Founded by the Maserati brothers in 1914, the marque with the Trident has established a reputation for itself as one of the premier performance car makers in the world. From their early days as a racing car manufacturer to their recent merger into the Stellantis group, the brand has been through countless transformations. Through all that change, they've consistently managed to put out a series of amazing cars.
The brand is best known for its grand tourers today, but throughout the decades, it's also put out a series of top-tier racing cars and supercars. It's in a rough sales patch at the moment and its brand image is less than optimal, but even now Maserati continues to put out world-class cars. The brand's history is filled with greats, but let's take a look at ten of their most successful and influential models.
10 A6 1500
Debuting in 1947, the A6 1500 was the Maserati brand's first production road car. It featured a 1.6L inline-6 engine mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, which meant 65hp and a top speed of 96 mph.
Bodywork was styled by the legendary Italian design house Pininfarina, with Zagato also producing a one-off coupe version of the car. Only 61 A6 1500s were produced, making this a very rare and very collectible car today.
9 Birdcage 75th
The Birdcage 75th was designed to mark the 75th anniversary of Pininfarina, the design house that penned their iconic '60s Birdcage race cars. Built in collaboration with Motorola, the car was developed in just two months and debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show.
It's a one-off prototype car, but unlike many pre-production models, the Birdcage 75th is fully functional. Power comes from a 6.0L Ferrari V12 rated at 700hp. The car is a weird design because of its lack of doors; instead, the entire front bodywork of the car can be raised so the driver can get in and out.
8 8CTF
One of Maserati's most successful early cars, the 8CTF really helped put the brand on the global map. In 1939, the car won the Indianapolis 500, finishing in 4 hours 20 minutes.
The next year the car won the Indy 500 again, piloted by the same driver, Wilbur Shaw. It was the start of a very successful run for the open-top racer, ending in 1950 when the model was discontinued.
7 Alfieri
Maserati's delayed newest model is the replacement for the GranTurismo and GranCabrio models, and was originally supposed to be released in 2020. However, the pandemic meant production has been delayed, with no official news yet from Maserati as to the exact date the Alfieri will now be released to customers.
The Alfieri is a huge deal for Maserati as it is set to be their first mass-market electric car. It has the difficult task of turning the brand's fortune around after many years of stagnating sales and questionable reliability. Whether the car is good or not, it's definitely one of the most important models Maserati have ever made, as the brand's future success depends on it.
6 3500GT
The 3500 GT, also known as the Tipo 101, was Maserati's first foray into the grand tourer segment that they're now best known for. The car was produced between 1957 and 1964, using the same inline-6 that Maserati had put into previous models.
The car was a big success for the small company, selling over 2,000 examples through its production run. It gave Maserati an incentive to develop more GT models and paved the way for the direction of the brand as it's known today.
5 Tipo 26
The Maserati company originally built race cars on behalf of fellow Italian brand Diatto, but when Diatto suspended their production Maserati switched to making its own models. The very first of these models was the Tipo 26, with only 11 examples ever produced.
Its debut race was at the 1926 Targa Florio, driven by one of the Maserati brothers, Alfieri. The car was a success, finishing first in the Grand Prix class and ninth overall. The car went on to compete in other prestigious races of the time such as the Mille Miglia.
4 Quattroporte
The Quattroporte is Maserati's longest-running continuous nameplate, with the first example being produced in 1963. The car is still made today, with the latest iteration being the Quattroporte Trofeo.
The car's name is quite a literal translation of its shape, meaning "four doors" in Italian. The car is now in its sixth generation, which has been in production since 2012.
3 MC20
The latest Maserati supercar, the MC20 is the brand's current halo model, powered by a 621hp 3.0L V6. The car was originally supposed to start being delivered to customers in early 2021, but production issues and the pandemic have meant deliveries have been pushed back.
The car is described in Maserati's press release as their, "first super sports car", but fans of the Trident brand will see the MC20 more as a production-ready spiritual successor to the MC12. The car is also scheduled to see an electric option released, although exact specifications aren't clear yet.
2 Tipo 60/61 Birdcage
The Tipo 60/61 is perhaps the best known of all the Maserati race cars. It competed in most major races in its class, being especially competitive in Le Mans. This was thanks to its sunken windscreen, which meant better aerodynamics.
However, despite the popularity and speed of the car, it never actually won Le Mans. Reliability issues, perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come, meant the cars always had to retire. Still, the car generated a lot of publicity for Maserati and remains one of the most iconic race car designs from the '60s.
1 MC12
Like many great road-legal race cars, the MC12 was originally built as a homologation requirement for the brand to compete in the FIA GT Championship. A limited run of 50 road cars were produced, meaning examples are very valuable to collectors today.
The car was powered by a 6.0L Ferrari-derived V12, making it frighteningly quick. Although it's based on a race car, the inside of the MC12 is surprisingly luxurious, with gel-coated carbon fiber and blue leather to match the exterior paint.