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The Maserati A6GCM is a single seater racing car from the Italian manufacturer
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
. Developed for
Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
, 12 cars were built between 1951 and 1953.


Introduction

The A6GCM belongs to the A6 family of Maserati vehicles which comprised many models from street cars to racing cars. The name of the car is derived as follows: A6 : the name of the series : A for Alfieri (Maserati), 6 for 6 cylinders G : Ghisa, the engine block was in cast iron C : Corsa, for Racing M :
Monoposto An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock cars, and Touring car racing, touring car ...
, for single seater. The Tipo6 CS (Corsa Sportivo: barchetta) has been spotted as a good contender even in front of single seaters in Formula 2, despite its small engine. Thus Maserati decided to develop a specific model that would meet the new FIA racing rules.


Design

The inline 6-cylinder two-liter engine with
DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...
and 12 valves, 3 two-barrel (twin choke) Weber
carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
s delivered to . It was developed by Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani. * Initially with a capacity (, with a
compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine. A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...
of 13.5 :1) delivering , in 1951 and 1952 * Then capacity (, with a compression ratio of 13.5 :1, with twin ignition) delivering , in late 1952 * And finally with a capacity , with a compression ratio of 12 :1, with twin ignition) delivering , in 1953. The engine was mated to a 4-speed
gearbox A transmission (also called a gearbox) is a mechanical device invented by Louis Renault (who founded Renault) which uses a gear set—two or more gears working together—to change the speed, direction of rotation, or torque multiplication/r ...
. The frame was developed by
Medardo Fantuzzi Medardo Fantuzzi (1906–1986) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his Carrozzeria Fantuzzi body workshop. Fantuzzi was born in Bologna in 1906. In 1939 he and his brother, Gino Fantuzzi, established Carrozzeria Fantuzzi. They start ...
. The car was bodied in aluminum and weighed , depending on the engine installed. The rigid rear axle employed cantilevered leaf springs combined with Houdaille shock absorbers; in front, coil springs are used also combined with Houdaille shock absorbers. The brakes are hydraulic driven drums. The initial wheelbase was ; this was extended to in the later version. The front track was initially and was reduced to as the car received larger wheels in its later version. The rear track received the same treatment going from to . The spoked wheels were initially , replaced by , in 1953.


Evolution

The 1953 version was the work of Gioacchino Colombo who modified the car significantly: now with a nearly engine, new suspension and improved brakes. The body was also reworked and made narrower and the car received an oval front grill. This version is known as the "interim" A6GCM or A6SSG. The A6GCM foreshadowed the next model: the 250F. In fact several of the later A6GCMs, produced in late 1952 and 1953, were converted to 250Fs in 1954.


Results

The same model raced in
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
races and in
Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
, in races which counted for the World Championship as well as in non-championship events, as it was often the case in the early 1950s. With 151 race starts and 81 race finishes, with 23 podiums and 6 Grand Prix race wins, the A6GCM has had an exceptional track record supported by exceptional drivers. Note: when Maserati competed in its home town, Modena, in 1953, it managed to finish in the top three positions.


Podium finishes


Technical information


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maserati A6gcm A6GCM Maserati Formula One cars