1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Zagato Competition Berlinetta

Chassis no: 2137

The Maserati brothers, Alferi Maserati, Bindo Maserati, Carlo Maserati, Ettore Maserati, Enesto Maserati and Mario Maserati, loved automobiles. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-litre 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.

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-litre 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 A6 with custom coachwork by Pinin Farina. Under the hood was the 1.5-litre 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. Although Pinin Farina was renowned for producing elegant designs, the styling of the A6 was not considered to be one of their best. This, coupled with the poor performance, meant that the vehicle was not well received. Modifications were performed on the engine resulting in an increase to 2 litres 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-litre 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. When the A6G/2000, sometimes referred to as the A6G/54, was introduced, many believed that this new car was simply a coachbuilt variation of the successful A6GCS sports racer. In reality, it was a road-going sports car that shared its basic underpinnings with the A6GCS. The A6G/2000 was powered by a 160 horsepower six-cylinder engine, powerful four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, and a four speed manual gearbox with synchromesh. The Maserati A6G/2000 was produced from 1954 through 1957 with around 60 examples being created. The coachwork was available from Zagato, Frua and Allemano, each with 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. Zagato produced 20 A6G/2000 berlinettas between 1955 and1957, one of which is this example 2137. It is presented in Maserati racing red with a beige (Nocciola) leather interior - the same specification as delivered by the factory in 1956. The car was delivered by Maserati to Conte Giuseppe Dettaiuti Leopardi on 29/05/1956 (Maserati Invoice no 6481) against a trade in of a Maserati 150S Spider. In 1957 the car changed hands and became the property of Avv. Ulisse Pizzi. The car took part in the Mille Miglia n.XXIV with starting no. 312, then the Coppa Intereuropa at Monza with number 61 and finally later in that year the Targa Florio. In 1960, the car was sold to Mario Candrini, the Grandfather of the present owner, who was an owner of several Ferraris and a lover of fine cars. In 1961 the car passed to Sig. Saverio Spinelli of Florence. It changed hands again in 1962 and became the property of Sig. Di Geronimo of Rome then it moved once again to Florence to Sig. Baronti. The car arrived at the Maserati Museum as a gift in 1970 and the restoration of 2137 began. This particular car was included in the group of Maseratis and parts that were later taken over by the Panini collection based in Modena and it was from them that the current owner purchased the car in 2005. Since then the car has received a full restoration by Modena's finest craftsmen, while the mechanics were attended to by Officina Candini and the newly skinned body work done by Franco Ferrari using original photos of the car to achieve a perfect result.

The car has a documented racing history including the 1957 Mille Miglia, Coppa Intereuropa, and the 1957 Tour of Sicily (called the Targa Florio today). The car has received a full nut and bolt restoration by a team of noted Modenese craftsmen. All the work is fully documented and photos will be supplied to the new owner at the time of its sale. The car retains its original Italian Log book and Foglio Complementario so that the original Black Plates can be reissued if need be. The vendor describes the car as stunning in all respects and ready to compete in the highest profile international historic events or concours d'elegance. Buyers should note that VAT is applicable on the purchase price unless the vehicle is directly exported outside the EU.

For further information or to arrange a viewing, please contact our sales department.

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