Maserati MC12 GT1 Vitaphone Lets out Its Primordial Scream

Sputtering, spitting, and screaming, the mighty Maserati 6.0-liter V12 is pure aural delight.

There are great sounding engines, and then there’s pure aural pleasure. The legendary Maserati MC12 GT1, of course, falls into the latter category. Rare are cars that we can simply sit around and listen to all day, but this is one of them. And the four plus minutes of incredible, primordial screaming present on this clip from NM2255 Car HD Videos is well worth a sliver of your time.

Here we have the Maserati MC12 GT1 campaigned by the German Vitaphone racing team. The footage comes to us from the recent Peter Auto Spa Classic, which took place at the Spa Francorchamps circuit. And despite the many magnificent machines around it, there’s just something about the Maserati’s 6.0-liter V12 that makes us all tingly inside.

With a full 755 horsepower available at 8,000 rpm, it’s no wonder. This is a glorious looking lump, one that emits a most glorious variety of noises. Heck, even while cruising slowly out of the pits, you now that things are about to get serious. And once the loud pedal goes down, this screaming powerplant comes to life with an unapologetic fervor.

Stuttering like a man at a loss for words and spitting angrily as the driver accelerates around corners, you’d think that this is an engine with a great deal of inner torment. If such a thing were possible, of course. Spitting fire and emitting noises fit for a cliche horror movie, it’s easily enough to scare the neighborhood if you could wrangle one onto public roads.

Such is the beauty of the internal combustion engine. An endangered species, perhaps. But so long as we get to listen to sounds like those emitted from the McLaren MC12 GT1, all is right with the world.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.
Foote has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles and every other type of automobile, Foote had spent several years running parts for local dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.