In the early parts of the 20th century, brothers Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto had a love for all-things related to automobiles. They worked together to create racing cars, and they named their cars after themselves, officially forming Maserati. The brand focused on racing vehicles during the early years, however during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, they switched their focus to road-going vehicles. Maserati wanted to deliver luxury, performance cars that offered a classic Italian design. Since then, Maserati has become a leading name in the world of higher-end luxury automobiles. While they only produce a few thousand vehicles each year, their cars are loved by many across the world. Their current offerings include some pretty impressive models, and they have a rich history filled with other great cars. So when you look over the brands long history, which model stick out as some of the best and most influential? We are going to take a look at a few Maseratis that are among the brands finest work; vehicles that have stood the test of time.
Photo by Lorenzo Marcinno/Maserati via Getty Images
8. The A6 1500
We start our list off with the vehicle that arguably started it all. While Maserati had a fairly successful career in racing prior to the 1940’s, they did not develop vehicles for the general consumer. So the began working up a vehicle for consumers, went to Pininfarina for the design, and then in 1947 they released the A6 1500. This was the first road car from Maserati, so it’s worthy of a spot on our list. The car featured a classic design and it was a two-seater vehicle that featured a 1.5-liter inline-six engine that produced 65 hp. Only 61 examples were produced, but it still remains to be an iconic vehicle for the brand.
Photo from Thesupermat/Wikipedia
7. The 3500 GT
While the A6 1500 was Maserati’s first road car, the 3500 GT was the model that truly established the brand as a mainstream, luxury car manufacturer. Released in 1957, the 3500 GT was the companies first successful car that could truly be considered a GT car that was available for the mass market. It was a two-seater that was available as either a coupe or a convertible, and the brand managed to produced around 2,226 or so from 1957 to 1964. It featured a DOHC, 3.5-liter I6 engine that produced either 217 bhp or 232 bhp, depending on the configuration. Still it’s incredible design is easily the best feature about this car; it just looks good.
Photo from Rex Gray/Flickr
6. The Original Ghibli
After a series of successful, sporty GT cars that Maserati produced in the 1950’s and the 1960’s, the brand look forward to create one that would truly stand out. Then in 1966, the Ghibli was released. It is a two-door, 2+2 GT coupe that featured a large and powerful 4.7-liter V8 engine. 0 to 60 mph was achieved in 6.8 seconds, which is impressive given when this vehicle was released. Then in 1969, Maserati followed up with the Ghibli SS, a sportier version that had a 4.9-liter V8 that delivered 330 bhp. With its top speed of 174 mph, it was the fastest road car that Maserati had ever produced up to that point in time. The Ghibli now lives on and is currently offered by the brand in a more modern, updated version which serves as their current entry-level vehicle.
Photo from Mr.Choppers/Wikipedia
5. The MC12
The year was 2004 and it had been nearly 40 years since Maserati produced a true racing vehicle, as all of their attention was placed on producing road-going GT and sports cars. So, they said “enough of that” and released the MC12. Based on the chassis of the Enzo Ferrari, the MC12 was Maserati’s first true supercar. It featured a 6.0-liter V12 that produced 620 hp in total. 0 to 60 mph is achieved in 3.7 seconds, and the vehicle has a top speed of about 205 mph. Only 50 units were available for consumers, and it had an initial price of around $663,000 dollars.
Photo from Ben/Flickr
4. The Quattroporte
First introduced in 1963, the Quattroporte remains to be one of the most successful and iconic vehicles that Maserati has ever produced. There are many different iterations of this vehicle, but we are going to focus on the current one, which is the sixth-generation Quattroporte. The current Quattroporte line serves as the brands flagship vehicle, and it really represents everything the brand stands for. It’s luxurious, somewhat exclusive, it looks good, it’s practical, and it offers reasonable levels of performance. It’s probably their most “balanced” car. Initially released in 2013, the current Quattroporte’s come in a few different versions that offer either a twin-turbocharged V6, a V8, or a turbodiesel engine. The V8 version offers 523 bhp, it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and it has a top speed of around 190 mph. For a four-door vehicle that has room for the whole family and even luggage, that’s pretty impressive.
Photo from Maserati
3. The 250F
Released in 1954, the Maserati 250F was a single-seater race car that the brand used in Formula One competitions from 1954 to 1960. Only 26 models were produced, and the 250F remains to be one of the brands most successful racing vehicles in Formula One. The original model featured a 2.5-liter A6 straight-six engine from Maserati, but that was later replaced by a V12 engine. The car secured a number of wins for the brand, and it was the last vehicle Maserati made for Formula One. It is often looked back by drivers and fans of the sport as one of the greatest, and most beautiful Formula One cars of all-time.
Photo from Ben Sutherland/Flickr
2. The GranTurismo
Unveiled in 2007, the GranTurismo is Maserati’s highest-performing vehicle that they currently offer. It comes in a few different iterations, but the MC Stradale is arguably the best one. That version offers a 4.7-liter V8 that deliver 454 hp. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and it offers a top speed of 188 mph. Since it’s a two-door, rear-wheel drive coupe, it is also arguably the most enjoyable Maserati to drive that you can currently buy. If you want a Maserati to go fast in and slide around on the track, this is the car to buy.
Photo from Maserati
1. The Alfieri
The Maserati Alfieri is a concept car that was initially unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Since concept cars serve as a companies example of where they want to go in the future, by its very nature, the Alfieri is influential. However while it was originally unveiled as a concept, Maserati has since confirmed that it will enter production in 2016. The all-wheel drive, 2+2 coupe will be available in a few different configurations that use V6 engines, most likely turbocharged given the state of where high-performing vehicles are going. The most-powerful version will offer around 520 bhp in total. We had to include it on our list because not only is it extremely influential, it looks just downright amazing.
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
