(By Tom Lohnes) – Believe it or not, it has nearly been 2 years since Maserati unveiled their MC20 supercar. Yep, time flies. Obviously, the pandemic affected a lot in the automotive industry, because the US is just getting the first batch of them now. Impressions are generally very positive, and that is a good milestone for Maserati because this is the first majority-liked car they’ve released since the Quattroporte in the late 2000’s. Maserati sees this, and figures that they should capitalize on actually making a good car. Enter the MC20 Cielo, an even better-looking version of an already beautiful car.

Because of the MC20’s carbon-fiber monocoque, the drop-top Cielo only weighs about 75 pounds more than the coupe. With the top up, the MC20 Cielo looks pretty much exactly like the coupe, with flying buttresses emulating the fastback design it is missing. The top is a nice folding piece of aluminum, and it can rise and lower in about 15 seconds at speeds up to 31 miles per hour. If you get the convertible, you also get a giant crest painted on the decklid, which I personally think looks really cool. And yes, the doors still go up on the convertible. Sweet!

So obviously, it looks quite good. That is expected out of an Italian supercar. But, what really matters in a vehicle like this is the soul. Well, the MC20 has plenty of that. Under the mid-mounted hood is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 called the Nettuno. In English, the word translates to Neptune. With the assistance of about 45 pounds of boost, the Nettuno produces 621 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty for this vehicle that weighs just over 3300 pounds. Behind the V6 is an 8-speed DCT, and the gas-powered MC20 is exclusively RWD. If you want AWD, an EV will be coming next year.

Maserati hasn’t confirmed the price for the Cielo yet, but the standard MC20 starts around $220,000, so expect this to graze 240. But, this seems like the one to have. What do you think?