Maserati's Nettuno V6 roars on hydrogen: a 650 hp demo at Le Mans

Three years after its debut, the Ligier JS2 RH2 is back in the spotlight. At the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, this remarkable racing car will once again perform a demonstration lap – this time with a notably more powerful powertrain. The project by Bosch, Ligier Automotive and Maserati shows that a zero-emission hydrogen engine can still deliver the temperament and sound of a hypercar.

A familiar engine on a new fuel

At the heart of the project is the Nettuno V6, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine that also powers the Maserati MC20, MCPura and GT2 Stradale. According to Davide Danesin, Head of Maserati Engineering, the engine is robust enough to withstand the high combustion pressures of hydrogen, making it an ideal basis for the conversion.

Cylinder heads and turbochargers were retained. Bosch's engineers focused mainly on the injection system, ignition, engine management and new pistons with a revised compression ratio.

More powerful than the road car

New for 2026 is a latest-generation direct hydrogen injection system developed by Bosch. Combustion is more stable and performance has risen sharply: around 480 kW (nearly 650 hp) and 880 Nm of torque. That even exceeds the standard Nettuno in Maserati's production models – entirely without CO2 emissions.

Notably, this is not a fuel cell powering an electric motor, but a genuine combustion engine. The hydrogen is injected directly into the combustion chamber, keeping the mechanical character and the sound enthusiasts know.

A rolling laboratory

The JS2 RH2 is far more than an idea on paper. Since its 2023 presentation, the prototype has covered nearly 8,000 test kilometres in varied conditions without technical issues. It carries around 6.3 kg of hydrogen on board. With each test series, power and torque increased while emissions fell further. For Bosch Motorsport this is an important step toward bringing alternative technology to the road – the company is even aiming for a hydrogen entry at Le Mans in 2028.

Back on the Sarthe circuit

During race week, the Ligier JS2 RH2 will be on display all week in the H2 Village, the area dedicated to hydrogen technology. The highlight comes on Saturday, 13 June 2026, just before the start, with a demonstration lap around the circuit. The project also nods to the past: the original Ligier JS2 likewise ran a 3-litre Maserati V6 and won the 1974 Tour Auto. More than fifty years on, that French-Italian partnership returns in a form focused on cleaner motorsport.

Alongside battery-electric, this project shows that hydrogen can be a fully fledged zero-emission option – even in the most demanding form of motorsport.

Sources:

• ItalPassion – italpassion.fr
• HDmotori – hdmotori.it
• H2 Mobile – h2-mobile.fr
• AutoHebdo – autohebdof1.com
• Auto.it – auto.it