Maserati

Established 1914: Bologna, Italy

At its heart a simple, yet obsessive performance garage, Maserati suffers from popular ignorance of its heritage. But most would not recognize the first half-century of Maser production because it was dedicated to racing. Founded by the brothers Maserati—Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto—much of the marque's history carried on without their direct ownership. Alfieri's death in 1932 altered the brothers' spirit, and control passed to the Orsi family in 1937. The surviving brothers then established O.S.C.A., but their influence remained at their namesake factory—spiritually of course, but also in the technical development of Maserati sports and racing cars. Financial necessity at last brought Maserati to public roads in the post-War era, but the passion for racing persisted well into the 1960s. These first five decades produced the pure Maserati car, Italy's first true four-wheel obsession.