This Maserati A6 1500, which debuted in Geneva exactly 77 years ago, was designed not for racing, like its predecessors, but for everyday use by fans of high-speed driving.
Back in 1926, Alfieri Maserati and his three younger brothers created a company in the city of Bologna, where they began producing racing cars. In 1932, after the death of Alfieri, the company was taken over by enterprising businessmen Omir and Adolf Orsi. The brothers could not work together with them and, in the end, in 1947 they left the company.
But oddly enough, the company did not change its name after that, and retained its spectacular emblem. The latter was made in the form of a trident – an attribute of the ancient Roman god of the seas, Neptune. This choice is easy to explain: the trident was also on the coat of arms of Bologna.
After the end of World War II, Maserati was in dire financial straits. Single racing cars, of course, could not bring much income. Only sports cars designed for a more or less wide range of consumers could become a lifesaver.
And already in 1946, work began on the prototype of such a “passenger” car. Its chassis design dates back to a racing car created back in 1936. Here a peripheral spar frame and a tubular body frame were used. As for the inline 6-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1.5 liters, it was significantly deformed, in particular, it had one overhead camshaft instead of two. It developed only 65 hp. With. Nevertheless, the racing genes made themselves felt: the car could reach speeds of up to 150 km/h.
In 1946 – 1951 61 such cars were produced. And then a more powerful version appeared – Maserari A 6G. The engine displacement was increased to 2.0 liters, and the power increased to 100 liters. With. In 1951 – 1953 the company produced 77 such cars. The number “6” in their designation indicated the number of cylinders in the block. And the letter G testified to the material from which it was made: after all, the Italian word Ghisa (cast iron) began with it.
It should be said that these sporty post-war first-borns from Maserati looked very impressive. Their dynamic forms were developed by such recognized masters of coachbuilding as Pinin Farina, Frua, Allemano, Zagato and others.
This is how the post-war history of Maserati began, which today is, along with Ferrari and Lamborghini, one of the big three leaders producing high-speed cars.