Introduction to Maserati
The Maserati Connection
The Maserati Connection
During the history of Maserati, a number of technical collaborations with other car manufacturers came into existence. Mostly it where other car constructors who benefited from Maserati’s technical know how. The best known example is probably the Citroën SM, who resulted from the ownership of Maserati by the French company. Its all-alloy, quad-cam V6 engine was made by Maserati (tipo C.114) and later in modified versions also used in Maserati’s own Merak and Quattroporte II models. About 13.000 units were produced between 1970 and 1975. This car was for many years the world’s fastest front wheel drive production car. Maserati’s Tipo C.114 engine was also used in the only sports berlinetta made by French car constructor Guy Ligier, the JS2 (named after racing driver Jo Schlesser, who was killed during the French Gran Prix of 1968). The engine was first used in 12-valve and later also in 24-valve configuration, boosting the power to 240 bhp. About 200 units were built between 1972 and 1977. During the 1980’s, the friendship between then Maserati owner Alejandro De Tomaso and Chrysler’s boss Lee Iacocca led to the creation of the “Chrysler TC by Maserati”, a convertible that was intended to become Chrysler’s image-building flagship. Maserati delivered know-how and engineered certain components for this vehicle, but despite it had Maserati written on the valve cover, its engine was not a Maserati unit. 7300 vehicles were produced between 1989 and 1991, all designated for the American market. More recently, Maserati’s expertise in the production of limited-series, high performance sports cars was used by group partner Alfa Romeo for its 8C Competizione sports car. A lot of its mechanical components, such as the V8 engine and robotized gearbox, origin from Maserati. Limited production of 500 units started in late 2007 at Maserati’s Modena plant and will be followed by another 500 units of a spider version (planned for 2009).
Maserati Academy
44
