In 1957 Maserati was supreme. Fangio won the F1 Championship and the Maserati 450S came within an ace of winning the WSCC, and then Maserati suddenly withdrew and left the way clear for Ferrari to become the dominant Italian marque. For a moment, Maserati had the laurel within its grasp.
Pre-war, Maserati had been bought by the Orsi Corporation largely because it made superb spark plugs (and air horns). It also made a small number of competition cars, mainly for privateers, and a Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 twice, something that rankled with Enzo Ferrari.
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