cars where refinement, low noise, drivability and emission were also important.
In a recent livestream tour and briefing of the Nettuno engine at its assembling facility "lab" in Modena, Maserati chief engineer Matteo Valentini said the revolutionary powerplant had been designed with a 90 degree V angle for a compact dimension and light weight.
He said the Nettuno features the unique F1 pre-chamber system where the main spark plug within fires up air-fuel mixture whose flames exit rapidly from tiny holes and in turn, ignites the air-fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber for a more efficient and fuller burn.
Valentini said a regular ignition system, where the spark plug fires directly into the main combustion chamber, is also used to provide stability to the pre-chamber ignition system whenever the engine is running on low load.
The pre-chamber system, Valentini said, does not require servicing or maintenance and that the Nettuno engine could run on RON98 fuel.
Maserati Powertrain Facility manager Jonata Azzali said the ambience of the Nettuno "lab" is kept deliberately bright and spotless with white walls as to give an emphasis on laboratory cleanliness.
The assembling facility also comes with an atmospheric overpressure and filtration system to keep dust and other possible airborne contaminants from entering the area.
To provide high levels of quality control, technicians assembling the Nettuno engine are assisted by monitor screens to show not just the right amount of torque to tighten the bolts but also the sequence of the bolts to be tightened.
"If the sequence is not done in the correct order, the monitoring system will alert the operator," he said.
All torque data are logged and collected from electronic hand tools and installation stations and stored in a central database.
Azzali said that in addition to the meticulous checks by the operators at all levels of assembling, monitoring was also being done by overhead cameras to provide another layer of quality assurance and safeguard against errors.
He also said helium would be pumped into a completed fuel system to check for leaks.
Once an engine is completed, it will be sent to testbed to be checked for power, torque, oil pressure and possible leakages for 40 minutes under standard testing.
The engine oil would also be sampled and tested for metallic compound content.
Azzali said oil was considered the blood of the engine.
"By analysing the 'blood,' we would be able to uncover if there was anything wrong with the Nettuno engine," Azzali said.
Even though electric motors may have the advantage in torque delivery compared with combustion engines, they still produce a sterile motor whine that is nowhere as exciting and adrenaline-inducing like the scream of a racing engine running at a crescendo.
Get ready as the MC20 is expected to be launched in Europe this summer.
