First built in 1929, when it was called a V4 for its 4-liter displacement, Maserati's first twin-engine GP racer did win a race and also set a speed record. A later 4.9-liter version of the 16-cylinder engine, dubbed the V5, was recently refurbished and installed in this recreated chassis. Photo: Pete Lyons - www.petelyons.com
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Maserati Rinascita

Pete Lyons
Pete Lyons

Mr. Cozza lifted the right side of the center-hinged bonnet and bent over the long, bristling racing engine. His colleague, Mr. Torbelli, flipped switches in the stark open cockpit. There was a complexity of mechanical grunting noises, then a sudden, staccato burst of machine gunfire—16 cylinders raucously voicing their gioia di vita.

Through oil smoke rising from the headers I saw Cozza’s leathered face break into a radiant grin. To me that said it all about Maserati’s rinascita—the renaissance this once nearly moribund Italian automaker is enjoying today.

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