Driving to the Hangar in a Maserati MC20

It was a sunny afternoon in South Florida, and I was once again climbing into one of the most beautiful sports cars in the world, this time a Maserati. Our final destination would be The Hangar, a new class of real estate, a luxury garage condominium - a place exotic cars can call home.

Tucked behind both front wheels just below the wing mirrors were the letters MC20 in shimmering silver script. They stood for Maserati Corse 2020, marking the historic comeback of Maserati's racing brand.

621 hp, 538 lbs/ft of torque, and 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds - basically, a great way to give yourself whiplash if you’re not careful.

From the moment I sat down to grip the steering wheel to the moment I rested my head on the trident stitched headrest, it was clear I was in a vehicle that was actually comfortable enough to drive every day. However, driving a car with butterfly doors to the grocery store may not be a good idea.

The doors opened like the wings of a phoenix. The interior was stitched with beautiful craftsmanship and had that nostalgic smell of new leather, it was like sitting inside a Hermés handbag. The layout was simple, understated, lean and confident.

It’s no surprise that Apolo Ohno once owned a Maserati GranTurismo S, a man who earned his Olympic golds on razor sharp 18” blades. And this model also drove in a way that was sleek and athletic with an engine that had a Beethoven cello sonata as its blueprint.

Filming

On the day I was scheduled to drive it, the sun was beating down in South Florida. The car was purring away with its twenty-inch wheels and low-profile Pirelli tires glistening in the heat. It was parked directly outside The Ben Hotel, ‘a signature autograph collection’ right in downtown West Palm Beach.

The top speed was north of 200 miles per hour, and I was aching to test these stats. But we were shooting b-roll now, and I was instructed to merely crawl down the wide avenues lined with palm trees.

I pulled out of The Ben Hotel and veered north onto N Flagler Drive, and on the return, pulled into Palm Harbor Marina. Like every shoot, this must be done several times to film the perfect footage, slowing down and speeding up at each turn in the road and at every traffic light.

Drones are tricky things. Sometimes, they have a hard time keeping up; sometimes, they are caught on the wrong street. Maybe a drone almost slams into a traffic light and veers away at the last second. Occasionally, I’ll miss a radio cue and lose the drone completely. But on this day, we were all perfectly synchronized.

Once the crew was satisfied with the footage, I headed out of town. My next destination was The Hangar. There was an open road before me, maybe 5 miles of it, and I hit the accelerator. The car leapt into action. The needle shot up the speedometer; palm trees blurred past the window. No doubt - the Maserati MC20 is one helluva car.

We were headed to our last stop, to the ultimate hang-out for some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world. This is where I would interview the owner and founder of this premier garage condominium development. A one-of-a-kind members club.

We pulled into the front entrance. It looked like an outstretched airplane landing strip. The buildings were red, white, and gray - all perfectly numbered. ‘THE HANGAR’ was written on the front sign, with their slogan, ‘Store, Play, Hang’ inscribed beneath it.

A tall distinguished gentleman wearing a beige suit stepped out of a Hangar. I parked in front and opened the butterfly doors. The moment I stepped out, Fortloc editor, Elijah introduced me. I extended my hand. It felt like a big moment, meeting the CEO. He had started something special.

'Hello! I’m Scott Cunningham. Nice car,' he said.

I looked over my shoulder at the body of the car and at those metallic letters still shimmering in the sunlight. “You would know,” I retorted with a smile. And with that, our interview began. Be sure to watch the interview on The Hangar: The premiere garage condominium for all your prized collections.