Otto Explains — Brand History
The History of Maserati
Short Answer
Maserati was founded on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, when Alfieri Maserati established the Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati, and in 1926 he and his brothers built their first racing car, the Tipo 26. The brothers sold the company to Adolfo Orsi in 1937, and he moved it to Modena. It then passed to Citroën in 1968, to a rescue led by Alejandro De Tomaso after 1975, to Fiat in 1993 and to Ferrari in 1997, and today Maserati S.p.A. is part of Stellantis.
Who were the Maserati brothers?
Maserati’s own history describes brothers who, in the early twentieth century, were drawn to mechanics and speed, and its 2026 account says the story began with a workshop and three of seven brothers. On 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Alfieri Maserati established the Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati. Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore were the brothers who went on to build racing cars, and Bindo joined later. Mario, the only brother who did not devote his life to mechanics, created the emblem: a trident inspired by the statue of Neptune in the fountain near Piazza Maggiore, close to Alfieri’s first premises in via Pepoli.
When did Maserati build its first car?
In 1926 Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore launched their first racing car, the Tipo 26, the first car to carry the Trident. Alfieri drove it in the Targa Florio on 25 April 1926 and finished first in its class and eighth overall, Maserati’s first motorsport victory. Maserati credits Alfieri with turning the business from a sports car tuner into a renowned racing car manufacturer. Why the Tipo 26 mattered so much is a story of its own, told in Otto’s article on the legendary Maseratis.
What happened after Alfieri Maserati died?
Alfieri suffered continued ill health after a high-speed collision and died in 1932, and his brother Bindo joined the company to support the others. The cars kept winning: Tazio Nuvolari, engaged by Maserati, won the Belgian and Nice Grands Prix and the Tourist Trophy in the 8CM. Money remained tight, however, and in 1937 the company was sold to the Modena industrialist Adolfo Orsi. On 1 May 1937 Orsi became the owner of both Officine Alfieri Maserati, which built racing cars, and Fabbrica Candele Maserati, which made spark plugs, and the brothers agreed to stay for a further 10 years.
Why did Maserati move to Modena?
Modena was where the Orsi family’s businesses were based. Work on the new headquarters began in late September 1939, the company moved from Bologna, and the Viale Ciro Menotti plant officially opened on 1 January 1940. It is still Maserati’s headquarters today. In the same years Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940 with the 8CTF, raced by Wilbur Shaw as the Boyle Special.
How did Maserati become a maker of road cars?
In 1947 the brothers’ era ended: they left the business after helping Orsi start production of the first Maserati road car, the A6 1500 Gran Turismo, shown at that year’s Geneva Motor Show. Racing stayed central for another decade, and the 250F won the Formula 1 World Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954 and 1957. In 1957, however, Maserati officially withdrew from motorsport and turned its full attention to Gran Turismo cars, starting with the 3500 GT. In 1968 Maserati built about 800 cars, its best result since the Modena plant opened.
Why did the Orsi family sell Maserati to Citroën?
The car industry was changing radically in the 1960s, and the Orsi family looked for a partner able to secure Maserati’s future. In 1968 they sold the company to Citroën, and at the beginning of the 1970s Adolfo Orsi and his son Omar stepped down. Maserati says its French owners introduced the first modern industrial processes, but two oil crises and an economic recession followed, and the agreement with Citroën ended early, in 1975.
How did Alejandro De Tomaso save Maserati?
According to Maserati, the company was about to be shut down when Peugeot and the Italian public finance group GEPI bought it and appointed the Argentinian industrialist Alejandro De Tomaso as chief executive. De Tomaso decided to build a smaller-engined Maserati at a reasonable price to increase sales, and in December 1981 the Biturbo opened a new era. Maserati’s history says that, with 37,000 sold, it quickly became the best-selling car in the company’s history.
What changed under Fiat and Ferrari?
Fiat acquired Maserati in 1993, and the fourth-generation Quattroporte, presented in April 1994, was the first Maserati shown under full Fiat ownership. In September 1997 Maserati became a Ferrari subsidiary: the Modena plant was redesigned, and the two old rivals shared new buildings at Viale Ciro Menotti. The 3200 GT of 1998 began what Maserati calls the brand’s global revival, and the Spyder of 2001, developed in close technical collaboration with Ferrari, took Maserati back to the United States. In 2005 Maserati was separated from Ferrari and placed under the direct control of the Fiat Group. The Prancing Horse’s own story is told in Otto’s history of Ferrari.
How did Maserati grow after 2000?
The fifth-generation Quattroporte of 2003 took Maserati back into the upper-premium segment, and on 5 September 2004 at Imola two MC12 cars marked its return to racing in the FIA GT Championship, where from 2005 to 2010 it collected 14 titles and 19 victories. The GranTurismo followed in 2007 and the GranCabrio in 2009. In April 2010 Sergio Marchionne announced plans that would exceed the Modena factory’s capacity, so the former Bertone plant at Grugliasco, near Turin, was reopened, starting with the sixth-generation Quattroporte. The Ghibli of 2013 brought the first diesel engine in Maserati’s history, and the Levante of 2016 was its first SUV. Maserati describes itself in those years as one of the two jewels in the crown of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
What has changed at Maserati since 2020?
Maserati says a new era began in 2020 with the MC20, the first car with its own Nettuno engine, and the same year the Ghibli Hybrid became its first electrified car. At the beginning of 2022 Maserati announced it would race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the first Italian brand to do so, and the Grecale SUV arrived that year. Maserati phased out its V8 engine from the end of 2023, and the last V8 car, the Quattroporte Grand Finale, was delivered on 31 July 2024. In 2025 MCPURA production began in Modena, and from the fourth quarter of that year the GranTurismo and GranCabrio returned to Modena from Mirafiori. Maserati calls 2026 the Year of the Trident: 100 years of its logo and of its motorsport debut. How Maserati’s hybrid and electric cars differ is explained in Otto’s guide to hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
Who owns Maserati today?
The merger of Groupe PSA and FCA, whose brands included Maserati, took effect on 16 January 2021 and created Stellantis N.V. Today Maserati S.p.A. is registered at Viale Ciro Menotti 322 in Modena and is under the direction and coordination of Stellantis. Its GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Grecale are developed and built in Italy, in Modena and Cassino, and Maserati says its cars are available in more than 70 markets.
Common Questions
- Why is the Maserati badge a trident? The Trident was created by Mario Maserati, inspired by the statue of Neptune holding a trident in the fountain near Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, the city where the business began. The Tipo 26 of 1926 was the first car to carry it.
- Did Ferrari ever own Maserati? Yes. After Fiat bought Maserati in 1993, Maserati became a Ferrari subsidiary in September 1997. In 2005 it was separated from Ferrari and placed under the direct control of the Fiat Group.
- Was Maserati ever French-owned? Yes. The Orsi family sold Maserati to Citroën in 1968, and the agreement ended early, in 1975. Maserati also names Peugeot, alongside the Italian finance group GEPI, among the buyers who appointed Alejandro De Tomaso to run the company.
- Where is Maserati based? In Modena, Italy. Maserati moved there from Bologna in 1939, and its Viale Ciro Menotti plant, opened on 1 January 1940, is still its headquarters.
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