In 1954, Maserati started experimenting with fuel injection designed by Giulio Alfieri. A very complete development program followed, during which many different systems were tested and several prototypes were built in succession, giving Maserati plenty of expertise in this specialization. This painstaking research resulted in the first Italian road car equipped with indirect gas injection in 1961, the 3500 GTI (in fact the first car to ever be named “GTI”). The first application of direct fuel injection (supplied by Bosch) by Maserati had come on the 250F in 1955, delivering a 7% increase in power output over the carbureted version. For series production a partnership was formed with British supplier Lucas, and the mechanical injection system was also used to good effect on the second series 5000GT. The increase in horsepower (+ 15 bhp) was less significant than the increase in smoothness and driveability.
Mercedes and Chevrolet had also pioneered fuel injection systems, yet everyone was pre-dated by the small German manufacturers Goliath and Gutbrod who both offered fuel-injected 2-stroke 2-cylinder engines from late 1951. Maserati offered Lucas injection as an option on its in-line 6-cylinder models (Sebring and Mistral) until 1970, keeping to Weber carbs on its V8 and V6 engines until late 1988, when the Biturbo I and SI versions were introduced, with injection courtesy of Weber-Marelli.
12-cylinder engines
With the advent of new regulations for the 1966 Formula 1 championship, chief engineer Alfieri was asked to design a V12 engine for the Cooper racing team. In truth, the V12 project had been on the cards since 1955, and the 250F actually received an experimental 2.5-liter unit in 1957. The cylinder banks were angled at 60° (after an initial plan to create a boxer engine) with two overhead camshafts per bank, and fuel was fed by 12 carburetors for an output of 310bhp at a staggering 10,000rpm. On this basis, the 1965 engine was evolved into a 3.0-litre unit with Lucas direct injection, producing 365bhp. This engine brought the ailing Cooper team two outright Grand Prix wins in 1966 and 1967. Over 35 years later, another 12-cylinder engine now powers the MC12, a multiple FIA GT World champion after spectacular wins including a full podium at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Tubular chassis construction
In chassis design, Maserati of course made history with the fabulous Birdcage of 1959. The brothers had pioneered the use of tubular members in chassis construction with the 1935 V8RI, and another major step was made under the guidance of Alberto Massimino with the 1948 4CLT. From 1947 onwards all the sports racing cars from the Trident marque were built on tubular frames, starting with the A6GCS 'Monofaro', the chassis of which received design input from Gilberto Colombo. His highly specialized company Gilco assisted in the manufacture of numerous racing and even production chassis through the 1950s.
By 1959 however, the construction method was revolutionized with the adoption of very light tubes of small diameter welded together to form a very complex structure resembling, as the name implies, a birdcage. This process implied a drastic increase in the number of small chassis elements and the elimination of full length members, which offered a formidable gain in torsional rigidity and a reduction in weight over conventional designs. Furthermore, the weight was very evenly balanced, and this idea paved the way for successive evolutions in racing chassis design such as box frames.
By 1961, the Tipo 63/64 made use of the Birdcage construction principles for what were the first mid-engine Maserati cars, noticeable also by a very long and innovative Plexiglas bubble windscreen, which not only revealed the structure underneath but most importantly allowed perfect visibility towards the front. In 1971, the Bora was Maserati's first mid-engine production model.
Brakes and suspension
Competition allowed Maserati to constantly upgrade its technical know-how. Engine, chassis and suspension design were areas of regular evolution: independent front suspension and torsion bars appeared before the war on the 8CTF, double wishbone front suspension with coil springs on the 4CLT of 1948, De Dion rear axle independent suspension on the 250F in 1954. Brakes were another essential aspect of racing; Maserati was the first European manufacturer to equip its racing cars with hydraulic brakes on the 4CS in 1935. The second-series A6GCS mounted ventilated drums (finned) in 1953, but by that time Jaguar had already won races with disc brakes, though mounted on much larger cars.
Shortly after its creation, the 250F was tested with disc brakes in 1954, yet they were deemed superfluous and the car that won the 1957 World Championship still used hydraulically-operated drum brakes instead. Discs reappeared all-around on the Birdcage, and front disc brakes became optional on the 3500GT and 5000GT from 1960. Four-wheel disc brakes were standard fit from 1962.
Advertising
Not a technical fact, but Maserati was the first European manufacturer to adorn its cars with publicity, in the 1957 edition of the Mille Miglia. For the Monza 500 miles race of 1958, Italian ice-cream company Eldorado sponsored the construction of the 420M Maserati racer, which thus took on a specific livery (as did the mechanics), predating the advent of sponsorship endorsement in Formula 1 by a decade.
Citroën
Maserati's excellent reputation as a manufacturer brought interest from Citroën, which was looking for a V6 engine to power its planned SM coupé. The talks resulted in a surprise takeover from the French manufacturer in 1968. The engine, central to the deal, was remarkable by its compactness, allowing for a 5-speed gearbox to be mounted ahead of it in the SM. It was later mounted amidships in the Merak. Maserati gained access to hydraulic suspension technology in return, as adopted on the Bertone-styled Quattroporte II.
Twin turbocharging
When Maserati recovered its independence in 1975, the oil crisis had hit the automotive industry severely and new chairman Alejandro De Tomaso's audacious answer was to use the emerging turbo technology. While all Maseratis pre-WWI had been supercharged, turbocharging on a Maserati was first applied to an experimental Merak chassis. What Maserati had in mind, however, was to extract the maximum power output out of an engine just under 2000cc, because new energy-conscious Italian laws heavily penalized anything over that displacement. If one compressor was good, two, it appeared, were better, and thus the Biturbo was born. Too often maligned along the years, the Biturbo was actually highly innovative, as indeed it was the first road car equipped not only with twin turbos, but also with 3-valve-per-cylinder heads, back in December 1981 (pre-dating the Honda Prelude by almost a year).
Multi-valve heads
Maserati used 4-valve heads as well as 3-valve heads on its racing engines before World War II. Its fina1 two Grand Prix victories with the Cooper-Maserati Formula 1 team of 1966/67 were won with V12 engines with 3-valve heads. The Biturbo engine would receive a 4-valve layout in 1988, but already in 1985 Maserati had come up with an engineering tour de force: a 36-valve version of the V6, with 3 inlet and 3 outlet valves for each cylinder! The central valves were angled at a slight offset to create a swirl effect in the combustion chamber. Compact and lightweight, the Hi-Tech engine - as it was referred to - developed a mighty 261HP at 7200rpm. In spite of very convincing tests, it remained an experimental project.
The Biturbo range received countless upgrades, culminating in the Ghibli Cup of 1994, which peaked at 330 HP and boasted 24 valves, four OHCs, a 6-speed gearbox and electronic active independent suspension on all four wheels. That is without mentioning the previous steps forward made with MABC (constant turbo pressure Maserati Automatic Boost Control) or the Torsen-type Ranger differential.
In fact with this series of articles, we have merely touched on a fraction of the technical know-how accumulated by the Trident marque's engineers over the years, with a focus on history rather than on the latest up-to-date evolutions. Undeniably, the tie-up with Ferrari in 1997 brought a new bout of fresh technology, which benefits the current range of road cars, as exemplified by the sequential gearshift of the GranSport and GranTurismo S. Meanwhile, for a company whose tradition is so deeply anchored in motor sports, and which drew much technical knowledge from competing at the highest international levels, perhaps the best guarantee of future evolution lies in the rebirth of its racing program. After all, as Maserati’s history proves, that is what improves the breed.