Maserati's New Twin

Jul 06, 2023

The new Nettuno V-6 has a unique head, but also has obvious links to other FCA products.

Maserati is quite proud of its new "Nettuno" 3.0 liter twin-turbo V-6 and the technical advancements its engineers made. The company recently released some specs on the engine and was quick to note in the first line of the press release that the engine is "100% Maserati." But after looking at some of the details that's not quite the case.

Glancing at pictures of the engine reveals many familiar components. It's not hard to see the connection to the Ferrari F154 V-8 engine and the Alfa Romeo 690T engine, a V-6 variant of the F154 that's found in the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio.

The Nettuno specs list a 90-degree angle for the engine, a match for the F154. A cursory glance of the rear also shows a layout that is very similar to Ferrari's V-8. The 88mm bore and 82mm stroke are a direct match for the F154 as found in the SF90 Stradale. The rev limit of 8,000 RPM is also a match for the SF90, which leads us to believe that development of the Nettuno may have started by removing two cylinders from that engine. The firing order of 1-6-3-4-2-5 for the Nettuno is also the same as the firing order of the F154-based V-6 found in Alfa Romeo vehicles.

The most apparent connection to the F154 can be seen from the rear. The bottom right corner of the rear cover uses the same bolt pattern and flanges on the side of the block, similarly placed to the Ferrari engine. The same crankshaft position sensor and mounting can also be seen in the valley of the engine.

Another common item shows up directly above that sensor. The oil filter housing and mounting pattern is shared between the F154 and the Nettuno. The housing is a match for the one found in the California T, based on the used engine photo above.

The front of the engine offers more clues. The image above compares a Nettuno engine with an F154 from a Ferrari California T. The crankshaft pulley matches those seen on various F154 variants and a look behind it shows that much of the casting for the front cover is a good match, most notably what appears to be a coolant passage directly above and to the left of that crankshaft pulley. The supports for the deck of the block are also visible and appear to be cast in the same manner.

While all of those external hints might be enough to deduce a connection, the real clue comes from a video Maserati released that shows the deck of the cylinder block. The image above shows that the arrangement of the cylinders, liners, and passages is an exact match for the F154, with the main difference being a set of cylinders chopped off from the rear to turn it into a V-6.

Comparing that block to an F154 block that was pulled out of the California T confirms the matches and shows that the main difference is really just two missing cylinders. Even the some of the bosses for the bolts in the valley appear to be the same, which explains why things like the oil filter housing are able to transfer.

The Nettuno does run an 11:1 compression ratio which does not match any Ferrari engine, and that is likely due to the head design. The heads are unique and appear to be a completely new development by Maserati. They feature dual spark plugs and a "pre-chamber," which is a small combustion chamber that is connected to the traditional combustion chamber by a series of uniquely designed holes. This "pre-chamber" system is based on Formula One technology.

This tech has been around for some and was first used in a more basic form by Honda in the 1970's Civic CVCC. The technology for Formula One was developed my Mahle to allow engines to run more efficiently without becoming dangerously lean. Ars Technica dug into the tech back in 2016 and has a helpful diagram of the arrangement of the spark plugs in their story.

While this technology has existed for some time, Maserati customized it for this engine and created a novel arrangement for the head design. They applied for a patent for the technology back in 2018 and the inventors listed on the patent give us a hint as to Ferraris' involvement.

The first inventor on the list is Fabio Bedogini. According to LinkedIn he has been employed by Ferrari since 2009 for engine development and still works there. He was previously employed by diesel engine builder VM Motori as an innovation manager, a position that was probably helpful in developing this pre-chamber technology as it has existed in diesel engines for some time. Gianluca Pivetti is also listed on the patent application. He is a former Ferrari engineer who now heads up gasoline powertrains at Maserati and is one of the leads on this new Nettuno engine. Stefano Magistrali, Ettore Musu, and Paolo Zolesi are also listed on the application and all are part of the powertrain team at Maserati. From the F1 side we have Davide Mazzoni. He was formerly an experimental engine development engineer for the Ferrari F1 team along with some stints at Ducati for engine development before joining Maserati in 2013.

While the cylinder head design is unique and the patent shows that Maserati has done large scale development on its own, the engine has a large basis on the F154 V-8. The big difference now is that this new engine will be assembled by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, not by Ferrari. That also means that other bits around the engine have been borrowed from the FCA stable. One of these items clearly visible is the A/C compressor, part number 50537067, a direct match for the unit found on the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio models. There's even an Alfa Romeo logo visible on it. The alternator is also visible as Denso part number 670050552, another part directly from the Alfa Romeo vehicles.

Some of its external components have also been borrowed from the F154. One of those is the camshaft position sensor which shows a part number of 0232103076. This sensor is used by a variety of V-8 Ferraris along with some current Maseratis.

The Nettuno does divert from the Ferrari engine since it uses both direct injection and port injection while the latest variant of the F154 only uses direct, but the supply for the fuel systems on both appears to be configured in a similar manner. The Nettuno receives 350 bar of fuel pressure much like the F154 in the SF90 Stradale. The Nettuno appears to be the third engine to use that pump configuration, as the 812 Superfast was the first to have a 350 bar spec for the supply to its V-12.

While Maserati has done significant development in-house, particularly with the novel head design, it's clear that the engine has roots in the Ferrari F154. While parts of this engine are unique and certainly "100% Maserati," the entire engine is not.

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