Maserati
In 1914, the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto, established the Italian luxury car manufacturer, now based in Modena and owned by Fiat since 1993, in Bologna. In the Fiat conglomerate, Maserati has become a part of the sports car group with Alfa Romeo.
Alfieri Maserati died in 1932, but three other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore, kept the company in business building cars that won races. In 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers sold their interests in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family, which in 1940 relocated the company headquarters to their hometown of Modena, where it remains. The brothers stayed on as engineers.
Maserati withdrew from factory racing after the 1957 Guidizzolo tragedy during the Mille Miglia to focus on road cars. The first was the six-cylinder 3500 2+2 (two-seater with small rear seats) coupe, which had an aluminum body structure. Then came the Sebring in 1962, the Mistral Coupe, and the company’s first four-door, the Quattroporte, in 1963,. The two-seat Ghibli coupe arrived in 1967 followed by a convertible in 1969.
The French auto firm Citroën took over in 1968. Adolfo Orsi remained as nominal president, but Maserati changed visibly, building more new models than ever before. Citroën borrowed Maserati expertise and engines for the Citroën SM and other vehicles, and Maserati incorporated Citroën hydraulic technology.
New models were the Indy, a grand turismo, the Bora, the first mass-produced mid-engined Maserati, the Merak, and the Khamsin. The 1973 energy crisis stifled expansion when demand for fuelish sports cars dwindled. Citroën went bankrupt in 1974, and in 1975 Group PSA Peugeot Citroën declared Maserati also in receivership while the Italian government supported the company and kept it in business.
In 1975, Alejandro de Tomaso, an Argentinian former race car driver, became managing director. De Tomaso arranged for the Benelli motorcycle company, which he controlled, to buy Maserati from PSA Peugeot Citroën. In 1976, the company introduced the Kyalami and later the Quattroporte III in 1979.
In the 1980s, Maserati swithed from mid-engined sports car to front-engined, rear-drive coupes with aggressive performance like the Biturbo. A short two-door coupe, the Karif, and a cabriolet, the Spyder, also used the Biturbo engine. Two new coupes, the Shamal and the Ghibli II, launched in 1990 and in 1992.
Fiat acquired Maserati in 1993 and made substantial investments leading to a commercial recharge. In 1998, Maserati launched the 3200 GT, a two-door coupe powered by an eight-cylinder, 2000-cubic centimeter, twin-turbocharged engine which produces 370 horsepower, goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 177. The Spyder and Coupe replaced it in the 2002 model year, and the GranTurismo and Gran Cabrio then replaced them.
In July 1997, Fiat Auto sold a 50-percent share in Maserati to long-time arch-rival Ferrari, another Fiat Group company. In 1999, Ferrari took full control, made Maserati its premium division, and built a new factory to replace the 1940s-era facility. Ferrari brought Maserati back into business after many years when it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.
In early 2002, Maserati returned to the American market, which is now its largest worldwide. Maserati sold 2,006 cars in the USA in 2005, 2,108 in 2006, and 2,540 in 2007, slight but steady increases. In the second quarter of 2007 Maserati made a profit for the first time in 17 years under Fiat Group ownership, having merged with Alfa Romeo under Fiat in 2005.
Visit the Maserati website: www.maserati.com
