Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta Zagato

Vehicle Overview

The Maserati A6G54 Zagato Berlinetta: The Maserati A6G was a highly successful customer two-seat racing car designed by ex-Alfa Romeo and Ferrari engineer Gioachino Colombo. Heavily based on the Trident’s F2 car, it used the same six-cylinder motor. Some 50 were produced and in the two-litre class it was almost unbeatable thanks to fine handling and a crackling, high-compression ’six to which arch-rival Ferrari had no effective answer. In 1954, Maserati developed the concept of the A6GCS for high-performance road car use and supplied chassis complete with updated – now wet-sump, but still twin-cam and mostly twin-plug – 1,986cc engines, along with sophisticated coachbuilding by Frua, Allemano and Zagato. The first two produced elegant, fast and luxurious GTs, while Zagato concentrated on racing berlinettas for the well-heeled sportsmen of the day. The new A6G/54 was the last short-run Maserati before the introduction of the Trident’s first production car, the 3500 GT in 1957. In total, 60 were built from late 1954 to early 1957, including one spyder and 20 competition berlinettas by Zagato. With chassis from Gilco, the cars were race-bred and advanced for their time: independent front suspension by double wishbones and coil springs; a live rear axle suspended on quarter-elliptical leaf springs. Houdaille hydraulic dampers were fitted all round. Braking was by radially vented large drums front and rear. After single ignition was used on the early cars, most racing A6G/54 2000s had 12-plug heads. Triple 40DC03 Weber carburettors fed the potent engine that at its outer limits produced some 190bhp. The typically Zagato, hand-beaten coachwork was different on each car, although it followed the same principle: an aggressive grille with big Maserati trident, open headlamps, abrupt tail and low roofline. Few – if any – cars bore a double-bubble roof from new. Bumpers varied from full width, to small, quarter bumperettes and, while most carried a ‘spine’ that ran down the bonnet to the top of the grille, some did not. Likewise, bonnet air-intakes ranged from one to two to none, and instrument panels could be made to plush production car standards or only fit for a stripped-out racer. Every Maserati A6G54 Zagato was a testament to the coachbuilder’s art, an aggressive machine meant to be raced hard and fast andmost, like this car, certainly were.