Maserati showcased its largest ever collection of cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend as part of the Italian brand’s 100 year celebrations.
Maserati took over the Stable Yard at the Goodwood estate for the duration of this year’s event with its past and present cars – including some of the rarest models from its 100 year history and its entire current range. The Maserati Alfieri Concept headlined the festivities after it made its UK public debut alongside the GranCabrio MC Centennial Edition.
On the Cartier ‘style-et-luxe’ lawn the stunning 1953 Maserati A6 GCS Berlinetta drew admiring glances during the four days of the event and was ultimately rewarded by the discerning judges when it was named ‘best in show’. With its purposeful stance blending harmoniously with its elegant design, the Pininfarina-styled A6 is widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and desirable cars of all time. The Maserati, which is owned by Egon Zweimuller Jr, took victory in the Maserati-only Class 3: ‘The height of fashion – coach-built Maserati’s of the 1950s’, and later beat off competition from the other class winners to claim the overall prize.
In Sunday’s shoot-out former GT1 World Champion and ex-grand prix driver Michael Bartels won the modern endurance racers-post 1980 class with his specially liveried Maserati MC12 ‘Goodwood Cent 100’ and came a close second behind Sebastien Loeb for the overall top spot, with a time of 45.82, just 1.22s behind the winner. The car is decorated with artistic paintings of Maserati’s motorsport glories: Stirling Moss in a 250F, the MC12 FIA GT cars and even an outline of the Goodwood hillclimb route feature.
Visitors to the Cathedral Paddock would have seen over twenty Maserati’s ranging from the oldest Maserati at the event, a Tipo 26M, to Fangio’s F1 championship-winning 250F as well as several examples of the MC12. The all-Maserati class, ‘100 Years of Maserati’, entertained spectators twice a day when they negotiated the famous Goodwood hillclimb with a significant number winning their class in the timed shoot out, including a Maserati 4CS in the Grand Touring Cars (pre-1945) and the Maserati 300S and Maserati A6GCS coming first and second respectively in the Road Racers of 1945-1964.
The Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale and GranCabrio MC entertained spectators with the unmistakable sounds of their V8 engines as they participated in the Michelin Supercar Run over the weekend.
There was live art on the Maserati stand courtesy of Italian artist, Enzo Naso, who was completing a special motorsport poster from Maserati’s ‘A Century of Victories’ art collection featuring Stirling Moss racing the legendary Maserati 250F at Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1954. After Sir Stirling Moss and Lord March visited the Stable Yard on Sunday to sign the unique lithographic print with Enzo Naso, it was donated to Goodwood for charity.
The ‘A Century of Victories’ lithographic prints are available on www.maseratistore.com or through the Maserati dealer network.
