A look at Maserati’s long and glorious journey-from race cars to luxury cars
Compiled by: Raymond Raj
1.Five brothers sharing a passion for racing founded the Officine Alfieri Maserati on 1st December, 1914 in Bologna, Italy. With a tradition of excellent craftsmanship and a passion for cutting-edge engineering, the five went on to produce the Maseratis we know today, in their workshop from the year 1926.
2.In 1926, Alfieri Maserati, behind the Tipo 26B wheels, took third place at the Targa Floria and Maserati won the Italian Constructor’s Championship. The 8C 2500 with a front wheel drive was the last car designed by Alfieri Maserati in 1931.
3.On 30th May, 1939, the company bagged an important victory, the Indiana Polis 500, with Wilbur Shaw driving the 8CTF. Despite tough competition from the likes of Mercedes, Maserati’s dominated most of the racing scene.
4.Returning to the track after the second world war, during which time the company made machine tools, electrical components and spark plugs, the AG6CS debuted at the Mondena circuit with Alberto Ascari at the wheels. After a successful run in the 1950s, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari made times difficult for Maserati.
5.In 1953, the company roped in Gioacchino Colombo as Chief Engineer and strengthened the team with the arrival of drivers like Fangio, Gonzales, Marimon, Bonetto and de Graffenried.
6.Colombo laid the foundation for Maserati’s famous car model, the 250F, with which they got important victories in 1955 and 1956. Fangio won the World Championship Title for the fifth time – the first time for Maserati – in this car in 1957. After this, Maserati announced their retirement from the racing arena, but still continued to make cars for private teams, and supply engines to other constructors.
7.The 3500 GT brought in a new era after being launched in 1958. Maserati put racing activities second only to producing cars. The first Maserati four door saloon, the Quattroporte was presented in 1963.
8.After going through some tough times in 1973, the company’s shares changed hands quite a few times. Rolling out two car models by 1980, the turning point for Maserati came in 1993 when Fiat acquired the entire share capital.
9.In 2005, the ownership of Maserati was transferred from Fiat to Ferrari, providing the right blend of a commercial and technical combination. Maserati continue to attain global commercial success with models like the GranTurismo and the Quattroporte.
