1956 Maserati A6G-54 Coupe

The first cars suitable for both track and public roads were the A6G with racing engines in 1949. To meet demand in the early 1950s Maserati turned to Coachbuilder Zagato to create an alloy body for a GT car weighing less than 1,800 pounds using aircraft streamlining. Only 20 Zagatos were produced and each was custom made.

This third series Maserati A6G/2000 is the 12th of 20 examples bodied by Zagato. Each one is slightly different. In April 1956 this car was the factory demonstrator in the famous Italian Mille Miglia race where it was driven by Luigi Taramazzo. The car was later sold to an Italian race enthusiast named Antonio Cicoira who raced it throughout France, Italy and Africa in 1956 and 1957. His most successful race, including the fastest lap, was in Monetlhery, France. Between 1986 and 2010 French and Italian owners raced four times in the Mille Miglia Histroica. The car was purchased in Modena, Italy in 2012 by Jim Utaski and then restored in the United States to original paint, interior and engine specification. The restoration was finished in 2018 by the car's current owner.

Maserati introduced a twin-plug-ignition version of the race-bred A6G/2000 at the Paris Salon in October of 1954. It was informally known as the A6G/54. The show car wore coachwork by Frua in coupe configuration, while the series coachbuilder was Allemano who penned a more formal closed body. A month after the model's debut, a Zagato-bodied version with alloy berlinetta coachwork appeared, and it received racing success over the following two seasons. Among its accolades were the 1956 Italian Sports Car Championship.

The Maserati A6G/54 was built through 1957 with 60 chassis built, 20 of which were clothed by Zagato as berlinettas and an additional example as a spider.

This particular Zagato-bodied Berlinetta originally served as a factory race car for a short time before entering a short ownership chain of European privateers and enthusiasts. More recently, it has been given a restoration to factory specifications.

The car was sent to Zagato in November of 1955 and completed in February of 1956. Unique details included the front grille, with the trident badge sent in an oval ring laid within a more circular ring that was ornamented with dual side spears. The wheel arches were un-flared, the hood was un-vented, and the windshield wipers rested in opposite directions. The car originally had a standard clutch before being fitted with an A6GCS competition clutch. It featured an Abarth muffler, Borrani wire wheels, Cibie lamps, Smiths heater and Jaeger instruments.

A certificate of origin was issued by the factory in March of 1956. It was sent to Franco Cornacchia's Agenzia Maserati Milan as an exhibition and demonstration car. In April, it was loaned to Luigi 'Gigi' Taramazzo for use in the Mille Miglia. Rain plagued the event and the Maserati's brakes became troublesome, causing it to slide off the road after a high-speed straight between Pescara and L'Aquila. After the event, the car returned to the factory for repairs. It was ten sold in August of 1956 to its first private owner, Italian Antoine Cicoira residing in France.

On September 16th of 1956, the Zagato berlinetta earned a class win and 2nd-overall finish in the Coupe de Cote Turckheim-Trois Epis hill climb, and a week later the car won the Coupes d'Automne in Montlhery, setting the fastest lap time. After these races, the car was sent to the factory-approved outlet in Paris, the Garage Mirabeau owned by Thepanier and Simone, for additional maintenance.

In May of 1956, the car was shipped to Senegal to partake in the Dakar Route de Quakam. During the race, it was involved in a significant accident and was subsequently returned to Italy for repairs. Cicoira requested the work to be completed in time for the 12 Hours of Reims, the Nürburgring 1000 KM, and the Tour de France. However, it was not until mid-September when the work was finished, in time for the Coupes du Salon. Due to time constraints, the car was repaired without the unique original grille treatment. Instead, it was given a more standard front-end configuration.

Cicoira and Jose Behra (brother of Jean Behra) raced the car in October of 1957 at the Coupes du Salon, finishing 6th overall.

By January of 1960, the car was sold Fivos Razis, who commissioned work from the factory, including a partial rebuild of the engine, clutch, and gearbox, and a repaint in light metallic gray. The car returned to the factory again in August of 1960 to receive work due to an incident during street driving.

It is believed that the car remained in France for the next 18 years. In 1978, it was discovered by Claude Pibarot of Bar-Le-Duc. By this point in history, it had been refinished in red paint and reupholstered with striped leatherette. It had been offered for sale after the death of the proprietor of a garage where it was being stored. Jean-Pierre Bisiaux purchased the car in July of 1980, and he refreshed the car with a new paint finish in red and a black interior. In the 1980s, it appeared twice at the Mille Miglia.

Juan Quintano, a Spanish importer of premium marques, acquired the car in 1996. It was sold in 2008 to Mauro and Jacobo Lotti of Florence, Italy, and they re-registered the car with its original Modena tag numbers and conducted a modest freshening, refinishing the exterior in silver. Lotti entered the car in the 2009 and 2010 Mille Miglia. It was also shown at the Uniques Special Ones Concours d'Elegance in Florence.

The previous owner, from New Jersey, acquired the car in July of 2012. After it was imported to the United States, it was given a no-expense-spared restoration returning it back to its original factory appearance. Upon completion it was presented at the Maserati 100th Anniversary celebration at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, winning 2nd in class as well as taking home the Vitesse Elegance Trophy from the Petersen Museum. The following year, it was shown at the Amelia Island Concours where it won Best in Class in the Sports and GT Cars 1955-1959 category. A few months later, it won its class at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza at Lake Como, Italy.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019