Premium

Maserati A6 1500 - the first touring sports car from Modena

Name: Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina 1950
Brand: Maserati

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on December 1, 2023

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Maserati

Maserati Schweiz AG

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Maserati

Maserati Schweiz AG

Archiv

56 1

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - with narrow radiator and without bumper

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - compact sports coupé

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - Disc wheels were standard, spoke wheels were available at extra cost

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - only 152 cm wide

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - only 1.3 meters high

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - length 4.08 meters

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - the windshield is split in two

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - the car was capable of over 150 km/h at the time

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - later model without decorations on the flank

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - View of the interior

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - simple cockpit

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - bucket seats for driver and front passenger

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - according to driving reports of the time, comfortable space

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - Dashboard in sheet metal and body color

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - Jaeger was the supplier for the instruments

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - the artfully crafted hood that can be opened from both sides

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - longitudinally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine with one overhead camshaft

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - only 10 of the 58 A6 1500 Coupés had three carburetors ex works

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - narrow but characteristic radiator grille

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - the wheel covers were sacrificed here for sportiness

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - recessed door handles, not yet common at the time

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - missing bumpers also at the rear

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - Vehicle during the extensive restoration

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - Vehicle before restoration

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1951) - extensively documented vehicle

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - the prototype at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - only the prototype had the flap-covered headlights

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - prototype with two seats and one side window each

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - Prototype in front of the factory in Modena

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - the prototype that stood in Geneva, with the Plexi sliding roof

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - Guerino Bertocchi next to the prototype, in the car AR editor-in-chief Braunschweig

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - prototype, still with one side window each

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - the Plexiglas sliding roof really did open on the prototype

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - A look under the hood of the prototype

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - recessed door handles on the prototype

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1947) - Drawings explaining the special features

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1948) - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1948

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1948) - production version at the 1948 Turin Motor Show

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1949) - Lusso variant at the Geneva Motor Show 1949 (?)

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Pinin Farina (1950) - late version of the coupé

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 2000 Pinin Farina (1950) - already with the two-liter engine and 1954cc, 90 hp

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Coupé Pininfarina (1947) - at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2012 - Category 'C - The Art of Streamlining'

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 (1950) - at the Techno Classica 2014

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500/3C Berlinetta Pininfarina (1949) - at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction on August 14/15, 2014 as lot 287

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati celebrates its 105th anniversary - The Maserati Tipo A6 was produced from 1947 to 1954.

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 Gran Turismo (1947) - original GT with cracked windshield

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 prototype Zagato (1948) - it still lacks some of the elegance of later designs (Rétromobile 2012)

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Maserati A6 1500 S Berlinetta Zagato (1946) - at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in class E "Gentlemen's Racers"

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

You have only

1 out of 56

images seen in high resolution

Summary

Maserati only became known to the wider public with the 3500 GT road sports car from the late 1950s onwards, but the company with the trident actually presented its first Granturismo in Geneva shortly after the Second World War, having previously mainly built racing cars. The A6 1500 was a successful start, even though only 58/61 examples were built. This report tells the story of the A6 1500 and shows it in current and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

The first GT from Maserati
Built for the road
Bodywork by Pinin Farina
From prototype to series production
Rapid evolution
Film appearance with Antonioni
Remaining exclusive
One of the few survivors

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was not expected, not seen coming. The Maserati A6 1500 was a sensation when it was shown for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1947. When reporting on the first post-war Geneva Motor Show, Automobil Revue wrote: "Even before the show, insiders had noticed that nothing had been heard about the "content" of the Maserati stand, and there was talk that the famous racing car company would probably only be exhibiting electric cars. The surprise was 'guessed' (editor: what was meant was 'succeeded'): the new one-and-a-half-liter sports car, exhibited as a two-seater coupé with a Pinin-Farina body, is one of the sensations of the show. The specifications alone are impressive: total weight 780 kg, six-cylinder one-and-a-half-liter engine with 65 brake horsepower at 4700 rpm, tubular frame chassis, coil springs front and rear, power-to-weight ratio 12 kg/hp! In addition, there is an incredibly low, bold two-seater body, a masterpiece by Pinin-Farina, with an obviously low drag coefficient and a fully extended and shuttered front end."

Welcome to Zwischengas!