When the Maserati brothers opened Officine Alfieri Maserati in the heart of Bologna, Italy in 1914, they could hardly have imagined the impact they would have worldwide. Alfieri, Ettore, Ernesto and Bindo: four brothers united by an indomitable passion for cars and engines. Their vision, enthusiasm and experience proved to be the cornerstone of what would one day become a global brand, universally recognized as a symbol of excellence in the field of engines.
Officine Alfieri Maserati was founded on December 1, 1914 in Bologna, Italy. Since then, Maserati has played a major role in the history of sports car culture and its development. Over a century of activity has brought with it amazing results, both on the road and on the track, as well as periods of great challenges, which have allowed the company to forge its own character and personality.
The Maserati story begins with railroad worker Rodolfo Maserati, his wife Carolina Losi and seven Maserati children who all inherit their father’s passion for speed and precision engineering.
1914, December 1st: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati open the “Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati”, a car workshop at 1, via de’Pepoli in Bologna. Five months later Italy is at war and the brothers’ technical ingenuity is put to the test.
1926: during the winter months, Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore work tirelessly on their first original creation: the Tipo 26. It’s the first car named Maserati and it’s proudly displaying the soon-to-be-famous Trident logo.
1929, September 28: in Cremona, Italy, Borzacchini sets the new Class C world record at the wheel of the 16-cylinder V4, flying 10 kilometers at a speed of 246.069 km/h. This record stands until 1937.
1937, May 1: Adolfo Orsi, an entrepreneur from Modena, purchases Maserati from the Maserati brothers.
1939, May 30: Wilbur Shaw, at the wheel of the “Boyle Special” 8 CTF, wins the Indianapolis 500 at an average speed of 185.131 km/h (115.035 mph).
1939, September 1: Maserati officially moves from Bologna to Modena, to the factory at 322 viale Ciro Menotti.
1940, May 30: at the wheel of the same car, Wilbur Shaw wins the Indianapolis 500 for the second consecutive time, at an average speed of 183.911 km/h (114.227 mph).
1947: the A6 1500 is presented at the Geneva Motor Show. Designed by Pininfarina, the car is named after Alfieri and the number of cylinders. It’s the first Maserati destined for daily use rather than racing, and is a huge success.
1957: the 3500 GT is presented at the Geneva Motor Show and production levels scale up to meet an increasing demand for grand tourers.
1957, August 4: on the famous Nürburgring, Juan Manuel Fangio wins the German GP at the wheel of the 250 F. With this win, Fangio wins the Formula One world championship title – his fifth, Maserati’s second.
1963: the first Quattroporte is presented at the Turin Motor Show, introducing a whole new category to the marketplace: the luxury sports sedan.
1966: the first Ghibli, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, is presented at the Turin Motor Show.
1971: the Maserati Bora, another of Giugiaro’s masterpieces, is presented at the Geneva Motor Show. Adolfo Maserati and his son Omar feel they are out of place in the new Maserati, and they step down.
A new car is introduced in the 1980s: the Maserati Biturbo. Beautiful and extremely powerful, the 6-cylinder 1,996 cc with two compressors can reach speeds of 215 km/h.
The President of the Republic of Italy, Sandro Pertini, selects the Quattroporte III as his Presidential limousine.
1993: the unthinkable is about to happen. Two historic rivals, the Trident and the Prancing Horse – Maserati and Ferrari – are about to join forces. The partnership outshines their historic rivalry.
1998: the 3200 GT, a coupe designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro with a Ferrari engine, is presented at the Paris Motor Show. This eventually gives birth to the iconic Spyder, a car that soon marks Maserati’s triumphant return to the US.
2003, September 9: at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the fifth family of Quattroporte is unveiled. It is the first Maserati designed by Pininfarina in 50 years.
2007, March 5: the Geneva Motor Show is the stage for the world premiere of the new Pininfarina-designed GranTurismo, Maserati’s new grand tourer.
2013: the Detroit Motor Show is the setting for the worldwide introduction of the 6th generation Quattroporte.
2013: the Ghibli, a re-envisioned and wildly successful mid-sized sedan, is presented at the Shanghai Motor Show.
2014: Maserati presents its concept car Alfieri at the Geneva Motor Show and celebrates its Centennial Anniversary.
016 and 2017: the brand continues to innovate thanks to the launch of Levante, the Maserati of SUVs, at the Geneva Motor Show and the presentation of the restyled GranTurismo and GranCabrio at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
2020: MC20 is the super sports halo car that marked the beginning of a new Era for the House of the Trident, combining performance, sportiness and luxury in Maserati's unmistakable style.
Visually, but also conceptually, there is a strong reference to the MC12, the historic car that marked Maserati's return to racing in 2004. Similarly, MC20, with its avowedly racing soul, embodied already by its name, announces its return to the world of racing.
2022: The MC20 Cielo is the "First of its Kind" spyder.
With a perfect mix of essentiality and refined aerodynamics, the soul of the super sports car takes on a new form. The clean lines open up and become one with the clouds and stars, giving an unprecedented "sky feeling."
2022: Maserati Grecale is "The Everyday Exceptional",the new SUV that makes everyday life exceptional. Grecale perfectly combines versatility, elegance, performance and innovation, ensuring performance while providing comfort and safety. A SUV to be driven anytime, anywhere, by anyone, to turn travel into something extraordinary.
2022: A Brand icon returns: Maserati presents the new GranTurismo and marks a new chapter in a story that began 75 years ago with the Maserati A6 1500. It is the model that launches the House of the Trident into the future: the first car in the Brand's history to adopt a 100% electric powertrain. Granturismo is totally made in Italy and an expression of "Italian luxury performance," the typical concept of all Maserati models.