MASERATI
Check Engine is here to help you find your way through the dozens of sports models that the Italian manufacturer Maserati has offered or has offered since 1914.
We also invite you to discover a page of Maserati’s history, as well as its Italian factories in Modena.
HISTORY
1914-1937 The MASERATI Brothers
Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati was founded on 1 December 1914 in Bologna. The main activity of the 6 Maserati brothers was the preparation of Isotta Fraschini and other types of car for motor racing.
1938-1967 The ORSI Family
Although the Maserati brothers were in a positive financial situation, in 1937 they sold their shares in the company to an industrial family from Bologna, the Orsis. The company moved from Bologna to Modena, Viale Ciro Menotti, where it remains to this day.
After the war, normal activity resumed with the production of the 1st GT car, the A6 1500. The production of the 3500 GT, presented in 1958, was a crucial step. This car marked the start of a new era and prompted Trident to expand its facilities. The main objectives were now production and the market; the world of racing remained a marginal activity.
1968-1974 CITROËN
Although the company flourished initially, the oil crisis of 1973 sounded its death knell. Citroën put Maserati into liquidation (the French company had signed a contract with Peugeot and lost interest in the Modena-based firm). Under pressure from the Associazione Industriali and the municipal and provincial authorities, the government intervened on behalf of Maserati, which avoided closure thanks to the administration of GEPI (a state body for financing companies in difficulty, in the interests of the occupation).
1975-1983 DE TOMASO
Taken over by Alejandro de Tomaso for a very modest sum, he surprised the motoring world by producing the astonishing Biturbo saloon and all its descendants: Biturbo Spider, Maserati Karif, 2.24V and 4.24V, and finally the Maserati Racing, not forgetting the Maserati Barchetta.
1984-1993 CHRYSLER
In 1983, Chrysler, which wanted to offer a range of top-of-the-range vehicles, met Maserati. Lee Iacocca, then President of Chrysler and an old acquaintance of Alejandro De Tomaso, invested $35 million in the company. But Chrysler took too long to introduce the model to the American market. Chrysler withdrew four years later and Alejandro De Tomaso also decided to sell his shares.
1994- … Fiat
In 1994, the company was taken over by Fiat, who initially tried to get the Ferrari and Maserati teams to work together, a risky move given that the two marques had always been serious competitors. Some traces of this can be seen in programmes to improve quality and reliability, such as the Quattroporte evoluzione. Then, in 1997, the Fiat Group decided to merge Maserati and Ferrari, yesterday’s rivals.