Maserati A6

Maserati
	A6 1500 with Pininfarina body
A6
Production period:	1947-1954
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupé , convertible
Engines:	Otto engine : ; 1.5 liters ; (48–66 kW)
Length:	4100 mm
Width:	1560 mm
Height:	1350 mm
Wheelbase :	2550 mm
Empty weight :	960 kg
successor	Maserati A6G

Maserati A6 is the internal name of a sports car from the Italian car manufacturer Maserati , which was officially sold as the Maserati 1500 GT . It was the first road vehicle that Maserati produced in series, and also the last model of the company to be developed with the participation of members of the Maserati family. The A6 factory had a body designed by Pininfarina . A revised, more powerful version appeared in late 1950 as the A6G .

History of origin

The Maserati company, founded in 1914, was mainly involved in automobile racing until the Second World War . Under the direction of Alfieri Maserati , many successful competition vehicles were created in the 1920s and 1930s, some of which Maserati brought to the start at the factory at motorsport events, but also sold to private customers. In individual cases, since the 1930s, Maserati also derived roadworthy sports cars from these competition models. These cars were individual pieces that were created on customer request; There was no series production of street sports cars until 1945. In 1936, Ernesto , Ettore and Bindo Maserati , who had taken over the management of the company after the death of their brother Alfieri in 1932, began developing an engine that could be used not only for racing cars but also for roadworthy Gran Turismo vehicles. But because racing had priority and the company's financial situation was tense at times, work progressed slowly. The takeover of Maserati by Adolfo Orsi in 1937 did nothing to change that. The development was not completed until 1945. At the same time, a suitable chassis was created. In addition to the three surviving Maserati brothers, the former Alfa Romeo and Ferrari engineers Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentini were involved in the design of this first Gran Turismo .

Prototypes

The design of the Gran Turismo engine as an in-line six-cylinder remained unchanged throughout the development phase. Apart from that, however, numerous details have changed over time. The engineers initially planned to cast the engine block and cylinder head in one piece. It was not until 1943 that the decision was made in favor of a simpler design in which the cylinder head was removable. The project then received the factory coding A6 TR (for Testa Riportata , German: removable head). This variant was adopted for the series engine, but the suffix TR was omitted. Instead of the initially intended two overhead camshafts, the production version of the engine received only one overhead camshaft; In this point the production engine deviated from the usual alignment of the Maserati racing engines. Finally, the camshaft drive was also changed in the course of development. Initially, it was planned to control them via spur gears and rocker arms. A chain drive was then used in the series construction. It was considered to be easier to maintain and quieter. From 1943 to 1945 the engine ran on the test bench, with a few interruptions due to the war. The first road test took place at the end of 1945.

Two test vehicles were built in 1946. A prototype (chassis number 052) carried a simple Barchetta body with free-standing, curved fenders from Zagato . The car later received a new body from Zagato and was sold to a private customer. The second prototype (chassis number 051) had an innovative Pininfarina body, which in retrospect is viewed as a milestone in automotive design. The Pininfarina model had a pontoon body with smooth sides and headlights that were covered by a metal flap. A big lift-up roof made of Plexiglas also caused a stir. Pininfarina's prototype was “the star of the Geneva Motor Show 1947”.

After the presentation of the A6 (1500 GT), the Maserati brothers left the company founded by Alfieri Maserati. They continued the automobile production with the newly established company Officine Specializzata Costruzioni Automobili (OSCA).

Model description

engine

The Maserati A6 (1500 GT) had an in-line six-cylinder engine with 1488 cm³ displacement (bore 66 mm, stroke 72.5 mm), the block of which was cast from aluminum. For each cylinder there was an inlet and an outlet valve, which were controlled by an overhead camshaft. The exhaust valves were operated via rocker arms, the intake valves via tappets and rocker arms. The compression was 7.5: 1. The combustion chambers were hemispherical and the valves were arranged hanging on the side. The basic version was equipped with a Weber carburetor (type 36DCR). The engine output was 65 hp (48 kW), which occurred at 4,700 revolutions per minute. In addition, Maserati offered a version with three carburettors, the output of which rose to 90 hp (66 kW). However, it was "rarely ordered."

landing gear

The chassis of the A6 (1500 GT) was considered to be extremely simple. The basis was a frame made of welded steel tubes, which was reinforced by cross bracing. The front wheels were suspended individually ; there were coil springs and wishbones at the front. At the rear, Maserati installed a rigid axle with leaf springs that came from Fiat's large-scale production .

body

Maserati obtained almost all of the bodies of the production models from Pininfarina; a single piece, however, had a body made by Zagato.

Pininfarina Coupe

Maserati A6 1500 GT with Pininfarina body (1947)

From 1948: Maserati A6 with hatchback body from Pininfarina

With the exception of two vehicles, all A6s clad by Pininfarina had a coupé body. The structures, however, were not identical. Pininfarina made significant changes to the body during the four-year production period.

The first series models had a body that largely corresponded to that of the prototype shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1947: They were two-door notchback coupés with a pontoon body, a long bonnet and a passenger cell set far back. As with the prototype, there were initially only side windows in the doors; the area behind the doors was clad with sheet metal. The first examples still had the hidden headlights that had already been shown in the prototype.
In the course of 1947 the Extra Lusso appeared , which received a new front section. The concealed headlights were replaced by open lights integrated into the front ends of the fenders. The plexiglass sunroof was also omitted.
In a further development step, Pininfarina integrated rear side windows into the body at the end of 1947.
Pininfarina's last body version of the A6 appeared at the Turin Motor Show in April 1948. The upper part of the structure has been completely redesigned. Instead of the previous notchback, the A6 now had a hatchback that reached down to the rear bumper. The A6 thus took over a shape that Pininfarina had already realized the year before with the Cisitalia 202 . At the same time, the very similarly designed, but larger-sized Bentley Mark VI Cresta appeared . The front section was also new. There were two small additional air inlet openings to the left and right of the vertically aligned radiator grille. In addition, the front fenders of the A6 had been redesigned. The side arches over the wheel cutout were omitted here.

Pininfarina Cabriolet

In Turin in 1948 Pininfarina also presented a convertible version of the Maserati A6, the design of which, apart from the roof structure, corresponded to the latest coupé version. Only two copies were made of this. One of the convertibles went to Argentina via a Swiss dealer, where it was sold to Evita Perón .

Zagato Panoramica Coupé

Unique: Maserati A6 1500 GT with Zagato body

The chassis, which was removed in 1946 and provided with a Barchetta body by Zagato for test purposes (chassis number 052), was initially unused in the Maserati factory before it was brought back to Zagato in 1948. Here, the unchanged chassis was given a completely new hatchback body in Pontine style, the basic structure of which was reminiscent of Pininfarina's 1948 version of the A6, but differed from it in numerous details. Zagato's superstructure was made of sheet aluminum. An independent feature was an almost vertical front section. The curved side surfaces of the passenger cell, which also included side windows protruding into the roof, were particularly striking. Overall, the structure looked very bright. The car was given the name “Panoramica Coupé”. It was taken over by an Italian customer in 1949 and changed hands in the decades that followed. The 1500 GT Zagato Panoramica Coupé remained a one-off; however, Zagato built some similarly designed coupés based on the successor A6G presented in 1950. The A6 model still exists; it is occasionally shown at exhibitions after a restoration at the beginning of the 21st century.

Performance

In view of the weak engine performance, the A6 1500 GT did not achieve high performance. It lagged far behind the level of the first Ferrari road vehicles. The top speed was 146 to 153 km / h, depending on the body and gear ratio.

production

By 1951, 59 series models with a Pininfarina body had been produced, two of which were convertibles. There are also two prototypes from 1946, one of which was redesigned by Zagato in 1948. The focus of production was spread over the years 1949 and 1950; 23 vehicles were built here. About three cars were made in 1947, eight or nine in 1948.

Further developments of the Maserati A6

Maserati A6G

Maserati A6G with Pininfarina body

In 1951 the original was followed by the A6G (also known as the A6G 2000 GT). It had the same chassis, but a revised styling with bodies from Pininfarina , Frua , and Vignale, as well as a larger engine that produced 100 hp (74 kW) from 1954 cc and three Weber carburettors. The G in the type designation stood for the cast iron engine block (ital. Ghisa ). A total of 16 copies of the A6G had been built by 1953. The low production was mainly due to repeated strikes in the Italian metal industry.

Maserati A6G54

The A6G54, released in 1954, was another revision of the A6. It had an engine that - for the first time in a Maserati street sports car - was equipped with two overhead camshafts. Its output was 110 PS (81 kW), in later versions also 118 PS (87 kW), which enabled a top speed of 185 to 210 km / h depending on the gear ratio. A total of 59 vehicles from the A6G54 were built by 1957.

Motorsport

Several models for motorsport were derived from the standard A6 and A6G. These were the Maserati A6GCS and the Maserati A6GCM .

literature

Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
Gianni Cancellieri et al. (Ed.): Maserati. Catalog raisonné 1926–2003 . Automobilia, Milan 2003. ISBN 88-7960-151-2
Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1
Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 .
Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9
David Sparrow, Iain Ayre: Maserati Heritage . Osprey Classic Marques. Auckland 1995. ISBN 1-85532-441-5 .
Tabucchi, Maurizio: Maserati. All Grand Prix, Sports and GT vehicles from 1926 until today. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2004. ISBN 3-89880-211-6

Web links

Commons : Maserati A6 - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 79.
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 20.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 75.
↑ Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 10.
↑ Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 50s. 1045-1960 . Motorbuch Verlag 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1 , p. 226 f.
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 23.
↑ The Maserati 1500 GT Zagato Panoramica Coupé on the website www.supercars.net (accessed on April 19, 2018).

[Gianni_79-1] A ^b Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 79.

[Buckley_20-2] A ^b ^c ^d Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 20.

[Gianni_75-3] Gianni Cancellieri: Maserati. All the cars. Giorgio Nada Editore, Vimodrone 2015, ISBN 978-88-7911-609-1 , p. 75.

[Lange_10-4] Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 , p. 10.

[Gloor_226-5] Roger Gloor: All Cars of the 50s. 1045-1960 . Motorbuch Verlag 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1 , p. 226 f.

[Buckley_23-6] A ^b ^c ^d Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 23.

[7] The Maserati 1500 GT Zagato Panoramica Coupé on the website www.supercars.net (accessed on April 19, 2018).