www.QV500.com - Maserati MC12 Part 2: MC12 Stradale Pininfarina Speciale
 
At the Geneva Salon in March 2005, Pininfarina displayed an audacious concept car built to celebrate the great Turin design house's 75th anniversary. Known as Birdcage, the basis was Maserati's MC12 Stradale (itself launched at Geneva the previous year) and although a 700bhp 6-litre V12 was mentioned at the time, it's believed the technical specification was unchanged other than for new 20-inch front and 22-inch rear wheels. A daringly futuristic piece of hi-tech rolling sculpture then, the Birdcage was clearly inspired by those great dream car conepts from the late sixties and early seventies.
   

This period of optimism and boundless creativity produced some of the world’s most astounding automobiles, Pininfarina embarking on a series of extreme concepts based on what were highly advanced sports prototype underpinnings. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Abarth racing cars were all bodied by the firm, radical designs like the Modulo and Carabo having represented the ultimate manifestation of dream car ideaology. Named after the fabled Maserati Birdcage racers that were so successful 45 years earlier, the 2005 concept had bodywork designed for Pininfarina by Ken Okuyama. It featured a combined cockpit and nose that opened up and forward (just like the Modulo), the one-piece wrap-around roof comprising bonnet and passenger compartment door in a single structure, this hinging up on struts to allow access. Active aero panels raised and lowered accordingly to produce the necessary levels of downforce, other distinctive touches including the two centrally-exiting vertical exhausts and ultra-thin LED lights, the rear of which were ventilated to aid engine compartment cooling.

 
Nearly half a metre shorter than the regular MC12, the Birdcage was a much better balanced design, its weight having risen to 1500kg. The cabin was created with Motorola who supplied their next-generation mobile technology. A transparent aircraft-style head-up display doubled as the instrument panel and was supported by a triangular structure that recalled the multi-tube frames of the original Birdcage Maserati's. In place of a steering wheel was a control yoke with centrally-set panel, but in spite of all this state-of-the-art equipment, Pininfarina still found a home for the traditional Maserati clock.