Maserati Birdcage 75th

Maserati 75th Birdcage
The Maserati Birdcage 75th at the 2006 LA Auto Show.
Overview
Manufacturer	Pininfarina
Production	2005 (Concept car)
Designer	Ken Okuyama, Lowie Vermeersch under Pininfarina
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	1-door berlinetta
Layout	RMR layout
Doors	Canopy doors
Related	Maserati MC12, Ferrari FXX, Ferrari Enzo
Powertrain
Engine	6.0 L Tipo F140 B V12
Transmission	6-speed semi-automatic
Chronology
Predecessor	Maserati MC12

The Maserati Birdcage 75th was a concept car created and designed by a Pininfarina design team led by Lowie Vermeersch, including Jason Castriota and Giuseppe Randazzo under the direction of Ken Okuyama. It was first introduced at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show. It was named to honor the classic Maserati Birdcages of the 1960s and Pininfarina's 75th anniversary. The original car intent was discussed and pursued originally by Paolo Pininfarina, Pininfarina S.p.A, Franco Lodato and Peter Aloumanis, from Motorola during a business gathering in September 2004 at Pebble Beach, California.

The Birdcage 75th is built on the carbon fiber chassis of a Maserati MC12 GT1 race car and shares many components, most notably the engine. The Birdcage 75th is powered by the Ferrari/Maserati F140 V12 engine from the MC12 and the Enzo, mid mounted at 65°. The engine has been tuned for the Birdcage and as a result produces around 700 brake horsepower.

The car's body was designed by Pininfarina to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. A documentary called "Sleek Dreams" was filmed about the six-month design process. The exterior is made of carbon fiber with diffusers at the rear and two spoilers that automatically raise at speed. The windshield is made of perspex and extends almost from the front to the back of the car; this is a necessity because of the driver's low seated position—if the windscreen ended higher, they would be unable to see the oncoming road. This visibility problem is compounded by typical concept-car omissions like wing mirrors.