Racing Maseratis
By Giancarlo Reggiani
The name Maserati conjures images of some of the most sexy and successful racecars to ever compete on the world stage. Founded by three of the Maserati brothers – Ernesto, Bindo and Alfieri – in the late ’20s, Officine Alfieri Maserati, forged a racing heritage as much on artistry, as on performance. With drivers like Villoresi, Moss, Fangio, Behra and Tarufi at the wheel, the trident-carrying cars from Modena amassed an impressive legacy of international sports car and Grand Prix victories.
“Racing Maseratis” by Giancarlo Reggiani is a book devoted to both the beauty and history of some of the more inportant or unusual racecars to have left the brothers Maserati factory. The author singles out eleven racing models, which include the 6CM, A6G.CS “monofare”, A6GCS ’53, A6GCS Pinifarina berlinetta, 250F, 150S, 200S/SI, 300S, 420M “Eldorado”, Drogo-bodied Tipo 61 and the recent 1992 Barchetta for inclusion.
Each car receives a general description of its genesis, technological development and racing history, interspersed between pages of large-format, artistically composed color photographs of the car and its finer detail elements. Finishing off each car’s chapter are two pages of black-and-white period racing photographs, as well as a listing of technical specifications and original chassis numbers and owners.
While the brief narrative on each car is informative, it is by no means definitive. Rather, the strength of this title is in the elegant use of over 200 color photographs to demonstrate the artistic beauty of these magnificent machines. If there is a fault to be found in this, it is that some of the photographs lack the reproduction quality one might expect from an art book or photo essay. However, for the true Maserati afficionado, this book will be a welcome addition to your collection.
Available directly from the publisher, Giorgio Nada Editore, for approx. $37.00 (US). www.giorgionadaeditore.it, telephone 02/27301126, fax 02/27301454.
