Maserati Cars

Maserati's history began in Bologna, Italy, at the end of the 19th century, where Rodolfo and Carolina Maserati had seven sons (two named Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ernesto, Ettore and Mario). Five of the six surviving Maserati sons became engineers and auto builders; Mario became a painter, but he's believed to be the designer of the Maserati trident logo.

The Maserati brothers spent many years employed by Isotta Franchini; Carlo worked for Bianchi, Fiat and other auto makers before he passed away at 29. In 1914, Alfieri left his job at Fraschini to establish the Officine Alfieri Maserati in Bologna. However, the Maserati brothers still worked for Isotta Franchini, and Alfieri raced and designed Diatto vehicles. In 1926, the first fully Maserati-designed car was built (the Tipo 26), and Alfieri drove the car to a win in the Targa Florio.

Through the Thirties, Maserati made several race cars that set records, including the V4 with a 16-cylinder engine, and the 8C 2500, which was the last car Alfieri Maserati designed before his death. The Great Depression was difficult for Maserati, and the surviving brothers sold the company to the Orsi family, who moved headquarters to Modena. During WWII, that factory made tools, electric vehicles, and spark plugs, going back to making race vehicles after the war was over.

In the 1950s, Maserati hired Formula One's Fangio, who drove the 250F to a win at the Argentine Grand Prix. Fangio also drove a 250F in 1957, and won Maserati's fifth world title. After that, the company decided to quit the racing scene, but stayed involved by producing prototype cars for privately-owned teams, and by supplying F1 engines for builders like as Cooper.

In the 1960s, Maserati turned its focus to production vehicles, such as the 3500GT, and 1963's Quattroporte, which was the car maker's first four-door vehicle. In 1968, Citroen bought Orsi's shares in Maserati, and a Maserati-powered Citroen SM won the Morocco Rally in 1971.

Some of Maserati's most famous cars were produced in the beginning of the 70s, before the world energy crisis struck. Like a lot of other auto makers, Maserati encountered hard times, and had to take a government bailout. The government of Italy and F1 driver Alejandro de Tomaso helped to rebuild the company, and they launched the Kyalami in 1976.

The following decade was relatively quiet for Maserati; only the Biturbo was introduced. The company was bought by Fiat in 1993, but that did not last long, as Maserati was sold to Ferrari in 1997. To celebrate, Maserati built a new factory in Modena and began building the 3200GT. However, the company has continued to pin its hopes on the Quattroporte, making it the flagship of the line for the new century.

Yet another ownership change happened in 2005, with control going back to Fiat; allowing Maserati, Fiat and Alfa Romeo could finally team up. With a bit of help from those two Italian powerhouses, Maserati continues to build about 2,000 cars per year.