Maserati is back, with a new, slinky-looking supercar dubbed the "MC20" set to launch for the 2022 model year, and a pure-electric variant to be revealed at a later date.

That name, "MC20", is of course no accident, issuing a callback to the Italian sports car marque's MC12 from earlier in the century, and telegraphing Maserati's intent to enter the new supercar into motorsport competition. The "MC" stands for "Maserati Corse," and if those words don't immediately make your heartbeat pick up and your hands start to sweat, you may want to have your pulse checked.

Now, the Maserati MC20 has just been spotted testing at Ferrari's private Fiorano test track, proving the merits of its mid-rear-engine configuration on some rain-slick tarmac.

Taking a page from the Ford GT playbook, the Maserati MC20 will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine mounted behind the driver - at least until the pure-electric version hits the market some time after launch. Maserati says it's an all-new engine designed in-house, without a helping hand from Ferrari, although its redline, firing order, and 90-degree cylinder bank angle all point to some Ferrari-derived origins.

With 621 horsepower on tap and an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Maserati MC20 looks properly quick in a straight line, and thanks to its rear-mid-engine layout, it appears to be pretty agile on the track, too. Turn-in seems sharp, and it looks like it's only too happy to rotate when prompted.

The Maserati MC20 will be the marque's first rear-mid-engine production car since the Ferrari Enzo-based MC12, which was built in very limited numbers between 2004 and 2005. A rear-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration is the best from a performance standpoint because of where the mass of the car ends up being concentrated, with plenty of weight on the rear axle to help maintain traction under hard acceleration, and a low moment of inertia for more agile turning.

In other words, it's just what Maserati needs to rejuvenate its admittedly stale image.