Maserati Enthusiasts' Page

The Enthusiasts' Page
	All things 'Maserati'. News of forthcoming models, owner's cars, tips, 'Marque' reunions and the odd touch of humour! In fact anything of interest to the 'Maseratista'. So if you have any news about Maseratis or have anything owners and enthusiasts should know, send details to enricomaserati@btinternet.com

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From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI COMMEMORATES THE AMERICAN VICTORIES OF THE 8CTF AT THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

Modena, 29 May 2020 - The Maserati brand has achieved international fame for the design, style and performance of its unique cars. With a tradition and history of successes on the roads and circuits all over the world, Maserati's victories have made it a standard-bearer for Italian excellence. In fact, racing has always been in Maserati's DNA: it was in competition that its myth started to grow.

© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne

The two consecutive wins recorded on 30 May 1939 and 30 May 1940 at the Indianapolis 500, one of the world's most important races, with Warren Wilbur Shaw at the wheel, helped to grow the Brand's notoriety in the United States and internationally. Maserati 8CTF The 8CTF was another inspired design by Ernesto Maserati, originated in 1938 with the support of the Orsi family, the Modena entrepreneurs who had taken over the business in 1937. Characterised by its 8-cylinder engine with cylinders cast in a monoblock with the head (hence the name '8CTF', or 8 cylinders 'testa fissa' - fixed head), the new car was Maserati's bid to return to competitiveness against the other European constructors.

© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne		© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne

The car which won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940 was run by the Chicago Boyle Racing Headquarters team owned by Michael Joseph 'Mike' Boyle and was entered in the race as a 'Boyle Special'.

© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne		© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne

After the first two victories, in 1941 Shaw seemed destined for a historic hat-trick, but a puncture prevented him from winning the American race a third consecutive time. In 1946, after a break due to the Second World War, the same 8CTF which Shaw had driven finished the Indianapolis race in third place, this time with Ted Horne at the wheel. It was followed home by another 8CTF, driven by Emil Andres. Horne repeated his third place in 1947, and went on to finish fourth in 1948. These very impressive results confirm the amazing sporting longevity of the initial design developed by Ernesto Maserati in 1938, which remained competitive at the highest levels for a decade.

© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne		© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne

Maserati's stunning performances in the Indianapolis oval laid the foundations for the birth of an Italian myth in the USA. Its prestige was so great that in 2014 the United States HVA (Historical Vehicle Association) registered the 8CTF as the first non-American production car to be awarded a permanent place in the annals of the Library of the US Congress. Recorded under the Secretary of the Interior's 'Standards for Heritage Documentation', the documentation has been placed in the NHVR (National Historic Vehicle Register) and HAER (Historic American Engineering Record). What's more, one of the three cars built, the one driven to victory by Wilbur Shaw in the 1939 and 1940 Indianapolis 500 races, has been reconfigured with the original paintwork and is displayed in the Indianapolis Speedway Museum.

© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne		© John Lamm Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis winne

However, the 8CTF's racing successes were not restricted to events on the traditional American ovals, since this Maserati model was also victorious in another famous race, the Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado, where Luis Unser was the winner in 1946 and 1947. The Pikes Peak race was run over an uphill course of about 20 km, mainly on unpaved roads and with 156 bends which posed a severe test for both driver and car. The starting line was at 1,440 metres above sea level and the finish at 4,300 metres. These results were exceptional for an extraordinary car that proved highly competitive in totally different disciplines.

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From Newspress in the UK

80TH ANNIVERSARY OF MASERATI'S TARGA FLORIO VICTORY

Maserati tests an MC20 prototype on the roads of the world's oldest race

Modena, 22 May 2020 - On 23 May 1940, Maserati celebrated a fantastic four wins in a row at the Targa Florio. In fact, a House of Trident car was first over the finishing line of the prestigious Sicilian race for the fourth consecutive year. The driver who added his name to the winner's board was Luigi (Gigi) Villoresi, at the wheel of the Maserati Tipo 4CL.

Maserati MC20 Prototype, Floriopoli Grandstands, Sicily		Maserati MC20 Prototype, Floriopoli Grandstands, Sicily

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of this historic victory, Maserati went back to Sicily with an MC20 prototype, and drove it over some of the roads where the history of the Targa Florio was written, such as the stretch where the famous Floriopoli stands are located. The new supercar's development thus proceeds with tests in different conditions of use, with the aim of gathering data and information for the final fine tuning.

Palermo 23.5.1940 Targa Florio Maserati 4CL Gigi Villoresi		Palermo 23.5.1940 Targa Florio Maserati 4CL Gigi Villoresi

After the first batch of tests performed using the dynamic simulator at the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena, the time has now come for road and circuit test drives. The MC20 marks the start of a new era for the Italian Brand in terms of both style and technology; it is also the first car to use the new engine, brimming with innovative technological contents, developed and built by Maserati in-house.

Palermo 23.5.1940 Targa Florio Maserati 4CL Gigi Villoresi

Through the new MC20, to be launched in September, the Modena-based manufacturer aims to underline its sporting credentials, and to return to a leading role on the racing circuits, after the latest world championship won in 2010 with another extraordinary car, the MC12. The 4CL Created in 1939, this single-seater was the brainchild of Ernesto Maserati, youngest of the Maserati's founding brothers, who wanted to design a car that would be competitive in 'Voiturette' class racing. The 4CL, with displacement of 1,491 cc, was built on the chassis of the 6CM but with a new four-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder, the first in Maserati's history. It was an extremely advanced engine for its time, with "square" internal dimensions of 78 x78mm which, with the aid of a volumetric supercharger, developed 220 hp at 8,000 rpm. At the car's racing debut in Tripoli, at the 1939 Libyan Grand Prix, Gigi Villoresi took pole position with the aerodynamic version of the 4CL. Its first win came two Grand Prix later, in Naples, when it was driven by Englishman John Peter Wakefield, who went on to achieve two further victories in France, at the Picardie and Albi GPs. In the second half of the 1930s, the Targa Florio was held at Palermo on a circuit designed within the Favorita Park, over a total of 40 laps. The first to finish was Gigi Villoresi, the pre-race favourite, who also set new records for the race average speed (142.288 Km/h) and the lap time (147.201 Km/h). Also taking part in that edition (the 31st), in his first racing season and at the wheel of another Maserati, was Alberto Ascari. Villoresi thus won the last race run in Italy and Europe before the Second World War, a result that confirmed the Modena-based constructor's supremacy. More wins were to come in the postwar period. At the wheel of the 4CL, Villoresi himself was to win the Nice Grand Prix in April 1946, with more victories to follow for French ace Raymond Sommer, English driver Reg Parnell and the great Tazio Nuvolari. Further wins were recorded in 1947, and in 1948 the 4CL was replaced by the 4CLT, featuring the new tubular chassis and intake system with double-stage turbocharger.

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From David in Australia

SIR STIRLING MOSS The master's last pass.

"In January 1959 I was riding my bike home from school when I saw a Jaguar saloon screaming towards me. It slowly veered over onto my side of the road, then it stopped. I was annoyed! The driver jumped out and walked quickly past me, nodding briefly as he strode up into a private hotel. Gobsmacked, speechless, I was stunned: 'It was Stirling Moss! He was staying at this private hotel with his fiancé Katie Molson, together with many other notable UK race drivers. I rode home, then came straight back with my autograph book. The next day I picked it up from the front desk and every one of the UK visitors' signatures was there. Media hype was building to fever pitch prior to the New Zealand International Grand Prix and Stirling Moss was favourite in his Cooper T45. What I knew about Stirling Moss was mainly from reading motor magazines back in the 1950s - 'Modern Motor' and 'Wheels' etc. and watching 'Movietone News' and yes, Moss won the NZIGP that year. My hero. At our age, I believe that each one of us has our own very clear mental images of Sir Stirling Moss, images formed whilst watching over his amazing career. During that time that we have all been involved in motor racing, most of us have certainly seen, read, heard about, or maybe have even spoken to him. There will be some who were lucky enough to have raced against him. His main racing career spanned from 1948 to 1962, when the huge crash at Goodwood reduced his ability to continue racing in F1 events at the awareness level he knew he had to be at. He did recommence racing in many other classes, including historic events. We all recall the fruitless Bathurst entry in 1976, co-driving with Jack Brabham in a Torana. Moss was always involved in shop and building openings, sponsors advertisements, speeches and presentations. Some of these events happened as he cruised the oceans, in first class cabins of course. Stirling always asked for- and got- first class seats whenever he flew to participate in an event. In the mid -1980s I was invited to Warwick Farm as a guest of the Jaguar Sydney sales dept. Stirling Moss was there, talking up the features of their latest model. He invited four people at a time to be driven around for a few laps. I was fortunate to be in the front seat alongside "the master" as he spoke with such authority about the motor and the great handling as we hurtled around at breakneck speed. Again, I was too awestruck to say much afterwards except: 'Gulp - thank you.&39; In 1998 the Goodwood Revival meetings began and I was able to obtain a press pass, which enabled me to have access to special areas and drivers. During the many following years that I have attended the Revival, I have finally had 'grown up'Ã‚Â conversations with Stirling! In 2000 Prince Charles laid the Royal sword on Moss' shoulder to bestow on him a Knighthood, becoming Sir Stirling Moss.

Moss refuels and will go on to win at Ardmore in NZ in 1956

In 2014 I built a replica of a 250F Maserati steering wheel as a sort of "tribute" after seeing Moss win that 1956 NZIGP in his Maserati 250F when I was 13 years old. I took the wheel over to Goodwood in the hope that he might sign it for me. This he did, with relish and he was keen to learn exactly how I had made it. By chance we met again later that day at the driver's club and so I was finally able to sit down and have a long talk with him. A very pleasant and amiable man who -providing he had the time- was very easy to talk to as he was able to zero in on the topic of anyone's conversation without talking over them. A thoroughly decent man, whilst no sufferer of fools.

David, Sir Stirling Moss and the steering wheel

I have often met his wonderful wife Suzie. Moss had known her since the early 1960's, when he often stayed with her parents in Hong Kong, during stopovers on his flights to NZ and Australia. They married in 1980, with Moss saying: "I am the happiest man on the planet." In 2010 he had a dreadful accident, falling down into the lift shaft in his house. Then in 2016 he was hospitalised in Singapore with pneumonia and spent more than four months recuperating there. In early 2018 he finally announced he would withdraw from public life. His website closed down and little was heard of him - until the sad news of his passing on the 12th April. He is survived by his wife Suzie and his two children, Elliot and Allison. RIP Sir Stirling Moss 1939 to 2020. By Dave Williamson Auckland 1959."






From Roger in the UK

Sad news this morning of Sir Stirling Moss' death at the age of 90. Please see attached record of his achievements with Maserati that I put together when he retired in 2011.

Sir Stirling Moss

Best wishes to all and stay safe, Roger."






From Cristoph in Germany

"Hi Enrico, I know there are more important things at the moment, but I would like to give a little hint about the Biturbo history: The 430 4V model was already produced in 1990. Both Maserati and your pages indicate the construction period from 1991 to 1994. However, the attached nameplate shows a 430 4V, which was already made in 1990.

The chassis plate of the 1990 430 4v		The chassis number stamped on the chassis of the 1990 430 4v.

All the best, Christoph."






From Enrico in the UK

"Dear Maseratisti, Sorry I haven't been around for a short while but I have been unwell, but thankfully I am now recovered. I was deeply saddened to hear of the sad passing of Sir Stirling Moss, the great racing driver and friend of all Maseratisti. His association with Maserati is well known and his support of the marque remained to the end. He was an honorary member of the Maserati Club UK and I recall a time when at the Classic Motor Show he visited the Club stand to view a Maserati 300S which was on display. He retold many stories of his adventures with the 300S, one of his favourite Maseratis. Earlier that day I had purchased an early photo of a handsome Stirling and asked him to sign it for me. Without hesitation, after pointing out his good looks to his wife Suzie, he asked her to support the photo on her back while he signed it. His loss is a great one and he will always be remembered as a fine gentleman and a master of his art, that of a real racing driver. May he rest in peace,"

Stirling Moss driving the "Birdcage" to victory at the 1960 Cuban GP.		The original watercolour by Andy Danks on display at the Modellissimo Maserati Exhibition at Bologna in 2001.

One of a signed limited edition print of only 300.		The original watercolour by Andy Danks on display at the Modellissimo Maserati Exhibition at Bologna in 2001.






From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI CELEBRATES 70 YEARS SINCE HISTORIC MASERATI 4CLT 'SAME DAY DOUBLE' FORMULA ONE WINS

London, 30 April 2020 - Whilst 2020 marks Formula One's milestone 70-year anniversary, April has also featured an historic 70 years since Maserati not only competed in the first Formula One World Championship season, but also recorded a famous Formula One 'double win' achieved by two different Maserati racing cars driven by two audacious racing drivers, on two different circuits, on the same day.

Maserati 4CLT at Goodwood Revival 2019		Maserati 250F and Stirling Moss

This feat began with the 1950 Pau Grand Prix 'an official but non-championship Formula One motor race' held on 10 April 1950 at the Pau circuit, in France. In what was regarded as the first race of the 1950 Formula One season, the 110-lap race was won by none other than legendary driver Juan Manuel Fangio in his Maserati 4CLT. On the very same day across the channel, Reg Parnell completed a Maserati double in his privately-owned Maserati 4CLT, to lift the Richmond Trophy at Goodwood Motor Circuit, marking a Formula One 'same day double win'. At the heart of both these extraordinary April 1950 wins, was the Maserati 4CLT. Developed in 1947, by Alberto Massimino, who became Maserati's chief engineer, he evolved the Maserati 4CL-derived 'sixteen-valve' Formula One/A car to become the 4CLT. The additional letter 'T' stood for 'Tubolare', reflecting the car's new tubular chassis frame. The first pair of 4CLTs made their successful debut in June 1948 at San Remo. Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi finished first and second, earning the model the name the 'San Remo Maserati', as they went on to complete an extremely successful season in the shapely new Fantuzzi-bodied cars. British driver and private Maserati race car owner, Reg Parnell, a haulage contractor from Derby in the North Midlands, became one of England's leading racing personalities in the 1940s, most notably behind the wheel of his pre-war Maserati 4CL. After acquiring his 4CLT in the years that followed, Parnell went on to win several Goodwood Trophies, as well as The Richmond Trophy both in 1949 and in April 1950. Maserati went onto even greater success in future Formula One World Championship's, especially with the 250F, which saw Sir Stirling Moss finish 2nd overall in the 1956 season, and Juan Manuel Fangio win his fourth consecutive, fifth in total, World Championship title in 1957. To this day, Maserati's racing DNA very much lives on, with the introduction of the high performance Levante Trofeo launched last year which celebrated Maserati's racing heritage, to the recently announced Maserati MC20 super sports car which will be unveiled later this year and becomes the natural evolution of the highly successful MC12, which was launched in 2004 and marked the return of the Italian marque to GT racing.

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From Stefan in Germany

"Ciao Enrico, Re: Ghibli Open Cup #361549 The car's first race will be at the Preis der Stuttgart, Hockenheimring - 17th to 19th April, and one week later at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic - www.hockenheim-historic.de. Regards, Stefan."

Maserati Ghibli Open Cup Evoluzione		Maserati Ghibli Open Cup Evoluzione

Maserati Ghibli Open Cup Evoluzione		Maserati Ghibli Open Cup Evoluzione






From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI STARTS TESTING THE PROTOTYPE OF THE NEW MC20

Modena, 5 March 2020. Following the "mule" tests, the first full prototype of the new Maserati MC20 super sports car has emerged from the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena.

Maserati MC20 prototype @ Milano		Maserati MC20 prototype @ Milano

Maserati has 100% Italian DNA and is in continuous movement: the Brand has identified and selected a series of iconic locations in Italy that effectively convey the 'Masters of Italian Audacity' a global statement, of which the new MC20 is the first and ultimate expression. The prototype has been photographed at night in Piazza degli Affari in Milan, below Maurizio Cattelan's sculpture L.O.V.E., a symbol of Italian audacity in international contemporary art.

Maserati MC20 prototype @ Milano		Maserati MC20 prototype @ Milano

Now, this marks the start of a period of road and track tests, in various conditions of use, to acquire vital data for the preparation of the car's final setup. During the next few days the prototype will visit other locations symbolic of Italian audacity, before returning to Modena. Maserati: Masters of Italian Audacity. Maserati: Masters of Italian Audacity.

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI MC20: THE NAME OF THE NEW SUPER SPORTS CAR OF THE TRIDENT BRAND IS ANNOUNCED

MC20 means Maserati Corse 2020 and celebrates that the Brand will return to racing. The super sports car is the first model of the new Maserati Era and it will debut by the end of May in Modena. The MC20, developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab, will be built at the Viale Ciro Menotti Plant in Modena.

The MC20: Maserati's next Supercar

Modena, 20 February 2020: The eagerly-anticipated Maserati super sports car will be named MC20. The car was developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab, will be built at the historical plant in Viale Ciro Menotti and will have its worldwide debut at the end of May in Modena. MC20 underlines the sporting credentials of the new model: MC is the acronym of Maserati Corse and 20 refers to 2020, the year which marks the start of a new phase in Maserati's history. The first racing car to wear the Trident logo was the Tipo 26, where the number indicated the year of manufacture, and in the same way, the MC20 will be the first car born in the new Era of the Modena firm. The super sports car is the natural evolution of the highly successful MC12, the car that in 2004 marked Maserati's return to racing after 37 years. The MC12 won 22 races (including 3 victories in the 24 Hours of Spa) and 14 Championship titles across Constructors' Championship, Drivers' Championship and Teams' Championships in the FIA GT from 2004 to 2010. Maserati will return to the world of racing with the new MC20. The model will be built at the Modena Plant where modernization works are already in progress on the production line, which will also accommodate its advanced electric powertrain. At the same time, to further complete the production areas at the Viale Ciro Menotti Plant, work has already started on a paint shop, a completely new feature for the facility, which will be equipped with advanced innovative low environmental-impact technologies.

Text and photo courtesy of Maserati.






From Newspress in the UK

MASERATI MC20: THE NAME OF THE NEW MASERATI SUPER SPORTS CAR CLIMBS ABOARD THE MASERATI MULTI 70

The logo of the new model appears on the mainsail of the Maserati Multi 70 trimaran: today the world discovers the name of the new Maserati super sports car in an unconventional way. Maserati MC20 and Maserati Multi 70 are linked by the same know-how in aerodynamics, technological innovation and performance, developed at the Innovation Lab in Modena. MC20 will be presented in Modena in May.

Modena, 21 February 2020: Maserati has chosen the Maserati Multi 70 trimaran and Giovanni Soldini's Team to tell the world the name of its new super sports car, developed, engineered and 100% built in Italy.

Maserati Multi 70 with the new MC20 mainsail		Maserati Multi 70 with the new MC20 mainsail

Today, the trimaran set sail in the Caribbean Sea for routine training in the run-up to the RORC Caribbean 600 Race. Unexpectedly, when the sails were hoisted, the new "MC20" logo appeared on the mainsail. The Modena-based manufacturer has unveiled the car's name in an unconventional way: the new mainsail graphics with the logo of the super sports car, created by the Centro Stile Maserati, is a tribute to the Brand's new Era, for which Giovanni Soldini, a long-term friend of the brand, is a leading spokesperson. In this way, Giovanni Soldini and his crew pay a special tribute to the Trident Brand: underlining the connection between the high-performance trimaran and the new Maserati super sports car. The Maserati Multi 70 trimaran is the "laboratory boat" to which the Modena Innovation Lab engineers have transferred their aerodynamics, technological innovation and performance know-how. And these same values guided the team of engineers and technicians when developing the MC20. MC20, where MC is the acronym of Maserati Corse and 20 refers to 2020, will be the first model of the new Era of the Brand. The car was developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab, will be built at the historical plant in Viale Ciro Menotti and will have its worldwide debut at the end of May in Modena. Since 2012, Maserati and Giovanni Soldini have been united by the same values of passion, adrenalin and the pursuit of the highest performance, and have been working together in a strategic partnership far beyond any ordinary sponsorships. What's more, Maserati Multi 70 and the new car also share a vocation for sporting prowess and for racing: with this technology-packed model, Maserati intends to make a racing comeback. Giovanni Soldini comments: "I am proud to represent the Trident Brand worldwide and am honoured that the trimaran Maserati Multi 70 has been chosen for the launch of the new MC20 logo. I can't wait to test drive the car and to attend the big May event in Modena." Maserati Multi 70's first challenge with her new graphics will be the RORC Caribbean 600 Race, which starts on 24 February and involves more than 700 yachtsmen from all over the world, on a 600-mile course around eleven islands in the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean Sea). The car's debut is eagerly anticipated for May, when the Brand will star in a great celebratory event in Modena and claim a place at the centre of the world stage for the future of mobility.

Text and photos courtesy of Maserati.






From Enrico in the UK

REGISTRO FOTOGRAFICO MASERATI STORICHE

Hi Maseratisti, Thought you'd like to know how I've been progressing with my photographic register. If you would like to make a contribution to my photographic register, please send photos and details to enricomaserati@btinternet.com. Thank you ! Regards, Enrico.



265 cars listed so far *		3500 GT


76 cars listed so far *		3500 GT Spyder Vignale


109 cars listed so far *		Sebring


33 cars listed so far *		5000GT


117 cars listed so far *		Quattroporte I


146 cars listed so far *		Mistral Coupe


42 cars listed so far *		Mistral Spyder


158 cars listed so far *		Mexico


374 cars listed so far *		Ghibli Coupe


58 cars listed so far *		Ghibli Spyder


209 cars listed so far *		Indy


150 cars listed so far		Bora


250 cars listed so far *		Merak and Merak SS


171 cars listed so far		Khamsin


40 cars listed so far		Kyalami


143 cars listed so far		Quattroporte III and Royale





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