The youth of Maserati becomes an exhibition in Bologna, where the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the prestigious car manufacturer is celebrated. “December 1914, 1. The history of Maserati begins in via De' Pepoli, 23/a”: this is the title of the roundup of documents and photographs collected by the Petronian Historical Archive, which hosts the exhibition until XNUMX December.
The trident house in its inception is just a garage and auto repair shop. However, the Maserati brothers have an undoubted talent for mechanics, given that during the Great War they patented spark plugs for military airplanes in Milan, even used by Gabriele D'Annunzio in his raid on Vienna.
In those same years, always within walking distance of the two towers, racing cars began to be set up, above all under the impetus of Alfieri Maserati, a passionate driver who won several Grand Prix. In 19, after the conflict, the situation improved further, the workshop expanded, moved out of town and became a real company. The first entirely Maserati car was built in 1926 and, for the first time, it bore the symbol of the stylized trident, a tribute to the Neptune fountain in Bologna, designed by the "artist" brother Mario Maserati.
The documentation made available to the Archive goes up to 1939-1940, when the marriage between Bologna and Maserati ends, after the death of Alfieri, due to the brothers' decision to cede the brand to the industrialist Adolfo Orsi, who transfers the company in Modena. The exhibition (1-23 December) is open Monday to Saturday from 8,30 to 13, Tuesday and Thursday also from 15 to 17, admission is free. Guided tours by reservation on 051-500401.
