Maserati's long awaited sports-car the MC20 finally unveiled

Maserati has finally shown the world the MC20, their long awaited sport-scar, in full, undisguised form.

Maserati hope this halo model will give the brand the sporting image their history so richly deserves.

Not only that, it also needs to bring the brand's profit margins up, significantly. Sales for Maseratis slowed dramatically in the latter half of the last decade, with the line-up needing a serious shake-up.

The Ghibli saloon and Levante SUV were hoped to aid this, but they haven't quite grabbed attention as Maserati had hoped and the Gran Turismo coupe, the brand's best-seller, was finally laid to rest in December after 17 years in production.

Maserati have refreshed the Ghibli saloon, giving it the V8 power-plant in so richly deserved, but where Maserati hope the 2020s will really spark their resurgence, is with the MC20.

Maserati has a proud history in Motorsport, having won Formula 1 championships with none other than Juan-Manuel Fangio; and having reams of success with Sir Stirling Moss across a range of categories through the 50s and 60s.

Something not lost on Maserati's marketing department, who paid tribute to the recently deceased Moss in the build-up to the new MC20's launch.

So it's clear Maserati want to channel their sporting history in this new sport-car, so they haven't half-arsed it. The chassis is a bespoke carbon-fibre tub and the engine is an all new, high-tech, twin-turbo V6, which will be mid-mounted, behind the driver.

That engine will produce 621bhp and 538lbs/ft of torque through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. This makes the MC20 the most powerful Maserati ever produced.

This new state of the art engine, mated to a light weight and structurally strong chassis make for a mouth-watering prospect. Performance is one thing, but Italian sports-cars also need to be beautiful.

So the unveiling of the MC20's aesthetics give us the final piece of the puzzle. Is it beautiful? Well these things are subjective, but I'm not so sure.

Hardly an uggo, and the proportions are spot-on, but the front-end has a very Rimac look to it and the rear-end is a bit bland. A blandness which seems to continue into the cabin.

We'll see how that resonates with customers and proof will be in the pudding in the driving experience. The tech from this car should trickle down to the rest of the Maserati range and hopefully give their sales the shot in the arm they so desperately need.