Maserati is a luxury Italian sports and racing automobile first made in 1914. It was manufactured to compete directly with other European cars like Aston Martin, Jaguar, BMW and Audi. The company has gone through many changes and is now owned by Fiat.
The first car was developed by the Maserati brothers. The 2 liter engine with stylish design did not do well on the racing circuit and thus, bigger cars with 4-16 cylinders were made one after the other. Maserati was a small company in the 30s but yet competed well with Mercedes and Audi. After the 2nd world war, many engineers from Fiat and Alfa Romeo joined Maserati and the new Maserati 4-CLT and A6 series were developed. In the 50s, Maserati continued to dominate the racing circuit. Newer cars during the 60s included the Mistral, Vignale, and the Quattroporte. With financial crises in the late 60s, Citroen took over the ownership and built the Maserati Bora and Merak.
The first car was developed by the Maserati brothers. The 2 liter engine with stylish design did not do well on the racing circuit and thus, bigger cars with 4-16 cylinders were made one after the other. Maserati was a small company in the 30s but yet competed well with Mercedes and Audi. After the 2nd world war, many engineers from Fiat and Alfa Romeo joined Maserati and the new Maserati 4-CLT and A6 series were developed. In the 50s, Maserati continued to dominate the racing circuit. Newer cars during the 60s included the Mistral, Vignale, and the Quattroporte. With financial crises in the late 60s, Citroen took over the ownership and built the Maserati Bora and Merak.
After some turbulent few years, the company restructured the car and built the front engine rear drive coupe like the Maserati Turbo. Other Maserati cars produced in the 80s include the Shamal, Ghibli and the Racing. The company worked together with Chrysler and tried to enter the American market. Chrysler tried to modify the Maserati but the success was short lived. Even though the Maserati 3200 GT was fast and elegant, it was also expensive.
In 1999, Ferrari took over part of the ownership and brought it back from the brink of bankruptcy. Today, Maserati is back under Fiat's control. Fiat continues to produce the sporty and luxury sedans. In the American Market, only about 2000 maserati car sell each year.
The Maserati Quattroporte and the Gran Turisomo have done well and brought the company back in the green. In 2003, the MC 12 was released and at $700,000 per car, only a hand few have been sold. With the current economic gloom, Maserati will either have to make something cheaper for the consumer to buy or close shop.