1950 Maserati A6 1500 Turismo by Pinin Farina

€308,000 EUR | Sold

  • Rare example of Maserati’s first road car
  • One of the final examples built
  • Restored by Claudio Zampolli

65 bhp, 1,488 cc inline six-cylinder single overhead-camshaft engine with Weber carburettor, four-speed gearbox, independent front suspension via wishbones and live axle rear suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Wheelbase: 2,550 mm

Out of war-torn, late 1940s Italy came a surprising development: racing car builder Maserati, no longer family-owned, began producing road going cars for a high-end clientele. The seven Maserati brothers had dwindled to just three by the time their racing firm was sold to Italian industrialist Commendatore Adolfi Orsi in 1937, but, notably, the remaining trio, composed of siblings Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore, remained on hand for another decade.

Although it was their name that appeared on the doors to the Orsi-owned workshop in Modena in central Italy, the relationship between the brand’s namesake and its controller had deteriorated by the outbreak of World War II. Despite their grievances with management, Fratelli Maserati nonetheless developed a sophisticated new six-cylinder engine in 1942.

It was also under their guidance that the first road going Maserati was built, the A6 1500 TR (Testa Riportata), which was a test mule. Its nameplate, derived from company founder Alfieri Maserati and its newly developed powertrain, hinted that this would be no mere one-off project. The project was put on hold as war gripped the Italian peninsula; although, the Maserati factory was largely spared the devastation that occurred so prominently elsewhere.

In some ways, the Maserati story seems almost an amalgamation of so many other Italian brands, but in the end, it was Maserati that beat racing rival Ferrari to the punch with its largely Pinin Farina-penned A6. It was more daring and rounded than pre-war Italian designs, as it was crafted from lightweight, and rather scarce in the late 1940s, aluminium, which gave it a light curb weight of about 950 kilograms. Its interior was elegant but not conspicuously sumptuous, as it boasted a full complement of Jaeger gauges, a floor-mounted four-speed gear shift, and a sporty three-spoke steering wheel.

The A6 was a stately touring car, with its ultra-long bonnet hiding a 1,488-cubic centimetre, inline six-cylinder, single overhead-camshaft engine. Most of the original run utilised a single Weber carburettor, but many cars were later retrofitted with a triple setup that added an extra dose of power. The single Weber variant’s 65 brake horsepower figure might sound modest, but the A6 1500 was nonetheless more than adequate for Italy’s roads at the time. In fact, some of the 61 A6 1500s that were built were designed for competition use. At the 1951 Coppa Inter-Europa, an impressive five A6 1500s were entered, which is a testament to the Maserati’s performance credentials. Underneath, the small car used a separate tubular chassis with an independent coil-sprung front suspension and a live axle at the rear. Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers were also fitted; this was a premium product that indicated the attention to detail afforded to Maserati’s first road car.

After its debut at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show, the grey A6 1500 show car impressed enough buyers that it was put into production shortly thereafter.

The A6 offered here was assembled in 1950, and it is one of the last 10 commissioned. Early records for the shapely touring car have been preserved, offering a glimpse into the formative years of both the A6 1500 and, perhaps more importantly, Maserati as a builder of road cars. In March 1950, this A6 was delivered as a rolling chassis to Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in Turin, a long way from Maserati in Modena. More than three months later, the car’s body was completed. Before the end of 1950, the car was delivered to Maserati’s Rome agency, Gugliemo Dei, but it remained in the firm’s possession until July 1951.

This A6 1500 was first sold to a Mr Catullo del Monte, of Rome, and historical documents from that sale are so precise that they indicate it was fitted with Pirelli Corsa tyres, a Weber 36DCR carburettor, Maserati spark plugs, and a full tool kit.

Del Monte’s ownership of the A6 1500 was short. In 1952, an American living in Rome, Edwin Henry Morris, acquired the car. A few years later, he exported it home to the United States. Whilst its subsequent history in the U.S. has not been thoroughly recorded, the A6 1500 was restored in California by Claudio Zampolli, of V-16 supercar Cizeta fame. Subsequently, the A6 1500 has been gently enjoyed by its current owner, who took it home to Italy to drive it in the 2011 Mille Miglia. It presents well, as it is finished in a shining example of its original red paint, and it shows limited signs of use.

This example of Maserati’s first production car is ready to be both enjoyed and displayed in front of the most discerning judges, and it is bound to garner particular interest given the brand’s recent resurgence in the new car market.