Book Review: The Story of Maserati, A Tribute To Automotive Excellence by Stuart Codling

Stuart Codling, a motorsports journalist, has covered Formula 1 racing since 2001. He has multiple books including The Story of Cars, a four book set detailing not only Maserati but also Bentley, Ferrari, and Porsche.

Published in 2025, the book is a little gem. It measures just 7.3 inches tall by 5 inches wide with numerous photographs. In its 155 pages, it takes the reader back to 1913 when the three Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto, started a garage to repair cars. It didn’t last long as World War I intervened. During the war, Alfieri worked for a company which built Hispana-Suiza aircraft engines. He developed a spark plug which he patented. His brother, Ettore, worked for a diesel engine manufacturer.

In 1920, Alfieri, who had raced cars before the war, returned to auto racing, The used racer wasn’t competitive and he decided to build his own, the Tipo Speciale. While it had enough power to be competitive in hill climbs, it wasn’t competitive in road racing. Several other attempts at building a competitive race car followed. Their reputation as mechanics resulted in Ettore and Alfieri working for Diatto, Italy’s second largest automobile company. The company was undercapitalized and decided to exit auto racing. The breakthrough was when the Marquis Diego de Sterlich Aliprandi purchased ten Diatto racers which were modified and were the first to carry the Maserati trident. They were finally victorious in 1926 Chilometro Lanciato, This victory resulted in orders by forty gentlemen racers.

Throughout the history of Maserati, the company struggled financially and has changed hands multiple times. By the time Aldolfo Orsi bought the company, Alfriedo had died, and his brothers, Ettore, Ernesto, and Bindo, became employees. Maserati made its first appearance at the Indianapolis 500 in 1937. In 1939, “Umbrella Mike” Boyle’s entry, driven by Wilbur Shaw won the race. Not only did the company win the Indianapolis 500, it became a force in Grand Prix racing.

In 1947, Orsi and the Maserati brothers parted company. Orsi experienced numerous setbacks and his company was split up with Orsi keeping the racing segment. He hired a top-level race car designer and a couple of racing engineers. The result was two world championships for Juan Manuell Fangio. Despite this success, the company continued to struggle financially and in 1958 was put into “administration” (bankruptcy). To survive, the company focused on building cars for consumers. Unfortunately, the world of car construction had become one of mass production and the brand was unable to financially make it in this new environment.

Like a phoenix rising, the company was sold to Citroën with Orsi retaining 40% of the company. Citroën was owned by Michelin, the tire manufacturer, who rescued Citroën from closure in 1934. Orsi would sell his interest in Maserati in 1971. In 1974, Michelin sold Maserati to Peugeot. With cost cutting measures, the Maserati entered bankruptcy a year later.

It was then that Alejandro de Tomaso, former auto racer, purchased the company. De Tomaso, who had already purchased Ghia and Vignale and two motorcycle manufacturers, built racing cars and some luxury automobiles. Under de Tomaso’s leadership, cost cutting resulted in producing cheaper, unreliable cars which tarnished Maserati’s image. Despite the cost cutting, the company continued to hemorrhage financially. In 1990, Fiat purchased 49% of Maserati. It is ironic that Fiat also owned Ferrari, which had been a rival on the racetrack. In 1993, Fiat purchased the remainder of Maserati. It took a while, but under Fiat’s ownership, Maserati’s quality improved and returned to its racing roots.

In the mid-1990s, Ferrari became Maserati’s parent with a plan to position Maserati as a luxury brand. In 2003, it was introduced to the U.S. market with a much larger car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Despite the improvements, the company continued to lose money and in 2005, Maserati once again became part of the Fiat group and in 2007, it made a profit.

In the United States, Chrysler was hemorrhaging and filed for bankruptcy. In 2014, Maserati became part of Fiat Chrysler. In 2021, Fiat Chrysler joined with Peugeot-Citroën to form Stellantis.

The book details the various racing cars along with the consumer models. It is a quick, easy read and provides a good overview of the company.