Maserati V4

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The Maserati V4 (alternatively: Maserati Sedici Cilindri ) was a racing car produced in 1929 by the Italian car manufacturer Officine Alfieri Maserati , which was powered by two engines with a total of 16 cylinders. The car scored two race victories, but failed to establish itself and was not mass-produced.

History of origin

Designer Alfieri Maserati and his brothers

The Officine Maserati, founded by Alfieri Maserati , initially constructed racing cars for Isotta Fraschini and Diatto after the end of the First World War . When Diatto gave up his motorsport involvement in early autumn 1925 due to economic difficulties, Alfieri Maserati took over the Diatto racing cars he had developed free of charge in September 1925 and continued the motorsport program under his own name from 1926. The first Maserati, the Tipo 26 , was a further development of this Diatto model. Maserati drove the Tipo 26 itself in some races; several copies were also sold to private customers. The Tipo 26 was powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine with a capacity of 1.5 liters or 2.0 liters (26B), with an output of between 115 and 130 hp. In an effort to get a significantly more powerful car, Alfieri Maserati developed the V4 in the course of 1929. The designation V4 refers to the total displacement (four liters).

In 1932, based on the concept of the V4, Maserati developed the V5, another sixteen-cylinder racing car with a displacement of five liters.

description

The chassis of the V4 was largely identical to that of the Tipo 26B, but had a wheelbase that was 165 mm longer. The structure also corresponded to that of the Tipo 26.

Two 2.0-liter in-line eight-cylinder engines of the type 26B served as drive. They were each inclined by 25 degrees, mounted parallel to each other in the front of the car (so-called twin engines). Each engine had its own crankshaft. The crankshafts were interlocked and housed in a common crankshaft housing made of light metal. The left cylinder block fully met the series specification; In the right engine block, however, the inlet and outlet valves were reversed. This allowed the exhaust pipes of both engines to be guided along the respective outer sides. Each engine had its own Roots compressor that produced a boost pressure of 1.1 bar. The power of the engine is given as 305 hp or 280 hp, depending on the source. The power transmission was not adjusted: the clutch, cardan shaft, differential and gearbox corresponded to the series components of the Tipo 26.

The maximum speed of the V4 is usually given as around 255 km / h.

The driving behavior of the V4 is described in different ways. According to some sources, the V4 was "a monster"; Driving behavior was "difficult", especially in curves. Other sources, however, report that, unlike other cars with twin engines, the V4 was easy to steer and controllable.

production

With Zagato body: the street version of the Maserati V4

In the racing version, the V4 remained a one-off. In 1930 Maserati produced another example for road use, which received a roadster body from Zagato .

Races

The Maserati V4 started seven races. He made his debut with Alfieri Maserati at the Monza Grand Prix in September 1929 . Here Maserati reached a lap speed of 200 km / h and set a record. In the following year, Baconin Borzacchini won the Gran Premio di Tripoli with a V4 ; it was the first overall victory of a Maserati at a Grand Prix . However, some sources point out that Maserati had "no serious competition" in this race. Alfieri Maserati's brother Ernesto achieved the only other victory of a V4 in the 1931 edition of the Gran Premio di Roma on the Pista del Littorio . However, only a few other vehicles started here as well. In 1930 the V4 also appeared on the Indianapolis 500 . Due to the regulations, the compressors had to be removed for this race. Borzacchini drove the car, which was not fast enough without charging, for a few laps, but then gave up prematurely due to an engine failure.

Apart from these races, the V4 only competed in a few smaller events.

literature

  • Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012, ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 .
  • Adriano Cimarosti: The Century of Racing . Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 .
  • David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars 1906–2001 . 2001 (Crowood Press), ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
  • David Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945 . Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
  • Hans-Karl Lange: Maserati. The other Italian sports car. Zsolnay, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-552-05102-3 .
  • Mike Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars 1945-1965 . Motor Racing Publications 1998, ISBN 1-899870-39-3
  • Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The racing history . 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 .
  • Jill C. Wheeler: Maserati . ABDO Publishing Company, 2010, ISBN 978-1-61786-167-3 .

Web links

Commons : Maserati V4  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9 , p. 21.
  2. ^ Jill C. Wheeler: Maserati . ABDO Publishing Company, 2010, ISBN 978-1-61786-167-3 , p. 8.
  3. ↑ Mike Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars 1945-1965 , Motor Racing Publications 1998, ISBN 1-899870-39-3 , p. 201.
  4. ^ Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9 , p. 14.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars 1906–2001 , 2001 (Crowood Press), ISBN 1-86126-339-2 , p. 149.
  6. ^ A b Martin Buckley: Maserati. Italian luxury and flair . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2012. ISBN 978-3-86852-633-2 , p. 9.
  7. ^ A b Daniel Vaughan: 1930 Maserati V4. www.conceptcarz.com, June 1, 2009, accessed September 23, 2016 .
  8. ^ Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9 , p. 22.
  9. ^ Anthony Pritchard: Maserati. The history of racing , Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, 1st edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9 , p. 28.