Ferrari and Maserati - how did the fiercest rivals become allies?

“Italian car manufacturers are closely linked – their individual stories and past are different, but now most belong to one group. Companies such as Maserati and Ferrari have a similar approach to the production of racing cars and the adaptation of their technology to everyday cars. It’s only natural that after decades of competition, competitors have decided to use the strengths of both manufacturers to build even better cars together, ”says Evelina Avina, Maserati’s brand manager.

A film-worthy story

The history of all the major Italian car manufacturers is closely intertwined, and words that no longer exist, such as De Tomaso, have played a key role in this story. But the common history of Ferrari and Maserati is unique even in the Italian context.

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Maserati won many unique victories in the 20th century, including Formula 1 championships, but was followed by the tragic accident at the Mille Miglia in 1957, after which the company ceased motorsport and focused on day-to-day car production. However, the race, of course, did not completely disappear from the manufacturer’s daily life – Maserati cars were still used in motorsports, but mainly in private teams, while the manufacturer’s capable engineers continued to take care of the car’s development. This was exactly the year when the most outstanding Maserati cars appeared, which now cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros, such as the 3,500 GT, 5,000 GT, Mistral, first-generation Quattroporte and Ghibli.

At the same time, Ferrari became more and more popular – Enzo Ferrari, the company’s founder, turned the company’s main attention to motorsport, and it later paid off, allowing him to win dozens of Formula 1 and other races and championships.

20th century In the 1970s, part of the shares in Ferrari and Maserati were sold, and a few years later there was a fuel crisis that reduced demand for sports cars worldwide by several tens of percent, with a strong impact on both manufacturers. As a result, Maserati came under the control of another sports car manufacturer, De Tomaso.

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Following the advent of several successful models, such as the Biturbo, Maserati entered a phase of change again, with major shareholders changing. In 1993, the group, which also owned Ferrari and is now known as the FCA, became the majority shareholder in Maserati. Only a few years later, in 1999, Ferrari was transferred to full control of Maserati.

Sports and luxury – two in one

The members of this union complemented each other perfectly. From the very beginning, Maserati has been known as a manufacturer of sporty yet luxurious and exclusive cars. Ferrari, on the other hand, was famous for the world’s best sports cars, the most powerful engines and the car’s suspension compatibility.

But how to build the perfect car? The answer is simple – allowing Maserati to design the car’s body and interior, while allowing Ferrari to take care of the engine. This has been the case with all Maserati cars since 2002, and the first results of this collaboration were the Coupé and Spyder models with atmospheric 4.2-liter engines. The same engine was soon used in the Quattroporte model, but the two manufacturers that have made the biggest impact on the world and are built on the same platform are the Ferrari Enzo and Maserati MC12 models.

It was the MC12 that marked Maserati’s return to motorsport and brought the manufacturer a number of rather impressive victories, including four FIA GT racing championship titles and five team victories from 2005-2009. The MC12 often equated Enzo, and this proved its excellence on the legendary Nürburgring Nordslafle track – the MC12 reached lap time of 7: 24.29 in one lap, beating the track 1 second faster than its relative Enzo.

The cooperation of the two legendary car manufacturers did not end with it – the atmospheric 4.7-liter Ferrari engines were also used in the Maserati GranCabrio and GranTurismo models. Later, the new generation Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante models were equipped with Ferrari’s 3- and 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged petrol engines. The most powerful of these is used in the Quattroporte GTS model, reaching 390 kW (530 hp), so the luxury sedan is able to develop a speed of 100 km / h in just 4.7 seconds.

The combination of these two brands not only made high-quality cars, but Maserati’s price in the premium segment was also very competitive. For example, an exclusive Levante SUV costs from 77,000 euros and a luxury Ghibli sedan from 72,000 euros.

Maserati has already announced plans to expand its model range and develop new engines over the next decade to develop high-efficiency hybrid powertrains alongside powerful Ferrari engines.