1949 | Maserati A6 1500 Turismo Berline

This is one of the most famous examples of Maserati A6 1500 Gran Turismo, among the 60 cars produced, kept with care in its hometown, Modena, after 40 years spent in the United States. 

According to the Maserati archive, the chassis 084 was sent to be bodied at Pinin Farina on January 28, 1949 and returned to Maserati on June 14 the same year. 

One year later, on April 14, 1950, the car was sold in Milan, by the Maserati dealer Franco Cortese, race and test driver Maserati, to Mrs. Giuseppina Carraretto, wife of “commendatore” Gastone Cattapan; there are photos of them at the time with the car, together with the billing invoice. Mr. Cattapan had been one of the founders of Scuderia Sant'Ambroeus, well known racing team from Milan created to promote emerging race drivers, towards Formula One. 

After seven years of ownership, the Cattapan family sold the Maserati to Mr. Michele Vernola, still living in Milan, then in 1959, the car was cancelled for export in 1959. 

In California the car passed through some changes of ownership while around 2000 it was purchased by John Bookout who brought together the original car and engine, dismounted in the previous years for unknown reasons. In 2001 the car came back to Italy and in 2003 the correct and matching engine was finally remounted into the car. 

Back in Modena, the A6 underwent a complete, philological, of the highest level restoration, in 2009, back to its original dark grey metallic after the American years when the car was resprayed red with black interior.

This matching numbers example is among the most beautiful existing A6 and one of the best known. Maserati chose this car to be displayed in many official events as: Motorvalley fest in 2019, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Relaix & Chateaux L’Albereta and Auto e moto d’epoca Padova in 2017, Motorshow in 2016, Milano Autoclassica and Collezione Panini for the 100 years of Maserati in 2014, then Museo Enzo Ferrari in 2012. 

It took part to some Concourse d’Elegance ranking 1st of Maserati and 2nd Best of show at the 2012 Concorso di Eleganza Barone Franchetti, while at the Concorso di Eleganza Salvarola Terme it ranked 2nd in class in 2010, 1st in class in 2014 and Best of Maserati in 2019.  

It also attended the regularity race for the 90th anniversary of Maserati, the Mille Miglia in the years 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and the Gran Premio Nuvolari in 2011 and 2018.

This A6 is a true ambassador of the Trident in recent years: it is featured in a video made for the 80th anniversary of the transfer of Maserati from Bologna to Modena.

The car comes with the “construction sheet”, the billing invoice, the Maserati classiche certificate, the ASI and FIVA docuemnts: it can take parts to all the main classic cars events. Registered in Italy, the car could be seen by appointment in Modena. Further details on www.gulfblue.it

 ​

Historical notes:

The A6 nowadays would be the so-called “family of models” Gran Turismo, sports and single-seater cars built by Maserati between 1947 and 1956. "A" stood for Alfieri (one of the Maserati brothers, founders of the brand) and "6" for the six-cylinder engine. 

The Gran Turismo A6 1500 was the first road car produced by Maserati after more than 30 years of only race cars. It was commissioned by Adolfo Orsi, current owner of the Company since 1937 and was the last project developed by the Maserati brothers, particularly by Ernesto, who seems have started the development during the II world war. The car was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1947, with a Pinin Farina coupé bodywork; the production car, had a cleaner and more harmonious line, very similar to another artwork by the coachbuilder from Turin, the Cisitalia 202. The car had an immediate success by the press and the public, confirmed by many orders. 

The A6 1500 was equipped with a 1.5 liter (1,488 cc), aluminum engine, used both for racing and road cars produced by Maserati in the following years. The six-cylinder in-line engine was called A6 TR (“Testa Riportata” for its removable head), was the fruit of the experience obtained with the long evolution of the pre-war Maserati 6CM unit and was similar to the 2-liter unit of the sport A6 GCS "monofaro". It had a single overhead camshaft and a single Weber carburettor, producing 65 hp at 4,700 rpm. From 1949, some cars were equipped with three carburettors. The tubular chassis (a great innovation for a road car at the time) with side members had front suspension with double swinging arm and on the rear a rigid axle with coil springs. It reached a maximum speed of over 150 km/h. The A6 1500 combined performance and luxury, defining the character of Maseratis to be built in the following years. The Maserati A6 1500 was produced in only 60 units, with chassis numbers from 051 to 0110.

Photos:  Rémi Dargegen