FABIA MASERATI
Il am the last heir of Ernesto Maserati and his Brothers who founded the Company Car MASERATI and O.S.C.A
Welcome to my site
Who i am
my name is Fabia Maserati and I am the last legitimate heir of my father the engineer Alfieri Maserati and of his father my grandfather Ernesto Maserati. I am very honored to have the privilege of carrying on the historical legacy of my grandfather Ernesto Maserati and his brothers Alfieri , Carlo Bindo and Ettore and Mario ( who was a famous painter and contributed by designing the famous Maserati logo: the Trident ), founders of the car manufacturer officine Maserati and the car manufacturer OSCA. The work of disseminating the work of the Maserati Brothers was carried out by my father, Engineer Alfieri Maserati throughout his life and now with great dedication and commitment, Now that unfortunately my dad has passed away, it's up to me to carry on this. family tradition, to be able to leave to posterity all the great things that these pioneers of Italian and world motoring have done
my mission
Fabia Maserati – Last Heir of Ernesto Maserati, Preserving a Legendary Legacy
About Fabia Maserati
As the last heir of Ernesto Maserati, one of the founding visionaries behind Maserati,Fabia Maserati is dedicated to preserving and sharing the pioneering spirit of her family. Ernesto Maserati, together with his brothers, helped establish Maserati as a world-renowned symbol of performance, elegance, and innovative automotive engineering. Since those early days, the Maserati name has become synonymous with Italian excellence and a passion for d Legacy
Today, Fabia Maserati continues her family’s legacy by actively promoting the rich history of the Maserati brothers and their groundbreaking contributions to the automotive industry. Her mission is to ensure that enthusiasts and future generations understand and appreciate the Maserati brothers' role in shaping automotive history on a global scale. Through conferences, exhibitions, and special events, she passionately shares the story of Maserati’s impact on the early days of motor racing and high-performance car design.
**At the 2024 Bologna Historic Car Fair**
This year, Fabia Maserati was a distinguished guest speaker at the ASI (Automotoclub Storico Italiano) conference, held in Bologna during the 2024 edition of the Historic Car Fair. Here, she shared exclusive insights into her family’s legacy and Maserati’s contributions to the world of classic and high-performance automobiles. Her presence at such events reinforces her commitment to preserving this remarkable history and connecting with enthusiasts around the world.
Connect with Fabia Maserati*
To learn more about the Maserati legacy or connect with Fabia Maserati for interviews, collaborations, or events, please reach out via email fabia.maserati@gmail.com
In the picture myself and Mrs. Beatrice Soattini Presidente of Mille Miglia during the opening press Conference of Mille Miglia 2022
I was honored to hold a speach at the Press Conference of the Mille Miglia in occasion of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the car Company O.S.C.A founded by my Grand father Ernesto Maserati and his Brothers Bindo and Ettore
https://borgomeo.blogautore.repubblica.it/2022/06/13/mille-miglia-che-festa-per-losca/
Here is the link of the article on Repubblica newspaper on the 75th anniversary of O.S.C.A. at the Mille miglia
https://borgomeo.blogautore.repubblica.it/2022/06/13/mille-miglia-che-festa-per-losca/
The History of the Maserati Brothers
The beginning
There are seven Maserati brothers, Carlo, Bindo, Alfieri Who died when he was still a baby of few months and from whom the a the fourth born Alfieri took the name ,Mario, Ettore and Ernesto. Born between 1881 and 1898 from Rodolfo Maserati and Carolina Losi. Their father Rodolfo worked in Voghera for the Royal Railways, and through trains he introduced his children to the beauty of mechanics.
It was Carlo, the firstborn, who followed the family path. At seventeen, while working in a bicycle factory in Affori (MI), he designed and built a single cylinder engine for bikes, the first Maserati engine in history. He obtained financial support from the Marquis Michele Carcano from Anzano del Parco, and this is how Carcano motor bicycles were. Racing was the main advertising medium of the time, and it was Carlo himself who brought his creations into the race. The speed record of 10 km at the Padova-Bovolenta and other victories earned him the attention of Vincenzo Lancia, who in 1901 had him hired into Fiat. He stayed there for three years, before moving to Milan to Isotta Fraschini as a test driver and assistant in the rehearsal room, bringing his brother Alfieri with him.
Carlo however, wanted to race again. He moved to Bianchi, but poor results led him, after only a year, to OTAV, where he was later joined by Ettore and Bindo. Together with Ettore he decided to start his own business and embark on a new adventure, but a lung disease definitely stopped him in his tracks when he was only 29 years old.
The head of the family role passed to Alfieri, who entered as an apprentice thanks to his older brother, and in a short time he managed to work his way up in Isotta Fraschini, proving to excel not only in mechanics but also in public relations. Like Carlo, he had a passion for speed and a sense of family priorities. He became a driver and called his brother Ettore to the company, who helped him to expand to the Americas.
1914-1925: the birth of Officine Alfieri Maserati
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After having accumulated experience around the world, including a long commercial stay in Latin America, Alfieri could vent all his initiatives. After about a year as representative of Isotta Fraschini in Bologna, in 1914 Alfieri, 27 years old at the time, decided to realise his dream of working together with his brothers. Bindo preferred to stay in Milan. Ettore and little Ernesto, on the other hand, joined him without hesitation.
On Tuesday 1 December 1914 Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati opened a garage with an adjoining mechanical workshop for car repairs. It was called Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati. It opened in via De ’Pepoli 1A, in Bologna. A few months after, however, Italy threw itself into the abyss of the First World War and Alfieri and Ettore were called to the front line. The workshop remained in the hands of Ernesto, then sixteen, before he also left in 1916.
The three came back together in Bologna immediately after the end of the war, unhurt and with a wealth of experience. The desire to act was overwhelming but the space in the workshop was small. They needed to establish a new headquarters, which brothers found on the other side of Bologna, in Pontevecchio, in a building overlooking a part of the Via Emilia called Levante, which the first SUV was named after, almost a hundred years later.
Molto più che un/a Modello da sfilata
On 1 April 1919 Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto resumed their activities at full capacity, which consisted of the development and modification of racing cars. They still had no desire to produce them, but they did have the desire to drive them, especially Alfieri, who came back to racing in 1920. He did so with a SCAT with three liters of displacement, purchased as a war remnant and modified together with the brothers, at Parma-Poggio di Berceto. He found himself facing the biggest names in motor racing: Giuseppe Campari on Alfa Romeo, Brilli Peri on Aquila, a very young Enzo Ferrari on Isotta Fraschini. The difference in competitiveness was too great, and Alfieri was unable to make his mark. Two weeks later he showed up at Mugello aboard a Nesselsdorf, but he didn’t obtain results. Alfieri then decided to take the situation into his own hands. He bought an Isotta Fraschini frame and combined it with an eight-cylinder Hispano-Suiza engine. The car was completed by a SCAT gearbox, the Itala bridge, the Rudge spoke wheels. It was called “Special Type” and was the first Maserati assembled car.
In July 1921, at Mugello, the Special Type ranked fourth. A month later, at the Susa-Moncenisio, with his brother Ernesto at his side, the Special Type gave the Maseratis their first victory in racing. He competed at the Gentlemen Grand Prix of Brescia, where he came fourth, before putting it back in the garage in favor of Isotta Fraschini again, modified in the Maserati workshop.
In the picture my Grand father Ernesto Maserati.
Molto più che un/a Modello da sfilata
In 1922 Alfieri and Ernesto were the first to cross the finish line at Mugello, Susa-Moncenisio and Aosta-Gran San Bernardo. They were the new stars of Italian motoring. Diatto hired them as consultants. Alfieri and Ernesto brought the Turin-based company to success in the Susa-Moncenisio and in the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo of 1923. But not with a Diatto, rejected by Alfieri because it was too uncompetitive, but with Isotta Fraschini-Hispano Suiza-SCAT-Itala two years before, dusted off and updated for the occasion. The following season, that of 1924, ended without success and even with a disqualification, unjustly inflicted on Alfieri for an engine replacement not allowed by the regulation and carried out, unbeknownst to him, by Diatto’s mechanics.
1926-1932: the rise of the Maserati.
In 1925 the first edition of the motoring world championship was held for car manufacturers, a forerunner of Formula 1. Diatto faced serious difficulties, both technical and financial, so much so that they only participated in the last race of the season, the Europe Grand Prix that was held in Monza. The triumph of Alfa Romeo was offset by Diatto abandoning the races. Their withdrawal was the big break that Alfieri needed to decide to take the big step. But the Maserati’s sporting successes had not been able to coincide with management successes. The workshop boxes languished, and like thirty years before with Carlo and the Carcano motor bicycles they needed an intervention from another marquis, the gentleman driver Diego de Sterlich, to unblock the situation. The Marquis supported the operation with his own money, and so the Maseratis brought ten Diatto 30 Sport chassis to the Bologna workshop, as well as transmissions and other mechanical components.
Throughout the winter they dedicated themselves to producing their first racing car. It was called “Type 26”, (the year of its manufacture). It was powered by an in-line 1500 cc 8-cylinder engine, supercharged by a compressor that developed 120 hp at 5,300 rpm. It was the first real Maserati, and it needed a coat of arms that would make it unmistakable. Alfieri turned to Mario, the fifth of the Maserati brothers, the only one who had always preferred art to cars.
Legend has it that Mario, following Marchese De Sterlich’s cue, proposed the trident carved by Giambologna onto the right hand of the statue of Neptune, in the fountain of the homonymous square located in the center of Bologna, Maserati’s adopted home. With the new emblem, a symbol of power and command, and under the leadership of Alfieri, the Type 26 made its debut in the Targa Florio on April 25, 1926. It was red, as was the Italian national racing color, and bore the number 5 .
Alfieri, assisted by the mechanic Guerino Bertocchi, won his class and cam in eighth place overall, even before two Bugattis. Galvanized, Maserati immediately produced other Type 26 specimens, while Ernesto, in mid-June, took the car to her first absolute success at Kilometer Launched in Bologna.
Type 26 became the object of desire. All Italian drivers wanted one, even the driver Joaquím Palacio, whose Maserati would be the first ever sold outside Italy. Eventually 43 would be produced, in numerous variations. Meanwhile Alfieri continued to reap victories, but a serious accident in the Messina Cup on 8 May 1927 risked interrupting everything. Alfieri recovered, but was forced to give up the stage to Emilio Materassi, a Florentine driver who at the end of the season became the absolute Italian champion, the first of a long series of titles for Maserati.
In 1929 they obtained their first speed record, the first in the history of Maserati and a record that would remain unbeaten until 1937. It established it in the circuit of Cremona Baconìn Borzacchini, with the 16-cylinder V4 flies on 10 kilometers at an average of 246,069 km / h . But sporting successes still failed to completely eradicate economic problems. After other generous disbursements by the Marquis De Sterlich, in November 1929 Maserati deliberated a capital increase, from 50,000 lire to one million, in the hope of bringing the company to security and economic self-sufficiency.
1930 was another successful season. In the Monza Grand Prix the Maseratis occupied all three steps on the podium. In repeated occasions at the Bugattis and Alfa Romeos, the latter driven by the new Scuderia Ferrari drivers, all ate the dust. Thanks to the victory at the Tripoli Circuit, Alfieri received the title of Cavaliere, and Maserati won the Italian Marche Championship for the second time.
.1931 opened with the victory of the Maserati V4 driven by Ernesto at the Real Premio
.1931 opened with the victory of the Maserati V4 driven by Ernesto at the Real Premio di Roma. Alfieri’s health, however, began to deteriorate considerably. The dormant consequences of the 1927 Messina accident forced him to undergo surgery, to save his only kidney left. He never recovered. Alfieri died on March 3, 1932, at the age of 44. In Bologna, the city mourned him and the funeral was attended by everyone: Nuvolari, Ferrari, Nazzaro, Borzacchini, Campari, Minola, the Marquis De Sterlich alongside a huge crowd.
It is time for a new start. Bindo understood the delicacy of the moment and left Isotta Fraschini to join the brothers Ettore and Ernesto. The three were respectively president, project manager and test manager. The first creation in the new corporate structure was the Type V5, which Fagioli led to victory at the debut in the Royal Award of Rome. 1932, that began so unfortunately, closed with 20 victories.
The following year, Maserati reached new heights of success, thanks to 8CM, the first single-seater Maserati, and to Tazio Nuvolari, who, annoyed by Enzo Ferrari’s refusal to join him in a new team, left Alfa Romeo to race with the Trident. Two Italian titles arrived, with Nando Barbieri and Luigi Castelbarco in the 1100 and 150 classes, but also new losses. Campari and Borzacchini, two “family” drivers, lost their lives. The determination of the Maserati wavered, and when the hegemony of German cars, favored by the new sports regulations, the company was bad shape, for the three brothers the time had come to question themselves about the future.
1933-1939: from the Maserati to Orsi, from Bologna to Modena.
The solution to chronic corporate management problems came from a journalist. Despite the death of Alfieri, who also tirelessly did PR for the company, the Maseratis continued to enjoy excellent press. The correspondent closest to them was Corrado Filippini, journalist of Littoriale, the sports newspaper printed in Bologna. With Alfieri, Filippini had even created a kind of union organization to protect the interests of drivers.
Having followed it for so long, Filippini knew perfectly well that without a true captain of the industry, the Maseratis would never be able to enjoy the necessary economic tranquility. He then decided to turn to Adolfo Orsi, a former Modenese butcher who collected rags used whilst selling of fruit on the street had come to build an empire that went from metallurgy to machine tools, from agricultural machines to the tertiary sector.
As a great entrepreneur, Orsi immediately understood that his companies, even if they were not part of the automotive sector, could only benefit from the visibility and prestige associated with the Maserati brand. And the Maseratis, for their part, were well aware that free from the headaches of company management, they would finally be able to dedicate themselves to what they did best, that was to design and build racing cars.
The meeting took place at the 1936 Modena Grand Prix. The parties liked each other immediately, and as often happened with gentlemen, the agreement happened in an instant. On May 1, 1937, Adolfo Orsi became the owner of two companies: Officine Alfieri Maserati, which built racing cars, and Fabbrica Candele Maserati, which produced spark plugs. Adolfo managed the companies, entrusted the business to his son Omar and supervised the work on the Maseratis, guaranteeing them the freedom necessary to best express their exceptional technical and human qualities. The brothers continued, in the formal guise of consultants, in their traditional activities, designing racing cars, developing them and bringing them to the races. The only difference was in the headquarters, which in September 1939 were moved from Bologna to Modena, in Viale Ciro Menotti.
The beginning of this new phase was memorable: in 1939, with the war now upon them, the historic success at the Indianapolis 500 of the Maserati 8CTF – eight Cylinder Head Fixed – driven by Wilbur Shaw arrived. Vittoria repeated the following year and touched again in 1941. An enterprise still today never equaled by an Italian car.
1939-1947: the first Maserati on the road was the last of the Maserati brothers.
1939-1947: the first Maserati on the road was the last of the Maserati brothers.
When happy coexistence began to bear its first fruits, however, the second world war was exploding. Like many other companies in that period, Maserati had to be converted to war production. A dozen of 4CLs were secured near Milan in the garage of Antonio Ruggeri, a trident racing enthusiast. They would return to Modena after the Liberation.
Maserati focused on the production of candles, accumulators and electric wagons, but the Maserati brothers continued to plan for the future. In 1940 they worked on the first technical drawings of a touring car. In April 22, 1946 in Nice, at the first post-war international race, the Maserati won with one of the 4CL kept hidden during the conflict, March 1947 saw the debut, at the Geneva Motor Show, of the first Maserati vehicle for road use.
It was the Maserati A6: A as Alfieri, 6 as the engine cylinders. His father was the engineer Alberto Massimino (formerly Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Auto Avio Costruzioni) alongside Ernesto Maserati. It was a berlinetta with an engine of one and a half liters with a fixed head and double camshaft, derived from the racing 6CM. Its body was signed by “Pinin” Farina. The streamlined and incredibly innovative lines immediately earned it the first place on the coveted “Grand Prix” in Monte Carlo. It would be produced until 1956 in numerous variants, racing and street, one of which, the Berlinetta A6 GCS / 53, was exhibited together with other vintage Trident jewels at the Umberto Panini Collection in Modena.
In 1947 my Grandfather with his Brothers Bindo and Ettore founded the Car Company O.S.C.A.
Molto più che un/a Modello da sfilata
Once the war was over, Maserati was always in the limelight, stronger than ever before. 1947 was the last year of the ten-year consulting contract linking the three brothers to Maserati. The choice between the continuation under the Orsi management and the abandonment of the company that bore their name was very painful. Finally, the three decided to leave it and to found OSCA (Officine Costruzioni Automobili) in San Lazzaro di Savena, near Bologna, where they produced small-scale sports and competition models.
Already in 1948 the MT4, a four-cylinder 1100, was entered in the races. It won the Grand Prix of Naples, led by Luigi Villoresi. In its next 15 years of activity, the OSCA achieved several successes, including a triumph at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1954 with the MT4 1450 driven by the great British driver Sterling Moss. It also beat world speed record (as many as 18 those broken by the Simpson Special) and produced Gran Turismo cars as well as several engines that have been successful in the powerboat sector.
At the end of 1964 the Maserati brothers sold OSCA to MV Agusta, which in turn closed in 1967. Despite being the youngest of the three brothers, Ernesto was the first to die in 1975, followed by Bindo (1980) and Ettore ( 1990). Meanwhile, Maserati had become a manufacturer of exclusively road cars.
My father ing. Alfieri Maserati
Alfieri Maserati Was born in 1937 - † 31 January 2022
Dott Ing Alfieri Maserati died at 84. He was the nephew of the namesake founder and son of Ernesto Maserati, the designer of all Maserati from 1932 until 1947 together with his brothers Bindo and Ettore and subsequently all OSCA cars.
Alfieri, between the ages of eleven and fourteen, during his school holidays, went daily to the family factory to learn the fundamentals of mechanics, working, among other things, with a file and scraper and gaining experience in the hardening of steels.
He graduated in Mechanical Engineering in Bologna in 1962 and was a proper mechanical designer and an industrial entrepreneur. He studied the newest technologies in the United States . On his return to Italy he worked in the nuclear research sector from 1964 to 1970, publishing various works
In 1970 he entered the automotive field and also dedicated himself to business organization consultancy. in 1975 he founded his own company for the production of components for the transmission of motion in motor vehicles, and among others, of self-locking differentials. For many years he had been studying the history of the evolution of motor vehicle technologies to their distant origins and in particular of racing cars and motor racing. the great achievements of the Maserati brothers in the field of automotive engineering and motor racing starting from the pioneering period - uncle Carlo built a successful internal combustion engine for motorcycles in the late 1800s - and up to the successes of OSCA-Fratelli Maserati, the second company they founded in 1947. He was invited to lecture regularly on these topics in Italy and in many foreign countries such as the USA, France, England, Switzerland and Hungary. In this context he created in 2000 the permanent section "Maserati Brothers" in the Museum of Industrial Heritage in Bologna where in 2007 he was commemorated - with an event that had an international character - the 60th anniversary of the founding of the OSCA - Maserati brothers. In 2014 he celebrated the Centenary of the Officine Alfieri Maserati Foundation at the School of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Bologna, exhibiting six of the Maserati Grand Prix of the years twenties, thirties and forties, and the OSCA which achieved the Record of 1955, with a conference that had a great success with the public.
He was President of the Technical Commission and of the Culture Commission of ASI (Automotoclub Storico Italiano) and member of the Technical Commission and of the Culture Commission of FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens). He was a member of the A.I.S.A. (Italian Association for the History of the Automobile).
Alfieri Maserati wrote well-documented and revealing articles about his family history with a passion for authenticity and truth. In his home in Torino, he kept an impressive archive and minutely reconstructed the history of the Maserati brothers and the founding fathers: Carlo Alfieri, Mario Bindo, Ettore and Ernesto.
"Dott. ing.Alfieri Maserati leaves his historical Legacy the technical drawings ,historical pictures and technical documents and all his immense heritage in terms of historical inheritance of his father Ernesto Maserati to his only daughter and legitimate heir Fabia Maserati ,Who intends to continue the dissemination of the historical heritage of her Grandfather Ernesto Maserati and the continuation of the book on the history of the Fratelli Maserati started by her Father Dott. Ing. Alfieri Maserati "