MASERATI

Officine Alfieri Maserati was founded on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy. Since then, Maserati has played a consistently important role in the history of sports car culture and its development.
Nearly a century of activity has brought with it moments of glory on the road and the track as well as more difficult times, which have helped forge the company's character and personality.
This section brings you all of the most important milestones in the story of the Maserati marque. These include the 246.029 km/h world speed record set by Borzacchini in 1929, the 1957 F1 World Championship title won by Fangio aboard the 250F, and the more recent launch of the new 390 bhp Coupé Cambiocorsa in Detroit in January 2002, which marked Maserati's return to the US market.
However, Maserati's history involves more than its glorious sporting achievements and the launch of great road cars.

The company has also developed industrially over the years. Its relocation from Bologna to the current site in Viale Ciro Menotti, Modena, in 1940 and its acquisition by Ferrari, completed in 1997, are but two examples of the many major events in the development of Maserati's expansion strategies and the launch of its new cars.

In early 2005, ownership of Maserati was transferred from Ferrari to Fiat, which allowed the two marques to achieve important industrial and commercial synergies.

Maserati is a marque that began life in a local context but then went on to become a major international concern, with representatives in 45 countries. In this section, you can relive the Trident company's enthralling history and get to know the people, achievements and cars which have made the marque famous.

The golden years: 1937 to 1967

In 1937 the Maserati brothers sold their shares in the company to the Orsi family from Modena, even though they were not in financial difficulties, and the company moved from Bologna to the now historical headquarters on Viale Ciro Menotti in Modena.

Ernesto had already designed the 4CL and 8CL engines, which powered the cars of the same name in the late 1930s. The Maserati brothers stayed on in Modena as chief engineers until 1948.

The company dominated the racing scene again, despite strong competition from Mercedes. On 30 May. 1939 it scored an important victory at the Indianapolis 500 with Wilbur Shaw in the 8CTF, a feat it repeated the following year.

During the Second World War, Maserati adapted its production accordingly, turning out machine tools, electrical components, spark plugs and electric vehicles, but returned to its original activities after the war, with a new GT car, the A6 1500.

The A6G CS debuted successfully on the Modena circuit with Alberto Ascari; and in those years its racing rivals were the Alfettas, Ferraris, and Talbots.

After several wins, life became less easy for Maserati in the 1950s as Alfa Romeo and Ferrari were extremely competitive. In 1953 Gioacchino Colombo was appointed Chief Engineer and modified the A6GCM. The team was also strengthened by the arrival of drivers of the calibre of Fangio, Gonzalez, Marimon, Bonetto and de Graffenried, and brought home some important victories in the 1953 season; in fact, Fangio won that year's Italian Grand Prix from Ascari and Farina in Ferraris.

Colombo also laid the foundation for the Maserati 250F, which was later developed by Alfieri. 1954 saw the debut of the 250F, with which Fangio won the Argentine Grand Prix on its debut

In 1955 and 1956, Maserati won other important victories; in 1957 Fangio returned to Maserati and won the World title for the fifth time – the first time for Maserati - with the 250F.

Although the company announced its official retirement from racing that same year, it never withdrew from the scene completely because Maserati continued to build racing cars like the Birdcage and other prototypes for private teams, and to supply engines for the Formula 1 cars of other constructors, such as Cooper, for which it developed a 12-cylinder, three-valve engine with triple ignition in 1965.

Production of the 3500 GT, which was launched in 1958, began at the start of an important new era for Maserati, and the plant had to be expanded. Production cars and sales became the main goals and Maserati's racing activities became marginal.

The Sebring was presented in 1962 and the Quattroporte in 1963, the first Maserati 4-door saloon with a 90° V8 engine and a displacement of 4,136 cc.

Alternating fortunes: 1968 to the present

Maserati's output continued to grow, and its models to boast a constant stream of new features.

However, the real big news came in 1968, when Citroën bought out the Orsi family's shares, although Adolfo Orsi remained Honorary Chairman of the company.

The Giugiaro-designed Bora, the first mass-produced mid-engined Maserati, was presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show; Maserati also built the occasional racing car engine, and that same year, a Citroën SM with a Maserati engine won the Morocco Rally.

With the launch of the Merak and Khamsin, Maserati's production continued apace. But in 1973 the Yom Kippur War sparked the Oil Crisis, making life increasingly uncertain for the company, although it still had enough vitality to introduce both the Quattroporte II prototype, bodied by Bertone, and the Merak SS.

The situation worsened, and on 23 May, Citroën announced that Maserati was had gone into liquidation (the French car maker had signed an agreement with Peugeot but had lost interest in the Modena company). Pressure from the industrialists' association and the local and provincial councils succeeded in persuading the government to intervene, and Maserati avoided closure by handing over control to GEPI (a government agency that financed companies in difficulty in order to save jobs).

In an agreement signed on August 8, 1975, most of the company's share capital was acquired by the Benelli company, and Alejandro De Tomaso, an Argentinean former racing driver who had also competed for Maserati, became Managing Director. De Tomaso managed to get the company off the ground again, albeit with difficulty, and by 1976 he had launched a new model, the Kyalami, presenting the Quattroporte III, designed by Giugiaro, soon after at the Turin Motor Show.

By the end of the year, output had picked up significantly.

The 1980s saw the production of a new type of car, with a relatively low purchase price but impressive performance: the Biturbo, of which over 30 different versions appeared, in coupé, 4-door saloon and spider forms.

The turnaround for Maserati came in 1993, when the company's entire share capital was acquired by Fiat Auto. A year later the first new arrival under the Turin company's ownership appeared in the form of the Quattroporte. Designed by Marcello Gandini, it boasted all of the enormous refinement, luxury and sportiness for which the marque was renowned. On 1 July, 1997 Fiat sold Maserati to Ferrari, and a new era began for the company. That year the historical plant in Viale Ciro Menotti, Modena closed temporarily while an ultra-modern assembly line was installed, to produce a new car, the 3200 GT.

This was presented to the public at the 1998 Paris Motor Show, and proved to be a thoroughbred, front-engined GT in the best Maserati tradition. It was joined that same year by the Quattroporte Evoluzione, and output soon exceeded 2,000 cars a year.

The complete reorganisation of the marketing network and the expansion of the plant, where new management offices were built, gave further momentum to the renewal process in 2000. The following year, the new Spyder appeared, and was unveiled for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show, during which Maserati also announced its intention to return to the North American market. This decision was confirmed in January 2002, when the Coupé made its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show. Like the Spyder, it introduced a number of important innovations, from a new 4,200 cc 390-bhp V8 engine, to its suspension, chassis and F1-type gearbox.

Besides returning to the most important markets with high-class and sophisticated models such as the Quattroporte and GranSport, Maserati also made a successful comeback to the world of racing thanks to the MC12 (in the FIA GT and ALMS championships), the Trofeo (in the single-make race for gentlemen drivers in Europe and Brazil) and the Trofeo Light (in the Italian GT and the Grand-Am).

In September 2003 at the Frankfurt motorshow, the car that would be at the centre of Maserati's irresistible growth was launched: the Maserati Quattroporte. The new Trident berlina enjoyed immediate success in terms of sales and has also earned many prizes and widespread praise from clients, readers and journalists around the world.

2005 was a record year for Maserati, with 5,659 cars sold worldwide. This was an increase of 22.

8% from the equally impressive 2004, and the natural confirmation of the measures taken in 1998, when only 518 vehicles were sold.

Great satisfaction also came from the House of the Trident's reparto corse. The incredible work of this team allowed Maserati to claim the Constructors' Cup and team Vitaphone (Maserati) the team title. Maserati's one-two finish at the Spa 24 Hours was unforgettable.

The Trofeo Light also secured a number of titles and wins, dominating the GT3 class of the Italian GT championship. The vitality of the company is strengthened by the success of its single-make series, now into its fourth year in Europe and its third in Brazil.

In early 2005, ownership of Maserati was transferred from Ferrari to Fiat, which allowed the two marques to achieve important industrial and commercial synergies.

Close technical and commercial collaboration within the group has provided Maserati with the impetus to position itself as the leader in its sector. It has also broadened its presence throughout the international markets thanks to models like the GranSport, the GranSport Spyder, and the MC Victory, developed to celebrate successes in the FIA GT series. However, the Modenese company's fine performance is mainly thanks to the GranTurismo, as the accounts once more show a profit.

The GranTurismo is a car that can be used everyday. It has superb handling and a sporty, captivating ride. At the same time, on board comfort is not ignored and the choice of materials, the attention to detail, and the generous interior space that easily seats four adults, are all features that put it above average in its class. The international press deemed the car an immediate winner and lavished it with praise as it made the cover of countless magazines.

Maserati continues to excel in the world of competition and recently claimed all four titles on offer in the FIA GT International championship, adding to the Manufacturers' Cup won in 2005.