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The Maserati Tipo 26 was a model of 
The design of the Tipo 26 consisted of a steel ladder-type frame supporting a supercharged inline-eight engine displacing , with a bore and stroke of , with a three-speed manual transmission and aluminium two-seater bodywork made by
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
racing car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including ...
and was the first car built by 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 ...
, for a total of 11 examples, between 1926 and 1932.
The Tipo 26 originated from a Grand Prix car that Alfieri Maserati
Alfieri Maserati (23 September 1887 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for establishing and leading the Maserati racing car manufacturer with the other Maserati Brothers.
Maserati was born in Voghera. In 1903 he and hi ...
had designed for Diatto
Diatto was an Italian manufacturing company founded in 1835 in Turin by Guglielmo Diatto (1804–1864) to make 'carriages for wealthy customers'. In 1874 Guglielmo’s sons, Giovanni and Battista Diatto, began building railway carriages for Comp ...
: when the collaboration between Maserati and Diatto ended, Alfieri took his design to the Bologna workshop that he had set up with his brothers in 1914.
The design of the Tipo 26 consisted of a steel ladder-type frame supporting a supercharged inline-eight engine displacing , with a bore and stroke of , with a three-speed manual transmission and aluminium two-seater bodywork made 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 engine featured a crankshaft-driven Roots supercharger
The Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping a fluid with a pair of meshing lobes resembling a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to th ...
, twin gear-driven overhead camshaft
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 combustio ...
s and dry sump
A dry sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in Four-stroke engine, four-stroke and large Two-stroke engine, two-stroke Reciprocating engine, reciprocating internal combustion engines. The dry sump system uses two or more o ...
lubrication; to comply with the 1926 Grand Prix regulations the displacement was fixed to 1.5-litres.
At its debut race in the 1926 Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...
, the Maserati Tipo 26, with Alfieri Maserati driving and a young Guerino Bertocchi
Guerino Bertocchi (October 29, 1907 – April 13, 1981) was an Italian mechanic and racing driver known for his lifelong association with Maserati.
Bertocchi was born on October 29, 1907, in Budrio. His younger brother, Gino, was also a mechanic. ...
as riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...
, finished first in the Grand Prix class and ninth overall.
Tipo 26 MM
For the 1928Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...
endurance race, two new chassis were fitted with roadster bodies featuring cycle wings, running board
A running board or footboard is a narrow step fitted under the side doors of a tram ( cable car, trolley, or streetcar in North America), car, or truck. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles, and is typical of vintage trams and cars, ...
s, doors, headlights, a small windshield, a folding canvas top and two spare wheels mounted on the tail. Under the hood the engines were the same as found in the Tipo 26 Grand Prix. Those cars were known as Tipo 26 MM.
Technical Data
References
{{Maserati Tipo 26 Grand Prix cars