Maserati MC20

Has there ever been a more overrated manufacturer than Maserati? Probably, but right now I’m struggling to think what it might be. Of which achievements should Maserati be proud? It did some good stuff in voiturette racing before the war, but in what might be regarded as living memory? Not much.

In Formula 1 Maseratis carried Fangio to his fifth and final World Championship in 1957 and made a small contribution to his second in 1954. No Maserati ever won Le Mans, nor any post-war Targa Florio or Daytona 24 Hours. It won the Sebring 12 Hours once, in 1957, courtesy of that man Fangio once more.

On the road car side, I can comment only on those that I’ve driven, almost all of which were disappointments. You know those great V8 GTs like the Indy, Khamsin and original Ghibli? Compared to any comparable Ferrari, they were hopeless. I can think of one Biturbo descendant I quite liked, which was an Italian market 2-litre second-generation Ghibli, but the coupés and Spyders that followed were woefully off the pace.