The Maserati Tipo 26 was the first car built by Maserati. It was a Grand Prix racing car, made in eleven examples between 1926 and 1932. The design originated from a Grand Prix car that Alfieri Maserati had drawn for Diatto: when the collaboration between Maserati and Diatto ended, Alfieri took his design to the Bologna workshop he had set up with his brothers in 1914.
Maserati Tipo 26 at a glance
| Maker | Maserati, Bologna |
|---|---|
| Production | 1926–1932 |
| Built | 11 |
| Class | Grand Prix, two-seater |
| Chassis | steel ladder-type frame |
| Engine | 1,492.9 cc inline-eight, 60 mm × 66 mm |
| Supercharger | crankshaft-driven Roots type |
| Valves | twin gear-driven overhead camshafts |
| Lubrication | dry sump |
| Gearbox | three-speed manual |
| Body | aluminium two-seater by Medardo Fantuzzi |
| Debut | 1926 Targa Florio |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Tipo 26, which is short.
History of the Maserati Tipo 26
The design of the Tipo 26 consisted of a steel ladder-type frame supporting a supercharged inline-eight engine displacing 1.5 litres, with a 60 × 66 mm bore and stroke, a three-speed manual transmission and aluminium two-seater bodywork made by Medardo Fantuzzi. The engine featured a crankshaft-driven Roots supercharger, twin gear-driven overhead camshafts and dry-sump lubrication; to comply with the 1926 Grand Prix regulations the displacement was fixed at 1.5 litres.
Debut
At its debut race, the 1926 Targa Florio, the Tipo 26 with Alfieri Maserati driving and a young Guerino Bertocchi as riding mechanic finished first in the Grand Prix class and ninth overall. It was the first result of the Bologna workshop that would become one of Italy’s best-known racing marques.
Tipo 26 MM
For the 1928 Mille Miglia endurance race two new chassis were fitted with roadster bodies featuring cycle wings, running boards, doors, headlights, a small windscreen, a folding canvas top and two spare wheels mounted on the tail. Under the bonnet the engines were the same as in the Tipo 26 Grand Prix car. Those cars were known as Tipo 26 MM. The Tipo 26 was the beginning of Maserati’s racing cars, and eleven examples were built up to 1932.
Design and features
- First Maserati: the car that started the marque in 1926.
- Supercharged straight-eight: 1.5 litres with a Roots blower and twin overhead camshafts.
- Fantuzzi body: an aluminium two-seater built by Medardo Fantuzzi.
- Targa Florio debut: first in class and ninth overall in 1926.
- Tipo 26 MM: roadster versions built for the 1928 Mille Miglia.
Maserati Tipo 26 versions
- Tipo 26 (1926–1932): the Grand Prix car, eleven built.
- Tipo 26 MM (1928): roadster-bodied cars for the Mille Miglia.
The Tipo 26 began Maserati’s racing line, which continued with the 4CM and the 6CM, and its eight-cylinder thinking led to the 8C. More cars are in the Maserati collection.
Sources
- Maserati Tipo 26, English Wikipedia: design, debut, Tipo 26 MM
