Maserati doesn’t do quiet anniversaries. Fresh off unveiling its Meccanica Lirica project and announcing the return of GranTurismo and GranCabrio production to its historic Modena home, the Trident is now celebrating its 111th birthday. That milestone makes Maserati the longest-standing brand in Italy’s fabled Motor Valley—a region where longevity comes only to those who marry heritage with constant reinvention.
And reinvention is exactly what Maserati wants the world to witness as it approaches 2026: the Year of the Trident Centenary. Not a centenary of the company itself, but of the emblem that transformed a small mechanical workshop in Bologna into a global performance icon. In 1926, the first car to wear that badge—the Tipo 26—rolled onto the Targa Florio and promptly won its class. Built by the Maserati brothers. Driven by Alfieri Maserati himself. The DNA was set from day one.
Born in Bologna, Forged in Competition
The story starts earlier than the motorsport glory, of course. In 1914, brothers Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto founded Ditta Alfieri Maserati in downtown Bologna—essentially a tiny mechanical workshop powered by curiosity, race-tuned instincts, and an irrepressible love of speed. Another brother, Mario, sketched the now-famous trident after studying the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore. Local roots, mythic symbolism.
By 1926, those roots gave rise to the Tipo 26. It wasn’t just the first Maserati; it was the first Maserati to win something. And the wins kept coming: back-to-back victories at the Indianapolis 500, multiple Targa Florio triumphs, nine Formula 1 wins, and Fangio’s 1957 F1 World Championship. The Trident learned early that prestige is earned at full throttle.
Maserati retreated from single-seaters in the late 1950s but reawakened its racing spirit dramatically with the MC12 in the 2000s. Six FIA GT championships later, Maserati had proven it could still dominate the highest tiers of GT competition. Today, the GT2 program continues that arc, bringing Maserati back to circuits around the world.
A New Home, a New Era
A major shift came in 1940 when the Orsi family led Maserati to Modena, opening the Viale Ciro Menotti plant that remains the brand’s beating heart. Postwar Maserati began looking beyond the racetrack, launching its first road car—the A6 1500—in 1947. Then came one of the most important chapters: the 1963 Quattroporte. Before that, no one had combined genuine sports-car performance with full-size luxury-sedan comfort. Maserati didn’t just build a segment—it invented one.
Ownership changes followed. Citroën brought modern manufacturing processes. De Tomaso brought the Biturbo, which became one of the brand’s most successful models. But the modern Maserati renaissance kicked off in the 2000s: the fifth-gen Quattroporte, the first GranTurismo, the GranCabrio, and later a broader lineup including the Ghibli and Levante SUV.
Modena Reinvented
The most transformative moment of the last decade arrived in 2020. Maserati didn’t just debut the MC20—it rebuilt the Viale Ciro Menotti factory to produce it, complete with a dedicated paint shop and the assembly lab for the Nettuno V6. That engine, with its Formula 1–style pre-chamber combustion system, is protected by international patents and made entirely in-house. It’s one of the most advanced powerplants ever installed in a road-legal Italian car.
From there, Maserati filled the pipeline: the Grecale SUV in 2022, the GT2 Stradale in 2023 (a road-legal machine with unmistakable motorsport genes), and the track-only MCXtrema in 2024—62 units, each one wielding an extreme 730-hp version of the Nettuno.
2025: The Next Pivot Point
If Maserati’s 111th year sounds busy, 2025 is even bigger. Production of the MC Pura will begin—a model positioned as the “purest expression” of Maserati energy and performance. Bottega Fuoriserie will debut, blending bespoke creativity between Maserati and Alfa Romeo. And perhaps most symbolic of all, the GranTurismo and GranCabrio are returning home to Modena, built once again at Viale Ciro Menotti where their predecessors first came to life.
A Heritage That Still Feels Hand-Built
“We’re celebrating 111 years in the city that represents the beating heart of our brand,” said Maserati COO Santo Ficili. “The know-how preserved here for more than a century shapes our vision of performance, design, and craftsmanship.”
That’s a polished executive quote—but in Maserati’s case, it happens to ring true. Few automakers can claim a lineage that stretches from century-old race cars to cutting-edge carbon-fiber supercars without losing their soul along the way.
The Trident has made it this far by refusing to become ordinary. And if 2025 is any indication, Maserati’s next century won’t be quieter—it’ll just be faster.
Source: Maserati