Maserati vs. Ferrari

By Pete Vack

Our Italian Editor at Large (yes, we have often contemplated about the meaning of that title), is always quick to point out that, unbeknownst to many on this side of the pond, Maserati, not Ferrari, was the choice of Italian gentleman in the 1950s and 60s. It was perhaps more in line with more developed tastes and a need or desire to be less ostentatious. Certainly, he adds, Ferraris were sought after by movie stars, rock idols and royalty, usually not types to shun attention.

A gentleman's Maserati, in this case the rare 1954 Pinifarina 2000 coupe, today owned by Mr. Bill Marriott, a gentleman indeed. Photo by Werner Pfister.

Moreover, Maserati had been winning races long before Ferrari, and the two camps had been diametrically opposed since the 1920s. When the day came in 1938 that Maserati, by then under the control of the Orsis, moved to Modena, Enzo Ferrari was beside himself. It was bad enough when the firm was in Bologna, but when his deadly rivals moved to his own home town, it was just too much. Ferrari, according to Brock Yates, "..considered the Orsis interlopers on his turf and below his station."

The competition became particularly keen after WWII, when Ferrari began racing his own cars, and Maserati began building road cars. Once having gained control of the Maserati company, it was clear, at least to the Orsis, that they would have to produce road cars to support the racing program. Ferrari found the same to be true but never liked to admit it. The Orsis welcomed it, and the first true production Maserati GT coupe was built in 1947, and employed Batista Pininfarina to adorn the body. It would take Ferrari another eight years to come to the same wise conclusion regarding Batista's designs.

The pre-war 4CL was the basis of the post-war 4CLT and CLT/48. But the Orsis faced the new Ferrari V-12, in both 1500cc supercharged form and later the 4.5 unblown Lampredi. Photo by Alessandro Gerelli.

The introduction of the A6G 1500 (the Maserati brothers last design while working under the Orsis) did not bother Enzo Ferrari in the least, for he was far too busy trying to defeat Maserati on the track. In the immediate post war years, the Alfa 158/9 Grand Prix cars were in a class of their own, while Maserati and Ferrari were left to share whatever was left after the Alfas placed first, second and usually third. Maserati continued development of the pre-war 4CL series, a four cylinder 1500cc with two stage superchargers. Maserati worked hard to develop the aging design, coming up with the 4CLT/48 which appeared in May of 1948. Indeed, Maserati won many events with this robust but heavy formula car, often leaving the upstart Ferrari 166 F1 well to the rear.

After the war, the 4CLT (T for tubular chassis)and 4CLT/48 were very successful in international events, and the /48 was nicknamed the "San Remo" after Ascari's victory there in 1948. Photo by Alessandro Gerelli.

Ferrari, however, had a new engine and chassis, which were just beginning a long life of continual improvements. By 1949, Ferrari formula cars were showing definite signs of superiority over the Maseratis. The time and money Maserati spent on the 4CLT/48 meant that little was left for a sports racer, and the 166MM, 212 and 250 Ferrari sports cars immediately filled the void. The much vaunted AGC 1500 was left on the back burner. Even the introduction of the A6GCS (six cylinder, two liters) in 1947 did little to stop the Ferrari steamroller. It too, lacked proper development until 1952.

The first series A6GCS Maseratis were "siluro" bodies, also built by Fantuzzi, and this body style continued with the first few chassis of the second series. Photo by Alessandro Gerelli.

It would be nice to explain what all those letters meant. A was the first design after the war. The following number designated the number of cylinders. The G stood for "Ghisa", or iron block. The C for Corsa, and the S for Sport, and an M for monoposto. Thus, the A6GCS was the first design, used a six cylinder engine with an iron block, was a competition car used for sports racing.

Once attention and money were allotted to the A6GCS, the car blossomed and became the basis for both a successful GT and sports race, one which proved a definite threat to Maranello. The second series began with the early style motorcycle fender ‘siluro’ body, but by 1954 the chassis was given a new body, designed and constructed by Fantuzzi, who had thrown out the designs sent to him by the factory. Which was a good thing, as the A6GCS as bodied by the ingenious panel beater stands as one of the most beautiful examples of post war Italian design.

Fantuzzi outdid himself with the second series A6GCS, creating a work of art, after throwing away the drawings given to him by the factory. Photo by Werner Pfister.

Grabbing what chassis became available, Zagato, Pininfarina, Touring, Allemano, Frua and Vignale all displayed their skills, to great effect, on the A6G/2000. Harking back to our designation description, the A6G/2000 was a road car, sans the C and S, and a displacement total was now added.

1956 Maserati A6G/2000 Berlinetta body by Allemano. Even more of a gentleman's sportscar than the Marriott PF coupe. Photo by Rick Carey.

The 2000 series was produced from about 1954 to well into 1957, when the 3500GT replaced the A6 series. These early Maseratis were elegant and yet with only two liters, were not directly in competition with the Ferrari road cars, which by 1954, had already evolved into the much larger 250 series of three liter GTs.

Back on the track, after Alfa retired the immortal Alfettas, Ferrari succeeded with a four cylinder 2.0 liter Formula car, the Ferrari 500, and decisively defeated Maserati in 1952 and 1953.

But Maserati was not done, not by a long shot, as Enzo Ferrari’s personal demon. For the new 2.5 liter Formula in 1954, the Orsis created another masterpiece of race engineering, the 250F. But this is a story for another time, albeit the same place, as usual, VeloceToday.