After World War I, Alfieri Maserati (one of six Maserati brothers) took a position as a consulting engineer with Diatto. In this position, Maserati began developing racing cars for Diatto, including a new 2-liter, supercharged, inline, 8-cylinder Grand Prix machine for the 1925 season. Unfortunately, Diatto fell on hard financial times before the car could realize its full potential, and as partial compensation for his efforts, Maserati retained the 2-liter Diatto and the rights to its design. Thus was born the Maserati brand.
At this same time, in Milan, Ugo Zagato was ramping up his carrozzeria business. Founded in 1919, Zagato left a position with aircraft manufacturer Officine Aeronautiche Pomilio to open his own coachbuilding business devoted to the construction and repair of both airplanes and automobiles. With his aeronautical experience, Zagato felt that he could construct strong automotive bodies that were also much more lightweight than what was being built at the time.
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