The A6 Years Part I

'A' for Alfieri and '6' for the number of cylinders.

"... built for road and race, Sports Car and Formula 2".

The revival of sporting activity in Italy after the second world war, as far as motor sport was concerned, was a rather slow process. The road network was in desperate need of repair and the few permanent circuits like Monza were reduced to a pitiful state. The few pre-war race cars remaining were showing their years, in spite of the efforts of enthusiasts and owners who had rescued them from the horrors of war. Understandably, energies and resources were concentrated on activities of greater social and economic importance.

For obvious reasons the first races, mainly held on temporary circuits, were more suited to 'sports cars' than the more costly and sophisticated single-seater race cars. In 1946, however, the Italian Sport Commission undertook to organise motor sport by drawing up a preliminary draft of regulations and subdivisions for the various classes. To simplify matters, competitions after the war were grouped into three main classes: Touring, Sports Car and Grand Prix (then divided in Formula 1 and 2). These were in turn categorised depending on engine size and cars with supercharged engines were banned from the Touring and Sports Car classes.

If Maserati initially threw its efforts towards sports cars it was because of necessity rather than choice. In the years leading up to the war, plans were drafted for a 6-cyl normally aspirated 1.5-litre engine. This was derived directly from that of the 6CM (with supercharger), the successful pre-war single-seater (1936-1939). In early 1946 the engine, known as the 'A6TR' ('Testa Riportata'), was first used in a 'Barchetta' - a collaboration between Ernesto Maserati and engineer Alberto Massimino for a loyal customer, one Guido Barbieri. The car became the model line for cars known as the A6, constructed in two types, 'touring' and 'race'. From this model line came the A6GCS, one of the great race cars of the post-war era.

The Barchetta prototype, officially named the '6CS/46' but more commonly known as the 'A6 Sport', had a rather short motor sport career. The same can be said of another model constructed some months later and driven by 'Gigi' Villoresi in a few races without much success. However in 1947 Guido Barbieri in an 'A6 Sport' won the Italian title in the 1500 cc class.

Ernesto Maserati, the now technical director for the 'Casa del Tridente', decided that engine 'A6TR' was to power a production car, not a race car. At the 1947 Geneva Motor Show, the A6 was unveiled as a two-door 'berlinetta', designed by Pinin Farina with its modified 1488cc engine (the ignition and induction were simplified and it was eqipped with one carburettor instead of three) now producing 65 bhp and a top speed of 150 km/h. The 'A6' heralded Maserati's entry into the field of 'mass production' whilst still preserving its racing soul.