Maserati celebrates the 80th anniversary of Luigi "Gigi" Villoresi's legendary victory at the Targa Florio in Sicily. The Milan-born racing driver, one of the most important of his time, won at the wheel of a Maserati Tipo 6CM on May 14, 1939. With an average speed of 141.908 km/h and the fastest race lap, he relegated Piero Taruffi and Guido Franco Barbieri to second and third place - both also driving a Maserati Tipo 6CM.
With this one-two-three victory, the brand confirmed its claim to the lead in the prestigious race: Maserati had also dominated the race in 1937 and 1938 with triple victories. And in 1940, in the last race before the war break, Luigi Villoresi won again - this time with a Maserati Tipo 4CL.
The Targa Florio was one of the oldest and most famous car races in the world. It was named after Vincenzo Florio, a wealthy businessman from Palermo with a passion for motorsport, who founded the road race in 1906. By 1977, it had taken place 62 times and was part of the World Sports Car Championship for many years.
Development & data
The Maserati Tipo 6CM was developed by Ernesto Maserati in 1935. One of its highlights was the new in-line six-cylinder engine. With two overhead camshafts and a Roots supercharger, it delivered an output of up to 175 hp. The single-seater racing car was characterized above all by its advanced chassis. Its basic structure was still based on a ladder frame, but it had innovative front-wheel suspension, which gave it a major advantage over the competition.
The suspension consisted of torsion bar springs, which were mounted in such a way that the spring tension could be adjusted to the characteristics of the racetrack at any time. As is usual in motorsport, the bodywork was modified from race to race, particularly with regard to aerodynamics. The extremely rounded shapes and various designs of the side panels clearly reflected Maserati's research in this field.
The Maserati Tipo 6CM proved to be an extremely successful car: from 1936 to 1939, a total of 27 examples were built, which won victories on the most important race tracks in Europe. With three victories in 1937, 1938 and 1939, the Maserati Tipo 6CM also holds the record for the most victories at the Targa Florio - no other car won more often.
Today, the victorious Maserati Tipo 6CM in Modena, perfectly restored to its original paintwork, can be seen in the Panini collection.
