The Maserati MC20 sets a record: 318 km/h in autonomous mode at NASA facilities
An impressive Maserati MC20 supercar driven by has reached 318 km/h on the historic space landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This feat, achieved on 3 March 2025, was made possible by a collaboration between the PoliMOVE team of the Politecnico di Milano, Maserati, the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) and the 1000 Miglia Experience Florida initiative, setting a new advance for high-performance autonomous mobility.
World record broken
The 318 km/h (197.7 mph) achieved beats the previous mark of 310.2 km/h set in 2022 by the same PoliMOVE-MSU team with a modified Indy NXT prototype.
A new milestone for production vehicles
This MC20 improved by 33 km/h on its own record of 285 km/h, achieved during tests at Piacenza Military Airport (Italy) in November 2024.
Autonomous driving exceeds human limits
The setting chosen for this demonstration could not have been more symbolic: a 4.5-kilometre runway at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility, where NASA's space shuttles historically landed. There, the PoliMOVE-MSU engineering team, part of the Artificial Intelligence for Autonomous Driving (AIDA) division of the Politecnico di Milano, showed that autonomous systems can exceed human capabilities in the most demanding environments.
This is not an experimental vehicle but a modified Maserati MC20, a production supercar, equipped with sophisticated algorithms that processed all driving parameters in real time without any human intervention. The key to success: a perfect combination of the Italian sports car's exceptional chassis and an AI system able to make decisions in milliseconds.
A track record of constant innovation
Since its creation in 2021, the Indy Autonomous Challenge has become the ultimate testing ground for high-performance autonomous mobility. What began as a competition for nine university teams in Indianapolis has gradually expanded to international circuits such as Las Vegas, Texas and Monza, establishing itself as the world epicentre of driverless vehicle innovation.
The PoliMOVE-MSU team has been at the forefront of this technological revolution for years, showing that European talent, when it has support, has a lot to say on the international stage. This is not their first entry in the record books: in 2022 they had already set a milestone by reaching 310.2 km/h with an experimental single-seater. However, achieving a similar speed with a production vehicle is a huge leap towards bringing these technologies into the real world.
"The aim of these high-speed tests goes far beyond setting records. We are meticulously evaluating the behaviour of autonomous systems in extreme conditions, information that is vital for improving safety and reliability in everyday applications. We have taken the software and hardware to the absolute limit, showing that autonomy and high performance can not only coexist but boost each other," explains Professor Sergio Matteo Savaresi, scientific director of the project and head of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering at the Politecnico di Milano.
The MC20: connecting the autonomous future
Paul Mitchell, CEO of the Indy Autonomous Challenge, stresses the importance of using a production vehicle such as the Maserati MC20: "These records go beyond a mere technology showcase. We are building direct bridges between autonomous racing and the everyday mobility of the future. Every kilometre driven at these speeds without human intervention is a giant step towards safer, more efficient and more sustainable roads for everyone."
The Italian presence was not limited to the MC20 that broke the record. A second car, the retractable-roof MC20 Cielo, took part in the exclusive 1000 Miglia Experience Florida, an event that celebrates Italian motoring tradition. This vehicle had already shown its autonomous potential months earlier, completing a 60-kilometre driverless journey on Italian public roads during the historic 1000 Miglia race in 2023.
This fusion of automotive heritage and innovation perfectly represents Maserati's philosophy. Massimo Cicatiello, president of EGA USA (organisers of the 1000 Miglia Experience), says: "Seeing an icon of Italian design like the MC20 break technological barriers shows that tradition and future are not opposing concepts. This collaboration marks the start of an exciting path where Italian automotive heritage is reinterpreted through the most advanced technologies."
Implications for the future of mobility
It is increasingly clear: the autonomous revolution is no longer an abstract concept but a tangible reality that gets closer every day. The milestone achieved by this Maserati MC20 represents several significant advances:
On the one hand, it shows that even supercars, vehicles traditionally designed to maximise the sensory connection between driver and machine, can benefit from artificial intelligence to explore new limits of performance, safety and efficiency. On the other, it confirms that autonomous technology is maturing to the point of handling the most demanding and complex situations with ease.
The people in charge of the project maintain that the algorithms and systems developed to keep control at 318 km/h can be carried over to everyday applications.
With this record, the Maserati MC20 joins the projects that show how far autonomous driving can go in a production vehicle.
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