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Maserati 4CL and 4CLT

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Maserati 4CL
A Maserati 4CL
CategoryVoiturette / Formula One
ConstructorMaserati
Designer(s)Ernesto Maserati
Technical specifications
ChassisLight alloy ladder
Suspension (front)Independent, torsion springs and friction dampers
Suspension (rear)Live axle, leaf springs and friction dampers
Axle trackF: 1,250 mm (49.2 in)
R: 1,276 mm (50.2 in)
Wheelbase2,500 mm (98.4 in)
EngineMaserati 1,491 cc (91 cu in) straight-4, single-stage supercharger, front-mounted
TransmissionMaserati 4-speed manual
TyresPirelli
Competition history
Notable entrantsOfficine Alfieri Maserati
Scuderia Platé
Scuderia Milano
Scuderia Ambrosiana
Notable driversUnited Kingdom Johnnie Wakefield
Italy Luigi Villoresi
Switzerland Toulo de Graffenried
United Kingdom Reg Parnell
Thailand B. Bira
France Pierre Levegh
Monaco Louis Chiron
Italy Giuseppe Farina
Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio
France Maurice Trintignant
Italy Tazio Nuvolari
France Raymond Sommer
Debut1939 Tripoli Grand Prix
Wins
(pre-war Voiturette)
25 (post-war Grand Prix)
(Formula One)
The Maserati 4CL and its derived sister model the Maserati 4CLT are single-seat racing cars that were designed and built by Maserati. The 4CL was introduced at the beginning of the 1939 season, as a rival to the Alfa Romeo 158 and various ERA models in the voiturette class of international Grand Prix motor racing. Although racing ceased during World War II, the 4CL was one of the front running models at the resumption of racing in the late 1940s. Experiments with two-stage supercharging and tubular chassis construction eventually led to the introduction of the revised 4CLT model in 1948. The 4CLT was steadily upgraded and updated over the following two years, resulting in the ultimate 4CLT/50 model, introduced for the inaugural year of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. In the immediate post-war period, and the first two years of the Formula One category, the 4CLT was the car of choice for many privateer entrants, leading to numerous examples being involved in most races during this period.













































The 4CL

Design

In the late 1930s, continued rapid development in the increasingly competitive international voiturette class, and the introduction of the Alfa Romeo 158 and ERA B- and C-type models, forced the Maserati brothers into designing a new, square-bore, inline-4-cylinder engine. This new engine developed 30–50 bhp more than the previous inline-6, the increase mostly achieved through an increase to four valves per cylinder, coupled to the use of a more powerful supercharger and a small increase in the compression ratio. Following customary Maserati practice, the engine was mounted into a chassis design almost identical to that of the 4CL's predecessor: the Maserati 6CM. Conventional in its architecture, twin box-section spars ran the length of the car joined, ladder-fashion, by smaller cross members, although the 4CL design did incorporate more aluminium componentry than its forebear. Although near-identical in its wheelbase, the 4CL's track was a full 5 cm (1.97 in) wider than the 6CM, and sat lower thanks to repositioned spring hangers.

Enveloping this rather conservative chassis was a low, curvaceous alloy-panel body, built in-house by Maserati. Maserati also built a streamlined version of the 4CL from the outset. Continued engine development, in response to Alfa Romeo's post-war introduction of two-stage supercharging, began to expose weaknesses in the chassis design. In an attempt to improve torsional rigidity Maserati began to experiment with tubular section chassis members. These experimental models ran alongside conventional 4CLs throughout the 1947 season, and eventually led to the introduction of the 4CLT in 1948.

Race history

In the hands of Luigi Villoresi the streamliner took pole position on the 4CL's race debut at the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes' brand new W165s. However, both it and two of the three conventional 4CLs entered retired early in the race with engine troubles, leaving the Silver Arrows to take the victory. Embarrassingly for the works team, following this disappointing debut the 4CL's first taste of victory came in the hands of privateer Johnnie Wakefield at the Naples Grand Prix, two races later. Through the remainder of 1939 voiturette races Wakefield took two further victories, and the works' 4CLs picked up another two, before the outbreak of war curtailed international competition. Villoresi took the 4CL to victory in the 1940 Targa Florio, but with entry restricted to Axis countries, and only Maserati fielding a factory team, the opposition was hardly world class.
On the resumption of competition in 1946 the Maserati 4CL proved the class of the field. Luigi Villoresi immediately returned to winning ways, taking victory in the first race following the cessation of hostilities: the 1946 Nice Grand Prix. Tazio Nuvolari and Giorgio Pelassa both took wins in 4CLs, but it was Raymond Sommer and his 4CL who dominated the season. 1947 would prove to be the 4CL's most successful season and, despite Alfa Romeo fielding the revamped 158 and new 308, Maserati drivers picked up 10 individual race victories.
After the replacement of the factory team's 4CLs by the new 4CLT, many examples of the older cars found their way into privateer hands. It was owing to the 4CL's popularity with privateer entrants that many were still being run in top-flight competition at the outset of the Formula One World Championship in 1950.



The 4CLT
Maserati 4CLT
An ex-Reg Parnell Maserati 4CLT/48
CategoryVoiturette / Formula One
ConstructorMaserati
Designer(s)Ernesto Maserati
Alberto Massimino
Vittorio Bellentani
Arialdo Ruggieri
Technical specifications
ChassisLight alloy tubular ladder
Suspension (front)Independent, coil springs and hydraulic dampers
Suspension (rear)Live axle, leaf springs and hydraulic dampers
Axle trackF: 1,250 mm (49.2 in)
R: 1,200 mm (47.2 in)
Wheelbase2,500 mm (98.4 in)
EngineMaserati 1491 cc straight-4, two-stage supercharger, front-mounted
TransmissionMaserati 4-speed manual
TyresPirelli / Ernesto / Dunlop
Competition history
Notable entrantsOfficine Alfieri Maserati
Scuderia Platé
Scuderia Ambrosiana
Scuderia Achille Varzi
Automóvil Club Argentino
Scuderia Milano
Notable driversItaly Luigi Villoresi
United Kingdom Reg Parnell
Switzerland Toulo de Graffenried
Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio
Monaco Louis Chiron
Thailand B. Bira
United States Harry Schell
Italy Giuseppe Farina
Debut1948 Sanremo Grand Prix
Wins
18 (post-war Grand Prix)
(WC Formula One)
(non-Champ F1)
Chassis and engine changes made to the experimental 4CLs eventually coalesced into the 4CLT, the appended T denoting its tubular chassis. The improvements in torsional rigidity that the tubular construction brought were required to counteract the increases in torque and power resulting from the twin-supercharger upgrade of the elderly inline-4 engine. Power was up to approximately 260 bhp (194 kW), from the 4CL's 220. Other changes included the use of roller bearings for the crankshaft, forged (rather than cast) rear suspension components, and the chassis was designed to run with hydraulic dampers from the outset.

4CLT/48 Sanremo

The first variant of the 4CLT earned its "Sanremo" nickname from the first race for which it was entered: the 1948 Sanremo Grand Prix. The name stuck, as Alberto Ascari took his 4CLT to victory in its maiden race appearance. A portent of things to come, Villoresi and Reg Parnell won five of the 1948 season's remaining races. In the first year of the Formula One World Championship, a Sanremo scored what was to be the Maserati's best Championship finish, when Louis Chiron took third place at his home Grand Prix: the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. The last 4CL variant to compete in the World Championship was a 4CLT/48 modified by the Arzani-Volpini team, that failed to even qualify for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.


1949

1950–1951   For 1949, minor modifications to the brake drums, switching from vanes to slits for cooling, along with small changes to the cockpit control layout and a repositioned oil header-tank resulted in a car sometimes referred to as the 4CLT/49. It was never known as such by the factory. The Ascari/Villoresi/Parnell trio, joined by Juan Manuel Fangio and Toulo de Graffenried, took up where they had left off the previous season, winning nine of the first fifteen races of 1949, including de Graffenried's victory in the British Grand Prix. However, the second half of the season only saw three further wins, as increasingly competitive Ferrari and Talbot cars squeezed out the Maseratis in most major races.
1950 saw the introduction of the FIA World Championship of Drivers. In response to improvements to the Alfa 158 and the already competitive Ferrari and Talbot, Maserati again upgraded the 4CLT's engine. A multi-part crankshaft, lightened and balanced rods, a more powerful pair of superchargers and changes to the ignition timing took engine output up to a claimed 280 bhp (209 kW).Coupled to shedding 10 kg (22 lb) from the car's weight, this brought the Maserati up to near-Alfa levels of performance. Although moderately competitive in short runs, the final upgrades proved to be too much for the decade-old powerplant's design and the 4CLT's Grand Prix performance was hindered by engine failures. The season's only Formula One wins came in non-Championship events. Fangio won the Pau Grand Prix on the same day as Parnell took the Richmond Trophy at Goodwood. David Hampshire won the Nottingham Trophy later in the year. Fangio also won the Formula Two Ramparts Grand Prix, at Angoulême, in a 4CLT chassis fitted with an A6GCM engine. The Milano team modified a 4CLT for use in 1950 and 1951, but without success.
Also for 1951 B. Bira modified his '49-spec 4CLT to accept a more powerful, 4,450 cc (271.6 cu in), naturally aspirated OSCA V12 engine. This engine developed around 300 bhp (224 kW).With it Bira won the Goodwood race early in the season, but in its only World Championship appearance, at the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix, it retired on the first lap.

4CLT/50

In late 1949 a number (two or three, depending on source) of the remaining Sanremo cars were converted for use in the Temporada series Formula Libre races in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1949 to 1950 summer season. This model was referred to as the 4CLT/50; although that name is sometimes also applied to the 1950-specification Formula One cars, the Temporada cars are the only ones that were referred to as such by the factory. The modifications were mostly restricted to enlargement of the engine capacity to 1,719 cc (104.9 cu in).Despite these improvements the series was dominated by Ferrari, and following the final race the cars were shipped back to Italy and reconverted to Formula One specifications.

The Platé 4CLT

A long term campaigner of Maserati automobiles, Enrico Platé recognised the Maserati's shortcomings as a Formula One vehicle, and converted a 4CLT/48 into the Maserati-Platé 4CLT Formula Two variant. As F2 was for naturally aspirated cars, the first step was to remove the superchargers. After this, to counteract the resulting loss in performance, the compression ratio was more than doubled and capacity was upped to the class limit of 2.0 L (122.05 cu in). With the lower power output from the revised engine, weight was shed and handling sharpened by reducing the wheelbase.

Final race wins

De Graffenried won the Richmond Trophy, and Giuseppe Farina the Paris Grand Prix, in 1951, but with the switch to Formula Two rules for the World Championship from 1952 onwards, the old 4CLT chassis were found to be overweight and underpowered in comparison to their newer rivals. Despite having been the mainstay of top-flight racing since the end of the 1930s, the 4CL and 4CLT rapidly fell from favour, as smaller and lighter machines began to emerge from European factories still recovering from the effects of war.
Today, many 4CL and 4CLT models survive and are regularly campaigned in historic motorsport events, as well as being on static display in museums.

>>>Maserati

Maserati


Maserati S.p.A.
Type
Società per azioni
IndustryAutomotive
PredecessorOfficine Alfieri Maserati S.p.A.
FoundedDecember 1, 1914; 103 years ago
Bologna, Italy
FounderAlfieri Maserati
HeadquartersModenaItaly
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Timothy Kuniskis (CEO)
ProductsLuxury vehicles
Production output
  • Increase 42,100 units (2016)
  • 32,474 units (2015)
Revenue
  • Increase €3.479 billion (2016)
  • €2.411 billion (2013)
Operating income
  • Increase €339 million (2016)
  • €105 million (2015)
Number of employees
1100 (2013)
ParentFiat Chrysler Automobiles, NV
Websitewww.Maserati.com
Footnotes / references
Maserati (Italian: [mazeˈraːti]) is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna. The Maserati tagline is "Luxury, sports and style cast in exclusive cars",and the brand's mission statement is to "Build ultra-luxury performance automobiles with timeless Italian style, accommodating bespoke interiors, and effortless, signature sounding power".
The company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian-American car giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and FCA's Italian predecessor Fiat S.p.A. since 1993. Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari S.p.A., which was also owned by FCA until being spun off in 2015, but more recently it has become part of the sports car group including Alfa Romeo and Abarth (see section below). In May 2014, due to ambitious plans and product launches, Maserati sold a record of over 3,000 cars in one month. This caused them to increase production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli models.In addition to the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati offers the Maserati GranTurismo, the GranTurismo Convertible, and has confirmed that it will be offering the Maserati Levante, the first Maserati SUV, in 2016, and the Maserati Alfieri, a new 2+2 in 2016.Maserati is placing a production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally.

























History

The Maserati brothers


Ettore, Bindo, Ernesto, and Alfieri Maserati
The Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto, were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo, and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race cars with 4, 6, 8, and 16 cylinders (two straight-eights mounted parallel to one another).

Piazza Maggiore's Neptune and his trident
The trident logo of the Maserati car company is based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore. In 1920, one of the Maserati brothers, artist Mario, used this symbol in the logo at the suggestion of family friend Marquis Diego de Sterlich. It was considered particularly appropriate for the sports car company due to fact that Neptune represents strength and vigour; additionally the statue is a characteristic symbol of the company's original home city.
Alfieri Maserati died in 1932, but three other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races.



Orsi ownership

In 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers sold their shares in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family, who in 1940, relocated the company headquarters to their home town of Modena,where it remains to this day. The brothers continued in engineering roles with the company. Racing successes continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes. In back-to-back wins in 1939 and 1940, an 8CTF won the Indianapolis 500, the only Italian manufacturer ever to do so.
The war then intervened and Maserati abandoned car making to produce components for the Italian war effort. During this time, Maserati worked in fierce competition to construct a V16 town car for Benito Mussolini before Ferry Porsche of Volkswagen built one for Adolf Hitler. This failed, and the plans were scrapped. Once peace was restored, Maserati returned to making cars; the A6 series did well in the post-war racing scene.

Juan-Manuel Fangio driving a Maserati 250F.
Key people joined the Maserati team. Alberto Massimino, a former Fiat engineer with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari experience, oversaw the design of all racing models for the next ten years. With him joined engineers Giulio Alfieri, Vittorio Bellentani, and Gioacchino Colombo. The focus was on the best engines and chassis to succeed in car racing. These new projects saw the last contributions of the Maserati brothers, who after their 10-year contract with Orsi expired went on to form O.S.C.A.. This new team at Maserati worked on several projects: the 4CLT, the A6 series, the 8CLT, and, pivotally for the future success of the company, the A6GCS.
The famous Argentinian driver Juan-Manuel Fangio raced for Maserati for a number of years in the 1950s, producing a number of stunning victories including winning the world championship in 1957 in the 250F. Other racing projects in the 1950s were the 200S, 300S, 350S, and 450S, followed in 1961 by the famous Tipo 61.

Withdrawal from racing

Maserati retired from factory racing participation because of the Guidizzolo tragedy during the 1957 Mille Miglia, though they continued to build cars for privateers. Maserati became more and more focused on building road-going grand tourers.

A 1960 Maserati 3500 GT
The 1957 3500 GT marked a turning point in the marque's history, as its first ground-up grand tourer design and first series produced car. Production jumped from a dozen to a few hundreds cars a year. Chief engineer Giulio Alfieri took charge of the project, and turned the 3.5 L inline six from the 350S into a road-going engine. Launched with a Carrozzeria Touring 2+2 coupé aluminium body over superleggera structure, a steel-bodied short wheelbase Vignale 3500 GT Convertibile open top version followed in 1960. The 3500 GT's success, with over 2200 made, was critical to Maserati's survival in the years following withdrawal from racing.
The 3500 GT also provided the underpinnings for the small-volume V8-engined 5000 GT, another seminal car for Maserati. Born from the Shah of Persia's whim of owning a road car powered by the Maserati 450S racing engine, it became one of the fastest and most expensive cars of its days. The third to the thirty-fourth and last example produced were powered by Maserati's first purely road-going V8 engine design.

The svelte Ghibli
In 1962, the 3500 GT evolved into the Sebring, bodied by Vignale and based on the Convertibile chassis. Next came the two-seater Mistral coupé in 1963 and Spider in 1964, both six-cylinder powered and styled by Pietro Frua.
Also in 1963, the company's first saloon arrived, the Quattroporte, also styled by Frua. If the 5000 GT inaugurated the marque's first road-going V8, the Quattroporte's Tipo 107 4.2-litre DOHC V8 was the forefather of all Maserati V8s up to 1990.
The Ghia-designed Ghibli coupé was launched in 1967. It was powered by a 4.7L dry sump version of Maserati's quad cam V8. The Ghibli Spyder and 4.9-litre Ghibli SS followed.

Citroën ownership

In 1968, Maserati was taken over by Citroën. Adolfo Orsi remained the nominal president, but Maserati changed a great deal. The relationship started as a joint venture, made public in January 1968, in which Maserati would design and manufacture an engine for Citroën's upcoming flagship SM. Launched in 1970, the SM was a four-seat front-wheel-drive coupé, powered by a Maserati Tipo C114 2.7 L 90° V6 engine; this engine and its gearbox had been used in other vehicles, such as rally-prepared Citroën DSs used by Bob Neyret in Bandama Rally, and in the Ligier JS2.

Bora, the first mid-engined Maserati
With secure financial backing, new models were launched, and built in much greater numbers than before. Citroën borrowed Maserati expertise and engines for the SM and other vehicles, and Maserati incorporated Citroën technology, particularly in hydraulics. Engineer Giulio Alfieri was key to many of the ambitious designs of this period.
The first new arrival was the 1969 Indy—a Vignale-bodied four seater GT with a traditional V8 drivetrain, which was produced in over 1100 units.
In 1971, the Bora was the company's first series production mid-engined model, an idea agreed with administrator Guy Malleret shortly after the 1968 takeover. The Bora ended Maserati's reputation for producing fast but technologically out of date cars, being the first Maserati with four wheel independent suspension.In contrast, competitor Lamborghini had independent suspension in 1964.
In 1972, fitting a Tipo 114 SM-derived V6 enlarged to 3.0-litre into the Bora produced the Maserati Merak.
Citroën never developed a 4-door version of the SM - instead Maserati developed the Quattroporte II, which shared most of its mechanical parts with the SM, including the mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, and six headlight arrangement.
To power this large car, Alfieri developed a V8 engine from the SM V6 with 260 PS (190 kW; 260 bhp) and fitted it to a lightly modified SM, proving the chassis could easily handle the power increase. Citroën's and Maserati's financial difficulties hampered the type homologation process; the development costs for the stillborn saloon further aggravated Maserati's situation. Only a dozen Quattroporte IIs were ever produced, all with the V6.
The replacement for the successful Ghibli was the Bertone-designed Khamsin, a front-engined grand tourer introduced in 1972 and produced until 1974;it married the traditional Maserati V8 GT layout with modern independent suspension, unibody construction, and refined Citroën technologies such as DIRAVI power steering.

Crisis years


Tipo C114 Maserati V6 in a Citroën SM
Meanwhile, the 1973 oil crisis put the brakes on this ambitious expansion; demand for fuel-hungry sports cars shrank drastically. Austerity measures in Italy meant that the domestic market contracted by 60-70%.All of the main Italian GT car manufacturers were damaged, having to lay off workers in order to empty lots of unsold cars. Maserati received the hardest blow, as its home market sales accounted for over half of the total—in contrast with Ferrari's 20%.In this situation, the only Maserati that continued to sell in appreciable numbers was the small-displacement Merak.
In 1974, with the 1973–75 recession at its climax, things took a turn for the worse. Citroën went bankrupt and its incorporation into PSA Peugeot Citroën begun. The year closed with domestic sales tumbling from 1973's 360 to 150 units, and losses exceeding the share capital.
On 22 May 1975, a press release from Citroën management abruptly announced Maserati had been put into liquidation.The workforce immediately picketed the factory, but production was not halted. Trade unions, the mayor of Modena, and local politicians mobilised to save the 800 jobs; industry minister Carlo Donat-Cattin even flew to Paris to meet Citroën chairman Francois Rollier. An agreement was reached in June, after several meetings and assemblies. During one of these meetings, Citroën liquidators disclosed that a possible Italian buyer had showed up, and the name of de Tomaso was put forth for the first time.Citroën accepted to suspend liquidation as requested by the Italian government, which on its part guaranteed six months of special redundancy fund to pay the salaries.

De Tomaso era

On 8 August 1975, an agreement was signed at the Ministry of Industry in Rome, and property of Maserati passed from Citroën to Italian state-owned holding company GEPI and Alejandro de Tomaso, an Argentinian industrialist and former racing driver, who became president and CEO.As of December 1979, GEPI's quota amounted to 88.75% of Maserati, the remaining 11.25% being controlled by De Tomaso through an holding which grouped his automotive interests in Maserati and Innocenti. Beginning in 1976, new models were introduced, sharing their underpinnings—but not their engines—with De Tomaso cars; first came the Kyalami grand tourer, derived from the De Tomaso Longchamp restyled by Frua and powered by Maserati's V8. Following was the Italdesign Giugiaro-designed third generation Quattroporte, introduced in 1976 and put on sale in 1979. Bora sales dwindled down; Khamsin was discontinued between 1982 and 1983. Progressively stripped of its Citroën-derived parts, the Merak continued to sell over one hundred pieces a year, until 1982.

The Biturbo


A 1985 Maserati Biturbo
The 1980s saw the company largely abandoning the mid-engined sports car in favour of a compact front-engined, rear-drive coupé, the Maserati Biturbo. Of fairly conventional construction, the Biturbo's pleasure and pain was its twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the first ever in a production car. This engine, descending from Alfieri's 90° V6, was fitted in a large number of models, all sharing key components; every new Maserati launched up to the 1990s would derive from the Biturbo. The Biturbo family was extremely successful at exploiting the aspirational image of the Maserati name—selling 40,000 units.
In 1983 and 1984, the range was extended to include saloons (the 425 and 420) and a cabriolet (the Zagato-bodied Spyder), respectively on a long and short wheelbase Biturbo platform.
During 1984, Chrysler bought a 5% share in the new company. Following an agreement between De Tomaso's friend and Chrysler head Lee Iacocca, a joint venture was signed. Maserati would produce a car for export to the American market, the Chrysler TC by Maserati, with Chrysler-sourced engines. In July of that same year, a merger between Maserati and Nuova Innocenti was decided; it was carried out in 1985. Chrysler upped its stake to 15.6% by underwriting three quarters of a 75 billion Lire capital raise in 1986.
New Biturbo-based cars and model evolutions were launched year after year. In 1984, it was the 228, a large coupé built on the long wheelbase saloon chassis, with a new 2.8 L version of the twin-turbo V6. Weber Fuel injection was phased in starting in 1986, bringing improved reliability and a host of new model variants. The same year, the ageing third generation Quattroporte was updated as the luxurious Maserati Royale, built to order in an handful of examples a year; its discontinuation in 1990 marked the disappearance of Maserati's four-cam V8 engine, a design that could trace its roots back to the 450S racer and the legendary 5000 GT. In 1987, the 2.8-litre 430 topped the saloon range. 1988 brought the Maserati Karif 2.8-litre two-seater, based on the short wheelbase Spyder chassis. Meanwhile, the Biturbo name was dropped altogether, as updated coupés and saloons were updated became the 222 and 422. 1989 marked the reintroduction of an eight-cylinder grand tourer: the Maserati Shamal, built on a modified short wheelbase Biturbo bodyshell, clad in new muscular bodywork by Marcello Gandini. It was powered by an all-new twin-turbo 32-valve V8 engine paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Two-litre, 24-valve engines also debuted.

De Tomaso-Fiat years

In October 1989, De Tomaso bought the remaining Gepi quota. In December, Fiat entered in Maserati's history. Maserati and Innocenti were separated; Innocenti Milano S.p.A., the company that sold Innocenti cars, continued its business under a 51% Fiat Auto ownership. All of the Modena and Lambrate plants went to a newly created company, the still extant Maserati S.p.A.; 49% of it was owned by Fiat Auto and 51% was controlled by De Tomaso through the old company, Officine Alfieri Maserati.
In the early '90s, a mid-engined sports car was developed, the Maserati Chubasco—which was to début in 1992. It featured Gandini-designed body, a V8 powertrain, and a backbone chassis. The project was cancelled, as it proved too expensive. Starting in 1990, the entire range received a facelift by Marcello Gandini, on the lines of the Shamal's styling. The last version of the Biturbo coupé proper was called Maserati Racing. It was a transitional model in which several features to be found on the upcoming Ghibli were tested.
The Maserati Ghibli was introduced in 1992. It was a six-cylinder coupé, with modified Biturbo underpinnings dressed by new Gandini bodywork (toned down from the Shamal) and the latest evolution of the 24-valve twin-turbo V6 with record breaking specific output. The underpinnings of the stillborn Chubasco gave birth to the Maserati Barchetta, a small open top mid-engine sports car styled by Synthesis Design (Carlo Gaino).A one-make racing series was held in 1992 and 1993, using the Barchetta Corsa racing version; the road-going Barchetta Stradale was never put into production. Just 17 Barchetta examples were produced. Between 1992 and 1994 all models save for the Ghibli and Shamal were progressively discontinued.

Fiat ownership

On 19 May 1993, 17 years after having rescued it from liquidation, Alejandro De Tomaso sold its 51% stake in Maserati to Fiat, which became the sole owner. Substantial investments were made in Maserati, and it has since undergone something of a renaissance.
In 1998, a new chapter began in Maserati's history when the company launched the 3200 GT. This two-door coupé is powered by a 3.2 L twin-turbocharged V8 derived from the Shamal engine, which produces 370 horsepower (280 kW).
Over two decades after the ill-fated Chrysler TC by Maserati during Chrysler's brief ownership stake in Maserati, the two companies became interconnected again when Fiat purchased majority control of Chrysler in 2011 as a result of Chrysler's bankruptcy.

Ferrari

In July 1997, Fiat sold a 50% share in the company to Maserati's long-time arch-rival Ferrari (Ferrari itself being owned by Fiat). In 1999, Ferrari took full control, making Maserati its luxury division. A new factory was built, replacing the existing 1940s-era facility. Ferrari is credited for bringing Maserati back into business, after many lacklustre years of Maserati teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
The last links to the de Tomaso era were cut in 2002, when the 3200 GT was replaced by the Maserati Coupé and Spyder; evolved from the 3200, these cars ditched its twin-turbocharged V8 for an all-new, naturally aspirated, dry sump 4.2-litre V8 with a transaxle gearbox. In turn Coupé and Spyder were replaced by the GranTurismo and GranCabrio.
Meanwhile, two new models have been shown to the public: the MC12 road supersports and successful GT racer with a Ferrari Enzo–derived chassis and engine and the new Quattroporte, a high luxury saloon with the 4.2l V8 engine.Nowadays, Maserati is back in business and successfully selling on a global basis. In 2001, Ferrari decided to throw away all the old tooling and installed high-tech devices in the Modena factory, making it one of the most advanced in the world.
Since early 2002, Maserati once again entered the United States market, which has quickly become for Maserati the largest market worldwide. The company has also re-entered the racing arena with their Trofeo and, in December 2003, the Maserati MC12 (formerly known as the MCC), which was developed according to FIA GT regulations and has since competed with great success in the world FIA GT championship, winning the teams championship three consecutive times from 2005 to 2007. The MC12 has also been raced in various national GT championship as well as in the American Le Mans series. The MC12 is based on the Enzo Ferrari sports car; 50 street-legal homologation models (roadsters and coupés) have been sold for about US$700,000 each.

The Maserati and Alfa Romeo Group under Fiat Group


Maserati's "Trident" badge
The Maserati and Alfa Romeo group, under Fiat Group, started in 2005, when Maserati was split off from Ferrari and partnered with Alfa Romeo. On 9 June 2005, the 20,000th Maserati, a Quattroporte, left the factory.In the second quarter of 2007, Maserati made profit for the first time in 17 years under Fiat ownership.
On January 22, 2010, Fiat announced that it had created a new partnership/brand group for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Abarth. The group was led by Harald J. Wester, the current CEO of Maserati. Sergio Marchionne said that "[the] purpose of bringing the Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Abarth brands under the same leadership is to emphasize and leverage the value of the shared qualities of the three brands in terms of their sporting characteristics and performance." Abarth stayed under Wester's leadership until 2013, leaving Maserati and Alfa Romeo in the brand group, led by Wester.Although Maserati and Alfa Romeo are in a brand group, Alfa Romeo is structured under FCA Italy S.p.A., which itself is structured under FCA, whereas Maserati is structured solely under FCA. In addition, in an interview with Wester in 2015, he clarified that his "role at Maserati is different from that in the Alfa Romeo as the latter is better integrated into the Fiat Group" and that "the new Alfa car won't share any parts with the current Maserati model. I'm not planning any technical merging of these two makes."
In 2013, Maserati started its expansion with the sixth-generation Maserati Quattroporte, which was designed to better compete with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This was followed by the introduction of the Ghibli, which was slated to compete against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series. On May 6, 2014, Maserati confirmed production of the Levante SUV and the Alfieri (previously a 2+2 concept sports car that was named after Alfieri Maserati).At this event, it was revealed that 2014 will be the last year of production for the GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible,although production of the GranTurismo was extended until 2016, with a new GranTurismo still being unveiled in 2018.In a 2015 interview, Harald J. Wester said that there was room for a future sports car, positioned above the Alfieri.
Along with their expansion, Maserati started their re-entrance into the high-performance car field, in order to compete with brands such as Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, Porsche, Jaguar, and in certain cases, Ferrari. This is being done with Maseratis that have higher output engines, higher performance components, and better handling. The fastest Maserati Alfieri will be receiving a 520 bhp (388 kW; 527 PS) V6 with all-wheel drive, while the Quattroporte, Ghibli, and Levante are receiving 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) V8s in the future with all-wheel drive, in order to better compete with their respective AMGs, M cars, Jaguars, and Porsches.The Maserati Alfieri will be competitive against the Mercedes-AMG GT, Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type R, and even the Ferrari California T in terms of performance. The replacement for the GranTurismo, to be presented in 2018, will have a 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) V8.The high performance all wheel drive version of the Ghibli (as mentioned above) will likely wear a GTS badge. For the Quattroporte, this will be a replacement for the GTS version (with increased power and all wheel drive, as mentioned above).
In addition, Harald J. Wester stated that Maserati is experimenting with plug-in hybrid powertrains, and that one will be offered in the second half of 2017 in the Levante SUV.By 2018, the base Ghibli will receive a performance upgrade 350 bhp (261 kW; 355 PS), and the Ghibli S Q4 to 450 bhp (336 kW; 456 PS).

The 2014 Maserati lineup, as shown at the 100th Year Anniversary in Autoworld Brussels From left to right: Maserati GranCabrio Sport, Maserati Ghibli III and Maserati Quattroporte Series VI
Maserati sales in 2013 were 15,400 units, which is up from just over 6,000 units worldwide in 2012 (2013 included the release of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli towards the end of the year, and thus the first year to fully represent the sales inclusive of these models is 2014). In May, 2014, Maserati sold a company record of over 3,000 cars worldwide, causing them to increase production of the Ghibli and Quattroporte. For that same month in the United States, Maserati sold 1,114 vehicles, which is up 406.19% over the same month in the previous year in the United States. Maserati's best month of sales in the United States was September 2014, with 1,318 units sold. The month in 2014 where the increase on sales for the same month of the previous year was the highest was May, with a volume increase of 406.19%. The sales target for 2018 is 75,000 units worldwide.
2014 marked an historic record of 13,411 total units sold in North America for the year, a 169% increase versus 2013, boasting the highest-ever overall sales year for Maserati North America, Inc.Worldwide, in 2014 Maserati sold about 36,500 cars, a 136% increase over 2013.Harald J. Wester stated that Maserati will not surpass the 70,000 sales per year mark, and that Maserati will maintain its current position in the higher end of the luxury sports car market, not expanding downmarket and making vehicles smaller and less expensive than the Ghibli and Levante (such as those similar to the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class), as other FCA brands, specifically Alfa Romeo, are or will be in those market spaces.
Since 2009, Marco Tencone (born 1967) has been the head designer of Maserati cars.



Automobiles

Current and upcoming models

QuattroporteGhibliGranTurismoGranCabrioLevanteAlfieri (upcoming)
  • 4-door saloon
  • 4-door saloon
  • Grand tourer
  • Convertible
  • 5-door SUV
  • 2+2 grand tourer
Maserati Quattroporte (10906099934).jpgMaserati Ghibli - AutoShanghai 2013 (01).JPG
Maserati Granturismo - Flickr - Alexandre Prévot (9) (cropped).jpg
Maserati GranCabrio - Flickr - Alexandre Prévot (6) (cropped).jpg
Maserati Levante S (01).jpg
2014-03-04 Geneva Motor Show 0833.JPG

Maserati Quattroporte

Italian for "four-door," the Maserati Quattroporte is a sporting luxury saloon. The sixth generation Maserati Quattroporte was introduced in 2013. The Quattroporte is crrently available in S Q4, GTS and Diesel trim. The S Q4 has an advanced four wheel drive system, and a 404-horsepower twin-turbo V6.The GTS is rear wheel drive, and has a 523-horsepower V8. A Quattroporte Diesel model is offered on selected markets, making 275 horsepower (250 hp in Italy) and 442 ft-lbs of torque. The sixth-generation Quattroporte has grown in size in order to better compete with the roomier luxury saloons like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
By 2018, the Quattroporte S Q4 will be upgraded to produce 450 bhp (336 kW; 456 PS) from its V6, and the GTS to produce 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) horsepower from its V8, both with all-wheel drive (for the V8 to increase performance).

Maserati Ghibli

The first presentation of this car was on 20 April 2013 in Shanghai. It is a sporting/luxury executive saloon that competes against the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class or Audi A6. This new model is expected to be key in order to reach the ambitious target sales of 75,000 cars a year by 2018, up from 32,474 in 2015.The car, along with the new Quattroporte, is built in the Italian factory of Grugliasco, Turin (former Bertone). The base Ghibli comes with 330 horsepower, the Ghibli Diesel with 275 horsepower (also 250 in Italy only), and the Ghibli S Q4 with 410 horsepower. By 2018, the base Ghibli will have 350 horsepower, the S Q4 450 horsepower, and a higher performance version (likely GTS) which will have 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) and all-wheel drive.

Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio

The Maserati GranTurismo is a grand tourer introduced in 2007. The GranTurismo has a 4.7-litre V8, making 454 bhp (339 kW; 460 PS) in Sport form and MC form. A convertible (GranCabrio) version is also available in standard, Sport, and MC form. The final production year for the Maserati GranTurismo is scheduled to be 2014, but it will be revived in 2018 with a 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) V8, again in rear wheel drive form.

Maserati Levante

The Maserati Levante is a crossover SUV due to be released in 2014. It has been anticipated with the Maserati Kubang concept SUV in September 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and again in 2011. It was announced, at the Paris Motor Show held in Paris in September 2012. The Levante will be assembled in Mirafiori Plant, in Turin. It was confirmed on May 6, 2014.The Levante 3.0L V6 will be offered in either 350 or 425 horsepower states of tune, with a 3.8L V8 producing 560 bhp (418 kW; 568 PS) down the road, due in 2018. All models will have all-wheel drive.

Maserati Alfieri

The Maserati Alfieri was a concept 2+2 presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014. The concept was based off the lighter chassis of the GranTurismo MC Stradale, although it had a shorter wheelbase. The concept was introduced with a 4.7 liter V8 producing 460 bhp (343 kW; 466 PS).
The Alfieri was confirmed for production in 2016 at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles event on May 6, 2014.The production version will receive three different V6 engine choices, producing 410 bhp (306 kW; 416 PS), 450 bhp (336 kW; 456 PS), and 520 bhp (388 kW; 527 PS), respectively. The 450 horsepower and 520 horsepower versions will only have an all-wheel drive system. The Alfieri will be joined by an Alfieri convertible in 2017.