Maserati History
A8GCS Berlinetta
Established on 1st December 1914 in Bologna as an Italian manufacturer of racing and sports cars. The Italian Maserati brothers born in Italy in the 1880s, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, Ernesto and Mario were car engineers who specialised in mechanics. Both Bindo and Ernesto built Diatto’s 2-liitre Grand Prix cars. The creation of the first Maserati came about after Diatto suspended the production of race cars in 1926. Alfieri won the Targa Florio in 1926 in one of the first Maserati’s. Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 race in 1939 while driving the Maserati 8CTF. Wilbur also won the following year as well.
The remaining Maserati brothers were to sell their remaining shares to the Adolfo Orsi family in 1937. It was in 1940 that the headquarters were relocated to Modena and the brother continued to work within the company in an engineering roll.
Production was interrupt during the war as the company abandoned Maserati to help with the Italian war effort. It was a turning point for Maserati, in 1968 when Citroën took over Maserati, however Adolfo Orsi remained as president. Many new models where produced, including the mass-produced mid-engine Maserati Bora in 1971. Expansion plans were put on hold during the 1973 oil crisis as the demand for thirsty sports cars shrank and as a result in 1974 Citroën was declared bankrupt. On 23 May 1975 the new group that now controlled Citroën, PSA Peugeot Citroën put Maserati in to administration and the company kept in business thanks to an Italian government fund.
GrandTurismo
A former Argentinean racing driver was to become managing director as the firm was taken over by Alessandro de Tomaso in 1975. Chrysler purchased part of Maserati and the two companies jointly produced car, the Chrysler TC by Maserati took too long to be introduced to its market.
It was now the turn of another company as Fiat acquired the company in 1993 and invested substantially. The company launched the 3200 GT in 1999; however this was to be the only “Fiat Maserati”. It was replaced by the Maserati Spyder and Coupé in 2002.
Fiat sold fifty percent of Maserati to Ferrari in July 1997 and it was in 1999 that Ferrari took full control of Maserati and made it Ferrari’s luxury division. Ferrari made some radical changes and is credited with bringing Maserati back into business. A new factory was built to replace the vintage 1940’s facility.
A deal with Volkswagen to share its Audi division’s all-wheel-drive technology was abandoned because Volkswagens Lamborghini and Bugatti were direct rivals.
Maserati was separated from Ferrari and brought under the control of Fiat after the termination of an agreement between Fiat and General Motors. In 2007 under the Fiat Group, Maserati made a profit in the second quarter, for the very first time in the 17 years under the group’s control.
