☰
conceptcarz.com
✕

1956 Maserati A6G-54

The Maserati A6G/54, introduced at the 1954 Paris Show, was the final evolution of the A6 road cars. They were a development of the A6GCS sports racers and was powered by the new two-liter twin-cam straight-six engine installed in a sophisticated chassis with large finned aluminum drum brakes.

The Maserati brothers had sold their company to Omar Orsi in 1937 with the agreement that the brothers would continue to be employed at the company for another decade. After honoring this agreement, they left in 1947 to begin a new company of their own called OSCA. The brothers had left Orsi with the newly designed straight-six engine which had been intended for use in competition but instead was used in Maserati's first Grand Tourer.

The new Maserati was introduced at the 1947 Geneva Motoroshow and was called the A6. It wore a Pinin Farina designed body and powered by the new 1.5-liter, single overhead camshaft engine offering 65 horsepower and backed by a four-speed gearbox. A steel tubular frame with two side members and several cross members were suspended by wishbones, coil springs and Houdaille shock absorbers in the front and a rear live axle with a similar setup.

Sales were dismal due to the high price and poor performance. Learning from his mistakes, Orsi introduced a second version of the A6 at the Paris Motorshow in 1951. The three different styles on display included a Frua Spider, a Pinin Farina Berlina, and a Vignale Coupe. The 2-liter engine with the optional three-carburetor setup offered 100 horsepower, a significant increase from the prior 1.5-liter version.

Again, sales did not meet expectations and only 16 examples were completed. The final evolution, introduced in 1954 and informally known as the A6G/54, was built in much higher quantities with 63 (possibly as few as 60 and as many as 65) examples built in a variety of body styles. The newly revised engine had twin camshafts and plugs and offered 150 horsepower. Coachbuilder who provided bodies include Vignale, Frua, Allemano, and Zagato. The Zagato bodied examples were typically lighter and more aerodynamic than the other bodies and helped carry Maserati to the 1956 Italian Sports Car Championship. Twenty examples were clothed by Zagato as berlinettas and a single example as a spider. Fura built sixteen examples, six were coupes and the rest were spiders, and they were often finished in a two-tone paint scheme with a contrasting hood stinger. The Allemano and Frua designed bodies were often more luxurious and designed for road use, while the Zagato bodied examples were built with competition in mind.

The popularity of the A6G/54 can be attributed to his higher horsepower engine and the many components sourced from the A6GCS competition car, including the race-proven braking, steering, and suspension components. The Gioacchino Colombo-designed all-aluminum twin-cam six-cylinder engine provided performance on par with other manufacturers. Maserati engineer Vittorio Bellentani modified the original design, implementing chain-driven camshafts, wet-sump lubrication, and a revised valve train. Equipped with three Weber 40 DCO3 carburetors, and available with an optional twin-plug cylinder head, the A6G/54 was among the best performing sports cars of its era.

The Maserati A6G/54 was a well-rounded sports car that often excelled in the two-liter GT category, at the Mille Miglia, and in Italian hill climb events. These bespoke grand tourers were among the most luxurious, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing of the 1950s.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe

The Maserati brothers, Alferi Maserati, Bindo Maserati, Carlo Maserati, Ettore Maserati, Enesto Maserati, and Mario Maserati, loved automobiles. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-liter Grand Prix cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of Maserati. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race cars with 4, 6, 8 and 16 cylinders (actually two straight eights mounted parallel to one another). Mario, an artist, is believed to have devised the company's trident emblem, from the Fontana del Nettuna, Bologna.

In 1937 the Maserati brothers sold their company to the Adolfo Orsi family. In 1968, it was purchased by Citroen. In 1975 Alessandro de Tomaso, a former racing driver from Argentina had arranged for the Benelli motorcycle company, which he controlled, to buy Maserati from Citroen and install him as its head. 1993 saw the company acquired by Fiat. In 1997, Fiat sold 50% share in the company to Maserati's long-time arch-rival Ferrari. In 1999 Ferrari took full control, making Maserati it's luxury division.

The Maserati A6G/2000 was a road-going version of the competition A6GCS and was also referred to as the Maserati 2000 GT. Sixty A6Gs were produced and 20 of those were bodied by coachbuilder Zagato. Several were used in GT racing throughout Italy from 1955 to 1957 and the car won the GT class in the 1956 Italian championships.

This car was first purchased in 1956 by Maserati employee Oreste Borognone. He moved to California where he and his brother used the car as a commuter to college and raced it on weekends. It was sold in 1980 to Ivan Zaremba who used it as a daily driver and raced it for years on weekends. In 1994 it was acquired by the Male family sight unseen to participate in the Mille Miglia. It raced in the 1994 and 1995 Tour Auto in France, the 1994 80th Maserati Anniversary Rally, the 1996 California Mille Miglia, the Colorado Grand 2001, 2003, 2005 and the Mille Miglia in 2001 through 2006. It continues to race in several Vintage events and the Shell Ferrari / Maserati historic racing series in North America.

Coupe

The Maserati A6G/54 evolved from the A6G shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1951. It had a 6-cylinder engine giving over 150 bhp. In all, 63 A6Gs were built over three years. This is a unique Zagato-bodied A6G/54 that started life as a 'regular' Zagato coupe in 1956. It was sent back to Zagato for a tune-up in 1957, and when Gianni Zagato took it out for a test drive, he crashed it, destroying most of the delicate body panels. Instead of rebuilding it to its original form, Zagato fitted a more modern style, similar to the proposed 3500 GT body. With help from historian Adolfo Orsi this unique car was recently restored to its unique 1957 configuration. It is one of just two Zagato-bodied Maseratis with a 'double bubble' roof.

2000 Spyder by Frua
Chassis number: 2190
Engine number: 2190

Pietro Frua was one of Italy's most renowned coachbuilders. His worked clothed everything from Ferraris to Rolls-Royces, and the designs were equally as vast, ranging from calm to outrageous.

This Frua-designed Maserati A6G is both muscular and crisply tailored. It is believed that three of these Spyders were built, with one being fitted to A6GCS chassis 2054 and delivered to dealer Guglielmo Dei, of Rome, who delivered it to an American client in early 1954. This was the only Frua Spyder mounted to a A6GCS car. The other two were mounted on A6GCS chassis, but they were engineered with the more street-friendly A6G/54 engine.

The small bumperettes in the front and rear give the impression of sporty lightness. It has chromed side exhaust, emerging from behind the front wheels and travels down the body of the driver's side.

The current owner of this car found the original Frua Spyder body from chassis 2054 in the ownership of Maserati enthusiast and Concorso Italiano founder Francis Mandarano, who had acquired it in the American South sometime earlier. While the original chassis was long gone, as it had been converted into a racing car, the body was immaculately complete, aside from a single missing bumper bar, retaining all of its original details, including the original 'pFrua' badges, the original instruments, all the door hardware, and unaltered curvaceous lines.

The body was mounted upon an original A6G/2000 chassis, number 2190, and reportedly fitted from new with an A6GCS engine. It had its chassis frame shortened appropriately. The goal of the restoration was to return the car to as near as possible as 2054 had first been when delivered in 1953. Upon completion, the car was finished in light silver-blue paint with a blue leather interior with royal blue carpets along with Jaeger instruments.

The work earned the car the Best Maserati at the 2003 Concorso Italiano. It also made an appearance at the concours d'elegance at the Cavallino Classic XIV in Palm Beach in 2005. It has completed two Colorado Grands, as well as the California Mille.

The car was given a five-speed manual transmission from an Alfa Romeo for better modern rallying purposes. The Maserati transmission correct to this chassis still remains with the car. The engine is a 1985cc double overhead-cam twin-plug inline six-cylinder engine with three Weber 40 DC03 carburetors. The car produces 150 horsepower and has four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. The wheelbase measures 100.4 cinches.

by Dan Vaughan

Berlinetta by Allemano
Chassis number: 2117
Engine number: 2117

When the A6G/54 was introduced, many believed that this new car was simply a coach-built variation of the successful A6GCS sports racer. In reality, it was a road-going sport car that shared its basic underpinnings with the A6GCS. The A6G/54 was powered by a 160 horsepower six-cylinder engine, powerful four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, and a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh. The coachwork was available from Zagato, Frua and Allemano, each coming in their own distinct style and purpose. The Zagato built cars were purpose-built road-racers; the Frua-bodied examples were elegant, extravagant, and fashion statements. The Allemano cars were sophisticated, subdued and luxurious. In total, there were 21 examples of the Allemano cars produced.

The original owner of this example was Sig. Giulio Dubbini of Padua, Italy. This car, the fifth example bodied by Allemano, was delivered on November 27, 1956, and carried a price of 3,034,000 lire. It was originally finished in Verde Suro (Mackerel Green) with a green interior, and the same livery it sports today.

In the mid-1970s, the A6G/54 was exported to Canada where it remained for over a decade before returning to continental Europe. The current owner purchased the car in 2001 and imported it to the United States.

Between 2002 and 2006, a comprehensive cosmetic and thorough mechanical restoration was performed on the car. Prior to the work, the car was wearing a red paint scheme. After the restoration, the car was returned to its original, factory-delivered color scheme.

In 2010, this rare Maserati was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The car was estimated to sell for $375,000 - $450,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for the sum of $429,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Frua
Chassis number: 2181
Engine number: 2104

Between 1954 and 1956 Maserati built 60 A6G/54 bare chassis. The 2-liter engine was a Colombo-designed twin-overhead-cam unit with a lightweight alloy block, using dual ignition and triple Weber carburetors. It had a wet sump lubrication system and depending on the equipment used, the motor developed between 120 and 150 bhp. Of this total, 19 cars were bodied by Zagato, several by Allemano, and ten convertibles and seven coupes were bodied by Frua.

This car is the only surviving A6G/54 Series III Frua coupe. Most Frua convertibles were Series III cars and this car looks similar to the convertible but with a hardtop.

This Maserati A6G/54 is one of two third-series cars bodied as coupes, and the only example still known to exist. The chassis was delivered to Pietro Frua for coachwork in August of 1956. It was given a semi-fastback roof, scooped hood, and the trident-adorned grille. Its paint scheme is a two-tone paint finish of rosso capped with a nero roof.

This Maserati was exhibited at the Turin Auto Salon in November of 1956, after which it returned to the factory, where testing and final assembly were completed. Factory build sheets were consequently dated on December 5th of 1956. Upon completion, it was sent to the United States, and to Charles Rezzaghi's Mille Miglia Motors in San Francisco. Rezzaghi was an official Maserati imported from 1954 through 1957.

From San Francisco, it was delivered in January of 1957 to the Pomona road races for display. The car was later sold to Stanley Sugarman, of Phoenix, Arizona. After passing to at least one more Arizona-based owner, possibly Frank Hoke of Phoenix, the car was sold around 1963 to J.S. Massa of California. It was later sold to an unidentified owner who removed the original factory twin-cam engine and replaced it with an American V-8. Later in the 1960s, the car was acquired by Maserati dealer Bob Allinger of Los Gatos, California.

Michael Adams of Valley Center, California acquired the car in 1978, and he installed the engine and gearbox from a Maserati 3500 GT. In 1991 it was purchased by Ed Morgan of San Francisco, and in 2007 it briefly entered the care of Peter Hageman in Kirkland, Washington.

In 2007, it entered the care of Volkmar Spielmann of Germany, who had the car re-imported to Europe and set about a full restoration. A correct A6G/54 dual-cam motor (number 2104) was sourced from the United States; a correct gearbox and suspension were found in Italy.

A FIVA passport was applied for and granted in March of 2011. In June of 2012, it was purchased by the current caretaker. In 2014, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where the Maserati Centennial was being celebrated as a highlight theme. The A6G won its class (Maserati Centennial Coachwork).

Coupe
Chassis number: 2155
Engine number: 2155

The Maserati A6G 2000 was a road-going version of the competition A6GCS. The 2-liter A6GCS straight-6 engine was tuned by Vittorio Bellentani to provide better performance. The chassis was constructed by renowned chassis builder Gilco, and between 1954 and 1957 sixty examples were created. Maserati chose to outsource the bodywork and no two cars were alike; each reflected the first customer's design preferences. All the cars were sold as bare chassis to be fitted with bodies from Allemano, Frua, and Vignale, but the most celebrated versions were built by Zagato, who built a total of nineteen different lightweight coupes.

Maserati introduced the A6G54 at the 1954 Paris Auto Show. These were the final evolution of the A6 road cars. Of the 60 examples built, 20 were clothed with alloy berlinetta coachwork by Zagato. These lightweight Maserati's were often used in the two-liter GT class where they earned class wins at Monza and the Mille Miglia.

This example is the 17th of 20 Berlinettas built by Zagato and has recently been the subject of a two-phase restoration. It has dual hood scoops, bumperettes, curved rear fenders, four chrome spears on the front fenders, and a small dashboard arrangement centered on two small primary gauges.

It factory build sheet is dated May 19th of 1956 and was completed in time for the Mille Miglia held 10 days later. At the time it had temporary factory registration, remained unpainted, and was owned by the factory. It was loaned for the Mille Miglia to Mille Miglia to Luigi Fornasari of Verona, Italy. During the race, Fornasari went off the road and was forced to retire. The car returned to Zagato for coachwork repairs where it received body alterations, including a smaller radiator opening and a lower fender line around the headlamps, and was finished in silver paint. It also received strips of alloy trim to its beltline, making it the only A6G Zagato Berlinetta to receive such a treatment.

The car's first owner of record was Roberto Federici of Rome, who acquired the car in June of 1956. It remained with him for a brief time before it was sold to racing driver Gianfranco Peduzzi of Olgiate Comasco in July. In September 1957, the Zagato was driven in the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo Hillclimb by Giacomo Moioli, a dealer from Verona who raced under the name Noris. The car finished 4th in Class at the Pontedecimo-Giovi Hillclimb later that month.

It raced at the Trieste-Opicina Hillclimb by Natale Gotelli in October of 1957, who later acquired the car. Noris raced the car in May at the Bologna-San Luca Hillclimb, where an accident forced an early retirement and another return to Zagato for repairs. While at Zagato in 1958, it was involved in an accident resulting in the coachwork it wears today. Gianni Zagato, the younger brother of Elio Zagato, had been test driving the vehicle when his excessive speed led to a major off-road accident. The new coachwork was completed during June of 1958, and forshadowed the design of the future 3500 GT model.

The new coachwork had a notchback roof, sharper rear fins, and a lower and straighter front-fender line. In this new guise, Gianfranco Bonetto from Alessandria raced 2155 in the Gran Premio della Lotteria in June 1959. Three months later, he raced the car at the Pontedecimo-Giovi Hillclimb, finishing 3rd in Class.

Bonetto purchased the car in October of 1960 and would not be raced any further in period. By August of 1963, it was registered to the corporation Rowita, S.p.A., in Milan. In 1968 it was purchased Enrico Eusebio Bertotto, who is believed to have retained possession through 1993. During his ownership, the car was given a restoration where it received covered headlamps, a Kamm tail, and finished in red with painted wire wheels.

Rino Botteon of Cimadolmo acquired the car in January of 1993. John Bookout Jr. became its next owner in December of 2000. A restoration soon followed and during this process, it was returned to its period splendor, as it had left Carrozzeria Zagato in 1958. After the restoration, the car was displayed at the 2005 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este and several concours in the US.

Near the close of 2008, the car was purchased by its current caretaker. Since then, the car was display at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it earned a class award. It was then shown at the 2010 Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, California, and at the 2013 Classic Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago Club (where it won another class award). In August 2014, the Berlinetta returned to Pebble Beach for Maserati's centennial celebration.

Coupe
Chassis number: 2121

Zagato built many coupe bodies for the twin-cam Maserati A6G, but only this example sported Zagato's trademark double-bubble roof. This A6G when new was driven in the Mille Miglia but failed to finish, and after its competition career it was sold to an Italian living in the United States. In the 1960s, he shipped the car back to Italy, where it was hidden in a garage in the infamous city of Corleone in Sicily. After a 20-year search, the current owner found the car and bought it sight unseen. It has won First in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Best Maserati at the Cavallino Classic, and First in Class at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza.

Berlinetta by Allemano

In the wake of the racing success of the A6GCS, Maserati redesigned the car as a road-going sports model. The 2-liter high performance sports chassis were sent to various Italian coachwork houses to be crafted into tourers or race cars as needed. Maserati contracted Allemano to build a total of 21 A6G Coupes.

Coupe
Chassis number: 2124
Engine number: 2124

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.

Coupe by Frua
Chassis number: 2140
Engine number: 2140

The 2-liter 6-cylinder Maserati A6 was launched in 1950 at the Turin Motor Show, and 1954 witnessed an improved version with an overhead twin-camshaft engine in the A6G/54. Between 1954 and 1956 a total of sixty A6Gs were built. The coachwork for all the A6Gs was contracted to such Italian carrosserie as Frua, Allemano and Zagato, and this car is one of four A6Gs bodied by Frua. It was delivered to France for its first owner Jacques Fildier of Paris and was exhibited at the Paris Auto Show in the Grand Palais in October 1956. Sometime between 1956 and 1959 a unique and elegant radiator grille was added at the factory. The car was sold to Roger Baillon, a 'garagiste' and enthusiastic collector in Paris in 1959, and it remained in the same family until this February when it went to auction in Paris along with many other original and unrestored motorcars.

Berlinetta by Allemano
Chassis number: 2147
Engine number: 2180

Throughout the 1950s Maserati would be responsible for designing and building some truly elegant and striking automobiles for the track and the road. Meant to replace the A6G, Maserati would introduce its A6G/2000 in 1954. Known as the 'Gran Turismo', the car would have a hard act to follow, but the car would deliver.

The A6G/2000 would employ nearly every lesson learn on the track, from its single-seaters right on up to its A6GCS sports cars. Powered by three carburetors and using dual-overhead cams, the car certainly had the performance. Combined with individualized bodies matching the tastes of every one of its clientele, Maserati would offer, yet again, beauty and performance.

In total, just 60 examples of the A6G/2000 would be built from 1954 through 1957. Yet, despite the elite nature of the automobile, many would engage their performance-minded nature on hillclimbs and other road races throughout Europe. As a result, the A6G/2000 would be among the most elusive and rare examples from the Trident-bearing marque.

One of those rare examples is chassis 2147. While rare, this car also has a very intriguing story. It would all begin in August of 1956.

Originally, this car was numbered 2144 and was intended to be not very much different from the others, but that was not to be.

The American Richard Cicurel had been in Europe on business and was a keen sports car racer throughout the early 1950s. He would come across the A6G/2000 and would have an unusual idea. Each example of the car was custom-ordered and Cicurel would waste no time making his demands known. The result would be a beautiful Gran Turismo Maserati modified for rallying.

It would be the only example to ever leave the Maserati factory adorned in a rally outfit. This was not a laughing matter. The Rosso Alfa Romeo over black livery would be just one of the individual features of the car. Others would include Marchal recessed fog lamps, larger bumpers, a larger fuel tank, passenger-side map light, Becker radio, Halda Speedpilot, and even a Jaeger-LeCoultre chronograph that was taken from a Bugatti Cicurel owned.

Cicurel would compete with the Maserati throughout the 1956, but, would end up suffering an accident with the car toward the end of the year. As a result, he would sell the back to the Maserati factory who would take the necessary steps to repair the car.

It would be at this time the car would be renumbered to 2147. The car would be repaired and prepared for resale. It wouldn't take long before it would be sold. The car would remain in Europe for a number of years, but then, would make its way to the United States.

The Maserati resided in the United States until the late 1980s when it returned to Europe. Returning to Europe, the car would end up changing hands more than a few times. Not surprisingly, the car would find its way into a couple of prestigious collections. Peter Kaus would be one of those who would buy the Maserati to add a significant piece to an already impressive collection. Another would be Evert Louwan of the Hague.

In 2006, the current owner would procure the Maserati and has enjoyed its exceedingly rare presence ever since.

Adorned with an ultra-rare Allemano body and the only example of the car ever to leave the Maserati factory ready for rallying, it would be beyond an understatement that 2147 is one of the most exclusive Maseratis ever. It would set a precedent of its own, one that would never be eclipsed.

Offered as part of Gooding & Company's 2015 Pebble Beach auction, the 1956 Maserati A6G/2000 would be a momentous part of an already impressive lineup. Accompanied by numerous documentation and numerous 'extras' not seen on any other Maserati, 2147 would end up selling for an impressive $1,045,000.

by Jeremy McMullen

Coupe

The Maserati A6G was the company's first high-performance Grand touring car built on a race-bred chassis with a 6-cylinder, 2-liter engine, refined and updated from the earlier A6GCS sports and racing cars. Maserati built 76 examples between 1955 and 1957, and 60 had the twin-cam cylinder head as on this car. Maserati outsourced all the bodywork for the A6G to several different Carrozzeria, and every car is slightly different. Allemano, Frua and Vignale were often chosen but the most celebrated versions were the 19 coupes built by Zagato. This is the only A6G 2000 Zagato with American race history, having competed at Laguna Seca in the first race there, in 1957. This coupe was sold new to John Fox by San Francisco Maserati agent Charles L. Rezzagli and the list of previous owners includes the Zagato collector David Sydorick. It was restored by Italian coachwork expert Nino Epifani, and the current owner bought the car in 2006.

Cabriolet by Frua
Chassis number: 2180
Engine number: 2146

The Maserati inline 6-cylinder engine grew to a two-liter displacement size in 1950. The resulting A6G 2000 continued to use single-overhead cam valve actuation of the original A6, while a more powerful sports-racing A6 GCS built for competition applications utilized a dual-overhead-cam.

The A6G 2000 road was updated four years later, becoming a second series, with its engine based on the competition car's detuned Formula 2 motor. The A6G 2000's gear-driven chain was replaced with a triple-timing chain, and a finned light-alloy dry-sump replaced the former wet-sump lubrication. Approximately 60 examples were built in two series through 1957. Horsepower was rather impressive, rated at 160 bhp giving the car a top speed of 115 mph.

The majority of the coachwork was completed by Allemano for the A6G/54, sixteen examples wore coachwork by Carrozzeria Frua (including six coupes and ten spiders). They often were given two-tone paint schemes with a contrasting hood stinger.

This particular example is one of the first of nine Frua-bodied spiders built on the third series of the A6G 2000 (the second series of A6G/54). Two coupes were also built on the third-series platform.

This Maserati was dispatched to the Carrozzeria Frua on May 19, 1956, and by August the Spider coachwork was complete and the car returned to the Modena factory. It is distinguished from the other examples that followed by its painted dashboard (the others were upholstered) and a lack of decorative plates behind the gauges. It is finished in a two-tone paint scheme. It is finished in rosso paint with an avorio (ivory) hood stripe) and an interior of avorio leather. It was then extensively photographed for promotional images that would appear in the motoring press, including Quattroruote and the May 1957 issue of Motor Trend.

It was sent to Maserati agents Simone & Thepenier in Paris in October of 1956 and later purchased by a gentleman from Venezuela named Cavet. By the mid-1970s, the car was owned by Thomas Dailey of California. In June of 1978, he sold it to Louis Rader of Mount Zion, West Virginia, at which point the original motor had been removed. It was equipped with a Ford Hi-Po 289 CID V8 engine. It had also been repainted in a monochrome dark blue, and the interior had been changed to black. Mr. Rader, who owned the car for more than a decade, endeavored to restore the car and repainted the exterior in rosso. Around 1990 he sold the Maserati to two co-owners, Dana Beall of West Virginia and Mick Brackett of Bardstown, Kentucky, and they retained possession for the following nine years while initiating a refurbishment.

The car was acquired as a non-running project by its current caretaker in 1999. In 2002, he sourced a proper replacement motor, engine no. 2146, which had originally been installed in an Allemano-bodied A6G/54. A proper gearbox and differential were also acquired.

In 2003, the rolling chassis, body, and drivetrain elements were shipped to Modena to be comprehensively restored. The exterior was completed with a bare-metal repaint in the original factory livery of rosso with an avorio hood stripe, while the interior was trimmed with avorio leather complemented by a matching soft top.

The work was completed in April of 2008, after which a FIVA passport was procured. A month later, it was shown at the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza in Italy, winning first in class. Later that year, the spider returned to America for presentation the Classy Chassis Concours d'Elegance in Houston.

Chassis 2180 was displayed at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, where an exhibit celebrating Maserati's 100th anniversary was held from September 2014 to April 2015. While in Modena, the car returned to Autosport for additional attention. Additional tubing sections were added for increased rigidity followed by another bare-metal repaint of the body in the proper factory color scheme.

In June of 2016, the car returned to the United States.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 2186
Engine number: 2186

Maserati introduced the A6G/54 in 1954 at the Paris Auto Show. It was an evolution of Maserati's first postwar sports car - the A6 series. The A6G/54 was fitted with many features found on the A6GCS including the brakes, steering, and suspension components. It had a lightweight tube-frame chassis that carried an all-aluminum twin-cam six-cylinder engine that Gioacchino Colombo had originally developed for racing. Maserati engineer Vittorio Bellentani modified the engine to make it more suitable for road-going applications by implementing wet-sump lubrication, chain-driven camshafts, and a revised valve train. It was given three Weber 40 DCO3 carburetors and was available with an optional twin-plug cylinder head.

Several body styles were available on the A6G/54 chassis. The coachwork created by Carrozzeria Zagato of Milan was of lightweight aluminum and often served dual purposes as a road car and for racing. Zagato Berlinettas were built in at least three distinct body styles during 1955 and 1956 with a total of 21 examples created.

In competition, the Zagato Berlinettas were very competitive in the two-liter GT category. They often competed in Italian hill climbs and major events such as the Mille Miglia.

This particular example is a late-production A6G/54 and the last Zagato Berlinetta built. It was ordered by Charles Rezzaghi for his dealership, Mille Miglia Motors Inc. of San Francisco. Carrozzeria Zagato received 2186 on September 4th of 1956 and the car returned to Modena painted red and trimmed in white with red piping. It had a larger, more rectangular grille, vertical air vents in the front quarter panel, curvaceous rear fenders, two separate hood scoops, aluminum bumperettes, and an oval instrument layout with Jaeger gauges. Approximately nine Zagato-bodied A6G/54s were produced in this general style.

This car was completed on October 31st of 1956. It was shipped to California along with two other A6G/54s. By 1959, the car came into the care of Frank Fraine, the proprietor of Trans World Motors in San Diego. It was raced in Pomona and later advertised for sale in the February 1959 issue of MotoRacing magazine. From there, it was acquired by Frank Jay Hoke from Tucson, Arizona.

In preparation for racing, the bumpers were removed and the bodywork was painted dark gray. It raced in events throughout the central United States and helped Hoke win the E-Modified Midwest Division in 1961.

After the car was retired from racing, Hoke replaced the Maserati's straight-six engine with a Buick V-8. The exterior was painted silver and reupholstered the interior in black vinyl. In this guise, it was advertised for sale in the November 18th, 1967 issues of Autoweek. Bob Baker of Scottsdale, Arizona became the car's next owner.

The car remained with Mr. Baker until May of 1986 when it was sold to Joe Alphabet of Los Angeles. Years later, Mr. Alphabet acquired an Allemano-bodied A6G/54, chassis 2175. He removed the engine from 2175 and installed it in 2186. 2175 was later sold without a motor.

While in Mr. Alphabet's care, the Maserati remained in un-restored condition with work progressing slowly. In 2001, while still unrestored, it was sold to Gary Roberts. It changed hands once more before being sold to Dr. Rüdiger Stihl of Stuttgart, Germany. Dr. Stihl had Herbie Allemann of Gersau, Switzerland, complete the restoration and, in June 2007, sold the car to Claudio Scalise of Argentina.

By this point in history, the Maserati's original engine (numbered 2186, internal no. 98) was owned by Roberto Gorni, who had purchased chassis 2175 from the United States. In 2008, Mr. Gorni and Mr. Scalise agreed to exchange their engines, thereby returning both 2186 and 2175 to their original configuration.

With the car's original engine, the Maserati was re-restored in Vigonza, Italy. In May of 2014, the car made its restoration debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, where it was displayed in a special class celebrating Maserati's 100th anniversary. In September of 2014, the car was shown at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille in France and was awarded Best in Class in the Maserati GT category. Soon after, it was acquired by its current caretaker. Since then, it was shown only once, at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, in August 2016.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 2124
Engine number: 2124

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 Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 2186
Engine number: 2186

This Maserati was sold new to a first owner in San Diego, California. It is the last of the Zagato-bodied Maserati A6G series and represents the pinnacle of the evolution of this body design, one of the most beautiful of Zagato's creations. In its early days, this coupe was sparingly raced in the United States, where it became the Class E modified champion in 1961. The car has had 12 owners since new. It has recently been restored to its original specifications as well as its original interior and exterior colors and finishes, and the 2-liter engine has been dyno tested to produce 176 horsepower at 7,100 RPM.

Coupe by Frua
Chassis number: 2140
Engine number: 2140

Maserati introduced the A6G/54 at the Paris Motor Show in 1954, representing the ultimate evolution of the company's first postwar sports car, the A6 series. It was an exclusive gran turismo developed from the A6GCS sports racing cars and the earlier single-cam A6 road car. Several features from the A6GCS were incorporated into the A6G/54, and its platform was a lightweight tube-frame chassis. Power was sourced from an all-aluminum twin-cam six-cylinder engine that Gioacchino Colombo had originally developed for racing. Engineer Vittorio Bellentani altered the original design, making it more suitable for road-going guise, implementing wet-sump lubrication, a revised valve train, and chain-driven camshafts. Breathing through three Weber carburetors, the engine could be optioned with a twin-plug cylinder head.

Among the coachbuilders who clothed the A6G/54 chassis were Allemano and Zagato, along with Carrozzeria Frua who crafted approximately 15 examples, with spiders outnumbering coupes in a ratio of about two to one.

This particular Coupe wears Frua coachwork and is the last of four similar styled examples. It was delivered to Frua in February 1956 and returned to Modena in July as a complete car. It wore Nero (Black) with Avorio (Ivory) leather, a highly detail grille, a graceful roofline, split bumpers in the front and rear, subtle hood vents, and a distinctive rectangular instrument panel with beautiful Veglia instruments.

The Frua Coupe was invoiced to the official French Maserati importer Simon & Thepenier, delivered to Garage Mirabeau on Avenue de Versailles in Paris. It passed its Service de Mines homologation test on August 2nd of 1956 and registered with the Parisian registration no. 1007-FH75. The car's original owner was Jacques Fildier and shortly after taking delivery, it was exhibited on the Maserati stand at the 43rd Paris Motor Show, held at the Grand Palais between October 4th and 14th of 1956.

On July 12, 1957, it was sold to Marcel Chalas of Paris and it is believed that while in his care, it was updated in the latest Frua style, with updated taillights and a new front grille.

The car's third Parisian owner was Roger Baillon who purchased it in December of 1959. M. Baillon paid 1,900,000 francs for the three-year-old Maserati, painted the roof section a distinctive turquoise color and re-registered it as no. 267 CMP 92 in January 1968. After a bankruptcy sale forced M. Baillon to sell several cars at auction in 1979, ownership of his remaining classics – approximately 55 in all – was transferred to his wife Solange.

In February 2015, the Baillon Collection was presented for sale at auction at Rétromobile where this Maserati was acquired by its current caretaker. The new owner enlisted Phil Reilly & Company of Corte Madera, California, to perform a sympathetic mechanical recommissioning, while preserving the car's unrestored patina. After the work was completed, the car was awarded Second in the preservation class at Pebble Beach and selectively displayed at exclusive events, including Villa d'Este and Hampton Court. More recently, it completed the 2021 California Mille.

Currently, the odometer shows less than 55,000 km (approximately 34,000 miles), the car's original mileage.

by Dan Vaughan

Cabriolet by Frua
Chassis number: 2180
Engine number: 2146

This is the prototype for the third A6G/54 series, which consisted of just ten cars. It differed from its peers with a dash that matched the exterior color of the car and it did not have a decorative plate behind the gauges. In recognition of its significance, the car was featured in several magazines in 1957, including MotorTrend, Quattroroute, Classic Cars International, Auto d'Epoca, Automobilism and Routeclassic. From 2003 through 2008, this Maserati underwent a painstaking restoration - overseen by Dr. Adolfo Orsi, whose family owned Maserati - and in 2014, it was invited to the 100th-anniversary celebration of Maserati at the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena. At the close of the exhibition, the car went back to Autosport, was stripped to bare aluminum and re-dressed in its original colors. It returned from Italy to the United States in June 2016, and has enjoyed the stewardship of its current owner since 2020.

Even though the company was not in financial difficulty, the Maserati brothers sold their shares of the company to the Orsi family from Modena in 1937. The headquarters were moved from Bologna to Modena. When they sold the company, the brothers had agreed to stay with Maserati for another ten years performing duties as chief engineers. In 1948, after their ten-year agreement was satisfied, they left the company and formed OSCA.

With the chief engineers gone, the company was positioned for failure, but the company did have a strong history and more importantly, they had a newly developed straight-six engine, courtesy of the Maserati brothers. The engine produced by Maserati brothers was nothing spectacular; the 1.5-liter power-plant produced 65 horsepower. It was, however, a good starting point and would prove to be very tunable in the years to come. The primary intention for the engine was competition, but Orsi understood that money needed to be made so that it could be spent. So Orsi commissioned a sports road car that could be produced for exclusive clientele.

In 1947 Maserati introduced the Maserati A6 with custom coachwork by Pinin Farina. Under the hood was the 1.5-liter single overhead camshaft engine matted to a four-speed gearbox. The steel tubular frame was suspended by a live rear axle and a front wishbone suspension. Even though Pinin Farina is noted for its elegant styling, its design of the A6 was not well received. Coupled with poor performance, the vehicle was not well received.

Modifications were performed on the engine resulting in an increase to 2 liters and 100 horsepower. Three updated versions of the A6 were displayed at the 1951 Paris Motorshow. The Berlina body styles were created by Pinin Farina and were the standard style; the Spider variants were created by Frua, and the Coupe was courtesy of Vignale. With all the mechanical improvements and body style options available, the two-liter A6 was poised for success. With only 16 examples created, the A6 proved it needed more work.

The famous Gioacchino Colombo, known for his work with Ferrari, joined Maserati in 1953. His first task was to modify the A6GCM to include a DOHC valve train, dual-spark ignition, and more. Horsepower rose to nearly 200. The success of Maserati in racing was heightened with the new engine and new drivers such as Fangio, Gonzalez, Marimon, Bonetto, and de Graffenried. Fangio had won the 1953 Italian Grand Prix driving a Ferrari.

The third iteration of the A6 occurred in 1954, dubbed the A6G/54. This was the same year for the introduction of the Maserati 250F, which, in the hands of the capable Fangio won the Argentine Grand Prix on its debut. The A6G/54 was outfitted with a competitive engine and wonderful styling from Frua and Zagato. Production lasted until 1954 with multiple types of body styles being created. One of the most memorable body styles was the 19 lightweight Zagato bodies which could often be seen at race tracks. All of the Zagato hand-formed body styles were unique, even the interior.

The Maserati A6GCS was produced from 1953 through 1955 with a total of 52 examples being constructed. Four where Berlinetta bodies by Pininfarina while 48 were in Spyder configuration and bodied by Fantuzi. The A6GCS was very important to Maserati and scored many victories for the marque. In 1953 the A6GCs won its class at the Mille Miglia in its inaugural debut.

The Maserati A6G/2000 was produced from 1954 through 1957 with 60 examples being created, all receiving custom bodywork from prestigious coachbuilders such as Zagato, Pinin Farina, Vignale, and others. Serafino Allemano constructed twenty-one examples of the A6G/2000. All of these cars were equipped with the DOHC engines. The A6G/2000 is sometimes referred to as the A6G/54. These second series cars used many mechanical components from its predecessor, such as its twin parallel tube design. The engine, however, had been modified which resulted in an increase in horsepower.

The A6G/54 was replaced by the 3500 GT. The A6 endured many growing pains but by the final iteration, the A6 variants were respectable and stylish machines. With the mechanical prowess of Colombo and the driving talent of Fangio and others, Maserati could continue to provide competition on the race track. While back at home, the A6 provided the bread-and-butter to continue racing and further development.

by Dan Vaughan