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Maserati A6
The first Maserati designed specifically for the road, the A6 began to take shape in 1941 during the war. In 1946 the first prototype was driven, in 1947 the official car debuted at the Turin Motorshow and it entered serious production a year later. With the body designed and built by Pinin Farina, Maserati concentrated on the engine, chassis and mechanicals.
These comprised a tubular steel frame, wishbone front suspension and a live axle at the rear. The engine was an all-aluminium in-line six cylinder unit of 1488cc capacity, with a single carburettor (three were available as an option) and power output of 65bhp. A total of 61 of these cars, in both coupe (mostly) and convertible style, were produced until 1950.
Work soon started on a more powerful version of the new car. Needing a larger engine, a new cast iron (Ghisa in Italian, hence the G in the name) block was utilised and the car, introduced in 1951, was named the A6G (sometimes referred to as the A6G2000). The resulting engine had a capacity of 1954cc and produced 100bhp, but still had only one camshaft and only 16 were built (with bodies by Vignale, Frua, Pinin Farina and Zagato) before the next development took over.
This was the A6G54, which arrived in 1954 (hence the name). The chassis was effectively the same as the A6G, whilst the engine was derived from the current Maserati formula two powerplant (changes included a chain drive for the camshafts rather than the gears used in competition and the replacement of the dry sump lubrification with a conventional sump based system). It was still an in-line six, but now displacing 1986cc with two plugs per cylinder and generating 150bhp. Despite reverting to an alloy block the G was kept in the name. The chassis was constructed by Gilco (apart from the first development one which was built in house) in order to reduce the workload of the factory. Both the suspension and brakes were heavily influenced by the racing car.
A variety of coachbuilders produced bodies for the around 60 cars produced up until 1957, including Frua, Zagato and Allemano. The latter produced 21 coupés (the design was by Michelotti), known in-house as the Tipo C (the A and B were the Frua spider and coupé, the D the Zagato coupé). Many were known as the A6GCS, the CS standing for 'Corsa Sport'.Comment
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Technical Details
Engine-A6 : 1488cc (66x72.5mm) sohc inline 6 with 65bhp @ 4,700rpm A6G : 1954cc (72x80mm) sohc inline 6 with 100bhp @ 5,500rpm A6G54 : 1986cc (76.5x72mm) dohc twin plug inline 6 with 150bhp @ 6,000rpm
Suspension-front : wishbones and coil springs plus anti-roll bar rear : live axle with coil springs (except A6G54 with leaf springs) plus anti-roll bar wheelbase : 2550mm track (front/rear) : 1274mm/1252mm (A6 & A6G) track (front/rear) : 1360mm/1220mm (A6G54)
Brakes-drums front and rear
Transmission-4 speed manual
Steering-Worm and sector
Kerb weight-A6 : 950kg A6G : 1100kg A6GCS : 740kg A6G54 : 840kgComment
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Maserati 3500GT
The 3500GT, introduced in 1957, replaced the A6G54 in production and over the following few years radically increased the production volumes of Maserati. Both the chassis, still tubular with independent front suspension and a live rear axle, and the engine, still a dohc in-line six, were new. The latter showed more difference to its predecessors, being a derivative of the 250F GP car engine with a displacement of 3485cc, two spark plugs per cylinder and a power output of 220bhp.
As usual the bodies were built by various coachbuilders, the majority being aluminium bodied coupes by Touring or steel bodied convertibles (with a reduced wheelbase) by Vignale (although Bertone, Allemano and Frua also contributed some examples). One-offs were built by Moretti, Boneschi and Touring. The car continued to be developed, in 1959 front disc brakes were introduced and shortly afterwards a five-speed gearbox became available. Fuel injection followed in 1961, the car becoming the 3500GTI and the engine increasing in power to 235bhp. Several small changes were also made at this time, such as a re-routed exhaust system, disc brakes all round, deletion of the front fog lights, revised indicators and rear lights etc.
In 1963 Vignale introduced a completely new 2+2 coupe bodystyle (steel with alloy bonnet and bootlid) on the shorter spider chassis, which was initially called the 3500GTIS but then became known as the Sebring. This had disc brakes on all four wheels and a five speed transmission. The engine gradually increased in size, first to 3.7 litres with 245bhp and then to 4.0 litres with 255bhp. In 1965 a minor facelift was carried out which involved redesigned front and rear lights plus some other detail design changes. Air conditioning and automatic transmission were added to the options list.
About 1,980 3500GT and 3500GTI cars were produced until 1964, plus 245 Spiders, whilst 601 Sebrings were built (348 series I and 243 series II) with production ending in 1969.Comment
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Technical Details
Engine-3485cc (86x100mm) dohc twin-plug straight 6 with 220bhp @ 5,500rpm later with 235bhp @ 5,800rpm when fitted with Lucas fuel injection 3692cc (86x106mm) dohc twin-plug straight 6 with 245bhp @ 5,500rpm 4012cc (88x110mm) dohc twin-plug straight 6 with 255bhp
Suspension-front : Independent with wishbones and coil springs rear : live axle with leaf springs wheelbase : 2,600mm track (front/rear) : 1390mm/1360mm
Brakes-front : drums, discs from 1959 rear : drums, discs on Sebring
Transmission-4 speed manual (5 speed in Sebring and optional in others) ZF unit automatic available as option
Steering-Worm and sector
Kerb weight-1300kg 1962 model : 1350kg Sebring : 1200kgComment
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Maserati 5000GT
The 5000GT (Tipo 103) came about as a result of the tragic fire at the World Sports car Race in Venezuela which destroyed much of the Maserati team and led to their withdrawal from motorsport. This left them with a number of 5-litre V8 racecar engine which they decided to fit into a 3500GT chassis, supposedly persuaded to do so by the Shah of Iran.
The result debuted at the Turin Motorshow in 1959 as the 5000GT, with 325bhp, front disc brakes, 3500GT suspension, Weber 45IDM carburettors and a four speed gearbox. Later cars received fuel injection (which took the power up to 340bhp), a five speed transmission and disc brakes all round.
Only 34 cars were built, with the bodies constructed by a variety of coachbuilders up until 1964. Most (22) of them were built by Allemano with others by Touring, Frua, Bertone, Michelotti, Vignale, Monterosa and Pinin Farina. No two cars were the same with styling differences, specification differences and internal trim and options differences.Comment
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Technical Details
Engine-4941cc (94x89mm) dohc twin-plug V8 with 325bhp (later 340bhp with fuel injection)
Suspension-front : independent with double wishbones and coil springs plus anti-roll bar rear : live axle with leaf springs plus anti-roll bar wheelbase : 2600mm track (front/rear) : 1390mm/1360mm
Brakes-front : disc rear : drum (later discs)
Transmission-4 (later 5) speed manual twin-plate clutch
Steering Worm and sector
Kerb weight-1652kgComment
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Maserati Quattroporte
The Quattroporte (Tipo 107), when it was introduced at the Turin Motorshow in 1963, was unique in being a four door saloon 'supercar', as well as being the first four door Maserati. Having seen the success of the 5000GT, effectively a built-to-order super saloon, Maserati realised the customers for such a car were out there.
Another redesign of the V8 race engine to improve its reliability and practicality saw Maserati come up with a 4.2-litre version, with chain drive for the four camshafts, one spark plug per cylinder and fuelling by four Weber 38DCNL carburettors. A front subframe, rubber mounted to the body, carried the engine and double wishbone front suspension (by Alford & Alder) whilst a de Dion rear susension layout was used. Girling discs were installed all round, inboard at the rear. For the first time, a Maserati used unitary construction, the welded steel bodyshell replacing the traditional tubular chassis. The relatively restrained design was by Pietro Frua.
As befits such a car, a full leather interior was standard, and electric windows, air conditioning and other luxuries were also available.
In 1966 (Tipo 107A) the de Dion rear suspension was replaced by a more conventional Salisbury live axle installation and the 4.7-litre engine from the Mexico was offered as an option. The headlights adopted twin round lenses on each side (rather than the earlier rectangular units), the cockpit was revised, the wheels updated and a variety of other changes were made at the same time.
The production cars were built by Vignale, who made 259 of the early cars and 529 of the later, the 4.7-litre engine only being used in a small number (about 110) of the latter part.Comment
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Technical Details
Engine-4136cc (88x85mm) quad-cam V8 with 260bhp @ 5,000rpm 4719cc (94x85mm) quad-cam V8 with 290bhp
Suspension -front : independent with double wishbones and coil springs rear : de Dion with coil springs (later live axle with leaf springs)
Brakes-Girling discs all round, inboard at rear
Transmission-5 speed ZF manual (3 speed automatic available as option)
Kerb weight-1700kgComment
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