Maserati is among the most legendary names in Europe, yet for most Americans, its name elicits vague notions of its heritage or, more commonly, blank stares — and with good reason.
Much of its history in recent decades reflects bad decisions made under a myriad of owners. Alejandro de Tomaso, and his Italian car manufacturing company, De Tomaso Automobili, rescued Maserati from planned liquidation under Citroën management in 1975. He became its CEO and would run the company until his death 1993. But while he saved the company from bankruptcy, it was never far from it, as is evidenced by cars the company would rather you forget, such as the 1984 Maserati Biturbo, a car that saw Maserati’s reputation go up in flames — literally. It wasn’t helped a couple years later by the appearance of Chrysler's TC by Maserati, little more than a Chrysler LeBaron wearing a Maserati trident badge on its nose. No one was fooled, except possibly Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, who thought it was a brilliant.
Instead, the company prefers you think of its 8CTF race car (for eight cylinders “Testa Fissa," or fixed head), which won the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940. Or the fact that in 1954 and 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio drove Maseratis to Formula One championships.
