A manufacturer’s ultimate aim in motor racing is to hope success on the track will lead to greater sales off track. However, if one looks at Grand Prix racing today, it’s not that obvious—although Mercedes is ruling at the moment, which can’t be too bad for their business. In the early years of the modern Formula One World Championship, it was Italian teams who ruled—Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. In the mid to latter half of the 1950s the Maserati 250F was the Grand Prix car to have. With Mercedes’ withdrawal from racing in 1955 following the Le Mans disaster, four-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio teamed up with Maserati again for 1957. There couldn’t have been a better time for Maserati to produce a significant touring car, something Adolfo Orsi had wished to concentrate on for many years.
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