MASERATI
Maserati is not just a brand, it is first and foremost a big family.
A very precocious, creative engineer. Carlo, working for the Bianchi bike building company, built his first single-cylinder engine to be installed on a bicycle at the age of 17. He also raced a Carcano bicycle equipped with an engine and won several victories, setting a speed record of 50 km/h in 1900. This immediately attracted the attention of Fiat and he was hired as a test driver. At the same time he built his first own car in his spare time. With a wooden chassis and a single-cylinder engine. This car can be considered the first Maserati car in history.
Afterwards, Carlo got a job as a mechanic and test pilot for the Isotta Fraschini racing team.
In 1908 he became general manager of Junior (automobile accessories), then in 1909 he left Junior and purchased a small plant formerly engaged in the manufacture of medicines.
At the same time Carlo was working on a project of a radial aircraft engine. But a terrible lung disease (tuberculosis) and the subsequent death of 29-year-old Carlo Maserati in 1910 interrupted the work.
Then the baton was taken by his brother Alfieri, whose work, in fact, led to the birth of the brand.
On December 14, 1914 his brother Alfieri founded a company called Officine Alfieri Maserati. The main vector of the development of this organization was the automobile and engine production.
Thanks to Carlo's help and advice, Isotta Fraschini agreed to hire his brother Alfieri in 1903, even though he was only 16 years old. At the same time Bindo and Ettore joined Isotta Fraschini and Alfieri started to work as a team mechanic, developing his skills as a racer at the same time.
The extensive experience Alfieri gained during his career convinced him that he was ready to open his own business in order to realize his talents and creativity to the fullest. In 1913 he moved to Bologna and in 1914 he rented office space in Via de Pepoli, in the old part of Bologna. It was this place that became the first "headquarters" of Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati.
In 1918, Alfieri patented a new spark plug design. It was a new type of spark plug with a mica insulation that allowed engines to provide more consistent performance, overcoming various problems previously caused by imperfect spark plugs. Alfieri revolutionized the engine world with this vital invention.
In 1926 the first Maserati, the Tipo 26, was finally created. It is an evolution of the Diatto GP 8C and is named after the year of its racing debut. On the basis of this car several modifications were created: 26B, 26M, 26R.
The base version was equipped with an eight-cylinder 1.5 liter engine with an output of 120 hp. Maximum speed was 200 km/h. It is worth noting that the sports car was not equipped only with a front brake.
First world record
On September 28, 1929, at Cremona, Maserati finally sets its first world record. Baconin Borzacchini at the wheel of a V4 with a 16-cylinder engine and finishes the ten kilometer race with a maximum speed of 246.069 km/h. It was a world record!
In 1932, the 44-year-old Alfieri finds himself on the surgical table. To save him, doctors try to perform an emergency kidney operation, but unfortunately they cannot save Alfieri. Bologna comes to a halt. It was a huge loss for everyone, especially the Maserati family.
Bindo quits Isotta FRASCHINI and returns to his brothers, who appoint him chairman of the company. Ernesto takes care of the technical side of the company's development.
The new Tipo V5 makes a successful debut and the brand continues to thrive despite the difficult economic situation.
Ernesto designed all the cars and engines himself, and personally led them to first places in races. The engineering achievements of the younger Maserati are impressive. For example, Ernesto was the first in Europe, back in 1933, to use power brakes.
In early March 1946 came the prototype of what could be considered the first GranTurismo - that is, a Maserati designed for daily use rather than racing - this, presented at the Geneva Motor Show by the "A6" (A is after Alfieri and 6, denoting the number of cylinders). The project was started by Ernesto Maserati before the brothers decided to leave the company for good. The design and originality were immediately appreciated by the public. In 1948 at the Turin Motor Show Maserati demonstrates the first model A6 1500, the style of which was invented by Pininfarina.
After this huge success, Ernesto, Ettore and Bindo Maserati decided to leave the company and return to Bologna. Orsi and Maserati's 10-year contract ended. The brothers never had any problems with Orsi, but there was a constant battle with the unions, from which they got tired and decided to leave the Maserati company they had created.
In 1968 Citroen became the owner of a controlling stake in the Italian brand. The alliance lasted until 1975 and practically did not show itself at all. One can only mention the production of 1104 cars of the new Indy model. The next owner of the controlling stake in Maserati since 1995 has become his countryman Fiat. The next year the presentation of the new model, which has reached our time, was held - Quattroporte IV Evoluzione. Another brainchild that came out from under the wings of this automotive alliance was the road version of the Ghibli with the Cup prefix.
In 1997, after a series of successes and failures, Maserati was merged with the car manufacturer Ferrari. After the merger, the plants in Modena, where Maserati production was located, suspended production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli series in order to modernize the equipment of the assembly shops. They resumed production in the fall of 1998.
Parts
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Maserati 3200
Maserati 4200
Maserati Ghibli
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Maserati GranTurismo
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