Maserati broke an unusual record earlier this week. An MC20 managed to reach a speed of 197.7 mph (318 km/h) with no one behind the wheel, which makes the achievement even more impressive.
The feat took place in Florida during the 1000 Miglia Experience at the Indy Autonomous Challenge, held at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
The Florida space center has a 15,000-foot (about 3.21 km) track. It was on this track that the PoliMOVE-MSU team tested its brand-new artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology.
An Italian Missile
A Maserati MC20 coupe was chosen for the autonomous driving tests. The Italian automaker’s sports car is powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine producing 621 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque. The power is sent directly to the rear wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. According to Maserati, the MC20 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 325 km/h—impressive performance figures, even for an exotic car.
A New Record
The previous speed record for an autonomous production vehicle was 285 km/h. That record was set in November 2024 by a Maserati MC20 coupe. This time, the Italian sports car reached a top speed of 318 km/h, which is remarkable.
According to the president of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, “This kind of record is not just impressive; it is also important for science, as it proves that viable and efficient autonomous driving technologies can be developed—even at high speeds.”
Artificial intelligence is becoming more advanced, and I must say it is incredibly impressive when it comes to autonomous driving. As an automotive journalist, it is my duty to test such systems, and I must admit that I always have a slight sense of apprehension—it takes me some time to truly trust them. However, tests like those conducted by Maserati help push progress forward. Who knows? Maybe autonomous driving will one day lead to higher average speed limits on certain roads.
Jean-Sébastien Poudrier
