03/03/2023
You’re day isn’t complete until you’ve seen a 53 Spyder By the early 1950s, business was improving for Maserati with the introduction of exciting and successful new cars for both road and track. Their new post-war models, which featured the A6 1,500-cubic centimeter six-cylinder and the A6G two-liter six-cylinder engines designed by Alberto Massimino, produced sprightly performance, but more power would be necessary to win races.
Enter the A6GCS, which evolved into the A6GCS/53. This new car used an updated version of the Maserati two-liter, which was developed by Gioacchino Colombo and inspired by a Formula Two design used in the A6GCM. The new engine featured a cast aluminum block fitted with cast-iron cylinder liners for new aluminum pistons and twin overhead camshafts with dual-plug ignition. This short-stroke architecture with seven main bearings by Vandervell, which is supported by a nitrided crankshaft, produced a prodigious 170 horsepower in the catalogued “Mille Miglia” tune.
The competition-oriented A6GCS/53 created a sensation for Maserati from its launch. The CS, for “Corsa Sport,” featured a tubular chassis generally made by Gilco, who also supplied Ferrari and other specialty builders of the time. In total, a mere 52 examples were built between 1953 and 1955, with 48 of them being open spyders and four of them built with the berlinetta body by Pinin Farina. Of the spyders, Carrozzeria Fantuzzi provided the most sinuously shapely bodies, which were crafted from lightweight aluminum.
