Maserati’s 111 Years: Trident, Torque And Triumph Celebrated
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Italian sportscar maker Maserati has just blown out 111 candles, which is a lot of candles. That puts it at the top of Italy’s Motor Valley family tree as the longest-standing marque still doing what it does best: making beautiful, slightly dangerous cars that sound like a pack of wolves arguing. Over the past two decades the brand has shifted more than 8,000 cars in Australia and New Zealand, which is proof that antipodean drivers appreciate style with a side of horsepower.
Maserati’s Anniversary And What’s Next
December 2025 marks the official start date of operations back in 1914, and the company is using the milestone to remind everyone it has been around for longer than most modern conveniences. Next year will see two further centenaries: 100 years of the Trident badge and 100 years since Maserati first strapped itself to motorsport. So expect celebrations, heritage pieces and a fair smattering of proud chest-thumping from Modena.
A senior company executive said the anniversary is a moment to recognise a century-plus of design, craftsmanship and performance while keeping an eye on new growth opportunities. In other words, the brand will simultaneously honour its past and flog some very expensive new cars.
Maserati History
The first car to wear the Trident was a racing special that raced the Targa Florio in 1926 and won its class. But the story actually starts in 1914 when a small engineering workshop opened in central Bologna. Brothers who loved engines, speed and getting their hands dirty built a reputation one race and one noisy gearbox at a time.
One of the brothers sketched the Trident after being inspired by the Neptune fountain in the square of Bologna. It was simple, distinctive and very Italian. That emblem would go on to become as recognisable as the sound of a Maserati V8 at full tilt.
Racing Pedigree
Maserati’s racing ledger is long and rather successful. Early achievements included class wins and endurance glories in the 1930s and competitive outings through to the mid 20th century that included victories at major events and even a Formula One world title in 1957. The brand later returned to top-level GT competition with the MC12, which dominated FIA GT series in the 2000s, and more recently the GT2 and other competition machines have carried the Trident back onto closed-wheel tracks across the globe.
From Workshops To Modena
Around the end of the 1930s the company changed hands and moved its operations to Modena, opening a plant there on January 1, 1940. Modena has been the Trident’s industrial and spiritual home ever since. After the original family left the business in the late 1940s the firm built its first road car and over time created new segments, like the high performance saloon with the Quattroporte in the 1960s. There were ups and downs in ownership and fortunes in the decades that followed, but each era added engineering know-how and design ideas to the brand’s toolbox.
Modern Era And The Lineup
From the mid 2000s onwards Maserati staged a comeback of sorts. New generations of Quattroporte returned, the GranTurismo took centre stage and the first Maserati SUV appeared in the form of the Levante. The MC20 signalled a new era, bringing with it an in-house V6 engine and a refreshed production line in Modena, complete with a new paint shop and facilities dedicated to performance powertrains.
More recent additions include the Grecale SUV that channels GranTurismo DNA, the street-legal GT2 Stradale that blends racetrack intent with road comfort, and the MCXtrema, an unapologetic track-only machine limited to a handful of examples. In 2025 the factory has significant moments planned: the start of production for a new flagship model, a collaborative creative project with another Italian marque, and the return of GranTurismo and GranCabrio models to their historic manufacturing home.
Why It Matters
A brand that survives more than a century without losing its character is doing something right. Maserati combines Italian design theatre with engineering bravado, and despite the inevitable corporate detours over the decades it has managed to keep the Trident relevant. For buyers, collectors and anyone who enjoys a loud exhaust note at dawn, that continuity is a reassuring thing. For the rest of us, it is simply entertaining to watch.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
