The company dominated the racing scene again, despite strong competition from Mercedes. On 30 May, 1939 it scored an important victory in the Indianapolis 500 with Wilbur Shaw at the wheel of the 8CTF, a feat it repeated the following year. Maserati remains to this day the only Italian marque to have won the Indy 500.
During the Second World War Maserati adapted its production accordingly, turning out machine tools, electrical components, spark plugs and electric vehicles, but returned to its original activities after the war, with a new GT car, the A6 1500.
The recent years: from 1968 to nowadays
The big news came in 1968, when Citron bought out the Orsi familys shares, although Adolfo Orsi remained the companys Honorary Chairman.The Giugiaro-designed Bora, the first mass-produced mid-engined Maserati, was presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show; Maserati also built the occasional racing car engine, and that same year, a Citron SM with a Maserati engine won the Morocco Rally.
With the launch of the Merak and Khamsin, Maseratis production continued apace. But in 1973 the Yom Kippur War sparked the Oil Crisis, ****** life increasingly uncertain for the company, although it still had enough vitality to introduce both the Quattroporte II prototype, bodied by Bertone, and the Merak SS.
The situation worsened, and on May23, Citron announced that Maserati had gone into liquidation (the French car maker had signed an agreement with Peugeot but had lost interest in Maserati). Pressure from the industrialists association and the local and provincial councils succeeded in persuading the government to intervene, and Maserati avoided closure by handing over control to GEPI (a government agency that financed companies in difficulty in order to save jobs).
The turning point for Maserati came in 1993, when the companys entire share capital was acquired by Fiat Auto. A year later the first new arrival under Fiat ownership appeared in the form of the Quattroporte. Designed by Marcello Gandini, it boasted all of the refinement, luxury and sportiness for which the marque was renowned. On July1, 1997 Fiat sold Maserati to Ferrari, and a new era began for the company. That year the historical plant in Viale Ciro Menotti, Modena closed temporarily while an ultra-modern assembly line was installed, to produce a new car, the 3200 GT.
In early 2005, ownership of Maserati was transferred from Ferrari to Fiat, which allowed the two marques to achieve important industrial and commercial synergies with Alfa Romeo. Close technical and commercial collaboration within the group has provided Maserati with the impetus to position itself as the leader in its sector. It has also broadened its presence throughout the international markets thanks to models including the GranSport, the GranSport Spyder and the MC Victory, developed to celebrate successes in the FIA GT series. In 2007, above all, Maseratis impressive performance was mainly thanks to the GranTurismo.
The GranTurismo is a car that can be used everyday. It has superb handling and a sporty captivating ride. At the same time, on board comfort is not ignored and the choice of materials, the attention to detail, and the generous interior space that comfortably seats four adults are all features that make it a true leader in its class. The international press deemed the car an immediate success and lavished it with praise as it made the covers of countless magazines.
voltage [‘vultid] n. [电] 电压
front-wheel-drive前轮驱动
prototype [pruttaip] n. 原型
assembly line装配线
Officine Alfieri Maserati于1914年12月1日在意大利博洛尼亚成立。从此,玛莎拉蒂就一直在跑车文化及发展史中发挥着重要作用。在近一个世纪的拼搏中,玛莎拉蒂度过了一次又一次的困难时期,在公路和赛道方面都取得了辉煌的成就,并在此过程中历练出了鲜明的公司品质和个性。
玛莎拉蒂兄弟
玛莎拉蒂7兄弟出生于Voghera,父亲Rodolfo是火车司机,母亲是Carolina Losi。
大儿子卡洛出生于1881年,Bindo、阿尔菲力分别于1883年、1885年出生。几个月后,阿尔菲力不幸夭折,于是父母决定把1887年出生的儿子取名为阿尔菲力。玛莎拉蒂夫妇还有三个孩子:1890年出生的Mario、1894年出生的Ettore和1898年出生的埃内斯特。
除Mario外,玛莎拉蒂兄弟都从事汽车工程、设计和生产方面工作。Mario是画家,据推测,正是他创作了公司的三叉戟商标,其设计借鉴了博洛尼亚三叉戟广场的海神尼普顿雕像。
兄弟中第一个涉足发动机领域的是卡洛,他在米兰附近Affori的自行车厂工作。他为脚踏车设计了单缸发动机,后来Carcano di Anzano del Parco侯爵生产了这款脚踏车。卡洛为Carcano脚踏车配备了自己设计的发动机,并骑着它参加了赛车比赛,结果获胜几场,并在1900年创造了50公里/小时(31英里/小时)的速度纪录。
1901年Carcano倒闭,卡洛转投菲亚特;并于1903年来到Isotta Fraschini,担任机械和测试驾驶员。在他的帮助下,Isotta雇用了他弟弟阿尔菲力,尽管当时后者只有16岁。卡洛在29岁时去世,其职业生涯短暂但不失辉煌:他为比安奇(Bianchi)工作、参赛,并成为了年轻的总经理;与兄弟Ettore开办了自己的工厂,生产车用低、高压变压器。
阿尔菲力与卡洛一样个性外向,同样具备技术师和驾驶员的技术,因此很快继承了卡洛的事业。1908年,Isotta赠予阿尔菲力一辆赛车,他驾驶这辆车代表Voiturettes参加了Dieppe大奖赛,尽管化油器破损,还是取得了第14名的成绩。与此同时,Bindo和Ettore也加盟了Isotta Fraschini。在这里,阿尔菲力从机械工做起,并最终成为了一名驾驶员。和兄弟Ettore一起担任公司驻阿根廷、美国和英国代表之后,阿尔菲力于1912年开始负责Isotta在博洛尼亚的客户服务构架。
职业生涯积累的丰富经验让阿尔菲力深信自己能够凭借一己之力在商界闯荡,并最大程度地发掘自己的聪明才智和创造潜能。1914年,他在博洛尼亚老城中心的Via dé Pepoli租得一处办公场所,随后这里成为了Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati的第一个总部。
早期:1914-1937
战后,公司从Via dé Pepoli迁到位于博洛尼亚郊区的新办公地点。
玛莎拉蒂兄弟的主要工作仍然是调试Isotta Fraschini车,但他们也从事其他和法拉利相关的工作。
阿尔菲力开始职业赛车生涯,并很快证明了自己的价值,赢得了Susa-Moncenisio、 Mugello Circuit和 Aosta-Great Saint Bernard大赛。Diatto向他提供了为公司设计汽车的机会,甚至让他驾驶公司的车辆参赛。不幸的是,在包揽圣塞瓦斯蒂安大奖赛后,因用3升发动机取代2升发动机,他被禁赛5年,即使当时他已退休。但数月之后,该处罚得以取消。
在比赛之外的闲暇时间,阿尔菲力就埋身于生产车间。离开Diatto之后,他在1926年制造出了Tipo 26,这是第一辆纯粹的玛莎拉蒂车,也是第一辆带有三叉戟标志的跑车。Tipo 26首次登场参加Targa Florio耐力赛就独领风骚,车手正是阿尔菲力·玛莎拉蒂本人。
获得Targa Florio大赛第三名后,阿尔菲力于1927年驾驶Tipo 26B参加Messina杯大赛时发生了严重事故。即使失去了这员大将,玛莎拉蒂仍然获得意大利制造商冠军。1929年,巴克宁·波尔扎奇尼驾驶搭载16汽缸发动机的V4跑车在克雷莫纳首次参加意大利Grand Prix大赛就表现出色,以246.069公里的时速创造了世界C级时速记录(行驶距离大于10公里)。
V4创造的纪录进一步提升了公司形象,保证了资金的大量涌入,让公司及各项活动得以拓展。1930年,波尔扎奇尼驾驶V4在黎波里为玛莎拉蒂首次赢得大奖赛冠军。
1931年,阿尔菲力·玛莎拉蒂的绝作4CTR和前轮驱动的8C2500问世,不久以后他即于1932年3月3日与世长辞。数以万计的人——包括工厂工人、着名驾驶员和普通民众都来到博洛尼亚,参加了他的盛大葬礼,向这位伟人表达缅怀之情。