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The Maserati Centennial Gathering moves from modena to turin via, of course, an historic race track on day two
Day Two Highlights
- Hundreds of Maseratis drive from Modena to Turin via Cremona and the historic San Martino del Lago race track.
- Participants get high speed demonstration by drivers from the Master Maserati Track Experience and see the Maserati MC12 racing cars in action
- Day ends with a gala dinner at the Reggia di Venaria Reale, the royal palace on the outskirts of Turin built by Charles Emmanuel II.
The second day of the Maserati Centennial International Gathering, which is celebrating 100 years of the legendary car maker and motorsport company,started with the start of the regularity competition and the transfer to the historic San Martino del Lago circuit, near Cremona, of the more than 200 Maseratis taking part.
The circuit is just a short distance from the straight stretch of road on which Baconin Borzacchini set the first world record in Maserati’s history on 28 September 1929 at the wheel of the 16-cylinder Maserati V4 - 246 kilometres an hour for the Flying 10 Kilometres, a record that stood for eight years.
The 200 Maseratis drove along just this historic straight, still open to traffic today (it was only a gravel road at the time of Borzacchini’s record) on their way to Cremona. Their route took them right through the city, across Piazza del Comune and by the Torrazzo, Europe’s tallest brick-built bell tower, on their way to join the motorway towards Turin.
The city of Cremona offered a special welcome to the international press covering the Gathering, with a guided tour of the brand new, high-tech Museo del Violino, a performance on one of the finest, best known instruments made by Antonio Stradivarius, the “greatest of violin makers”, and a lunch in the medieval Palazzo Comunale.
The Stradivarius played for the international press – “The Cremonese 1715” – is the same one that accompanied the debut of the fifth series of the Quattroporte in the elegant, exclusive setting of Pebble Beach in California eleven years ago, in homage to Sergio Pininfarina, who let slip that he had drawn inspiration from the forms of Stradivarius’ violins when designing the lines of the Quattroporte. Apart from Borzacchini and Pininfarina, the inclusion of Cremona is also a homage to Gino Rancati, the Cremona-born journalist who, in the early Sixties, suggested to Adolfo and Omer Orsi the idea of what was to become the Quattroporte – the world’s fastest sedan.
The second day of the Maserati Centenary Gathering ended with a Gala dinner hosted by Maserati CEO Harald Wester at the Reggia di Venaria Reale, the royal palace on the outskirts of Turin built by Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy in 1675. Attendees at the dinner included John Elkann, the Chairman of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Fiat Industrial, and Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat S.p.A. and Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A and Chairman and CEO of Chrysler Group LLC, as well as Maserati owners and media from around the world
Day One Highlights
- Parade of more than 200 Maseratis past and present
- More than 500 Maserati owners from 30 countries including Australia and New Zealand
- Two sons of the original Maserati brothers join the event
- Celebratory dinner held on the historic Maserati production line
Thursday 18 September 2014 saw the start of the Maserati Centennial International Gathering, a key event in the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the legendary Italian motorsport and car maker.
The first day of the official programme, involving over 200 Maseratis and over 500 Maserati collectors and clients from 30 countries across the world, was dedicated to the city of Modena. Vintage and modern Maseratis began making their way into Modena in the early hours, lining up in Piazza Grande in the shadow of the Ghirlandina, the white stone bell tower that is the symbol of the Emilian city.
Piazza Grande was also the venue for the meeting between Maserati CEO Harald Wester and the Mayor of Modena, Gian Carlo Muzzarelli, who officially welcomed the participants to the city.
After a lengthy parade through the city’s streets, involving more than 200 classic and modern Maseratis and Modena’s entire population, Gathering participants enjoyed a guided tour of the complex that Maserati has occupied since it moved from Bologna to Modena in 1939, and where the Maserati GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Alfa Romeo 4 C are now produced.
These same production lines provided the striking location for a very unusual dinner during which guests were entertained by singers from the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation – Tenor Jenish Ysmanov, Soprano Jessica Cambio, Mezzo Soprano Martina Belli and Baritone Daniele Terenzi. The bond between Maserati and Luciano Pavarotti was always very strong on both sides - the great Tenor’s first Maserati was a bright blue Sebring, which he purchased in 1963 – and it still continues today thanks to his widow Nicoletta Mantovani, present at the dinner.
In the afternoon, guests visited the “Maserati 100 – A Century of Pure Italian Luxury Sports Cars” exhibition at the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, near the Maserati headquarters and curated by Adolfo Orsi, grandson of the Adolfo Orsi who bought the Maserati business from its founder brothers in 1937.
Also participating at the event are around ninety journalists from the main international markets in which Maserati is present - from the US (biggest market in terms of unit sales) to China (second biggest market with the highest growth rate), the UK, Germany and Italy (the contenders for biggest European market), Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
During the morning the international press visited the building, at no.1Viade’ Pepoli in Bologna, where Maserati opened for business for the first time on 1December1914. After this, they met with the direct descendants of the founders of Maserati: Carlo and Alfieri Maserati, the sons of Ettore and Ernesto Maserati respectively, who in December 1914 set out on an adventure with their brother Alfieri which is still going strong a hundred years later and which we are celebrating today.
"Of the many automobile producers born in Italy in the last century, only a few have reached such a milestone and this fills me with joy", declared Alfieri Maserati. "The name we bear symbolises brilliance, innovation and the desire to create the unique and novel features we find in today's cars".
“100 years have passed since the founding of the 'Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati'", recalled his cousin Carlo, "and I would like to express all my gratitude to those who have made Maserati's accomplishments possible and have brought it to new horizons. The longevity of this success is also due to the harmonious relationships within the family and to the extraordinary technical skills that, for example, allowed us to construct a racing car in just six months".
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Maserati Centennial Gathering – Day 2 Picture Gallery download link
Maserati Centennial Gathering – Day 1 Picture Gallery download link
Maserati History Pictures – Download link
Maserati 250F Picture Gallery download link:
High Resolution Maserati 250F video download link:
About Maserati SpA
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer which was established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna (Italy) by its founder Alfieri Maserati and his brothers. Their passion and talent contributed to the company DNA: innovation, excellence, and challenge, which are reflected in the brand’s claim “The absolute opposite of ordinary”. Today, the company's headquarters and main production location are in Modena (Italy). A second state-of-the-art production location, based on the highest quality standards of the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) concept, was inaugurated in Grugliasco, near Turin (Italy), in 2013. Maserati has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993.
Its emblem, the trident, was inspired by the fountain on the Piazza del Nettuno in the center of Bologna (Italy). It is a symbol that ties together the brothers, their hometown, and the artistry and craftsmanship for which Bologna and Emilia-Romagna are known.
Through major investments into product development, production facilities as well as its worldwide dealer network, Maserati has hit a turning point. In addition to the successful GranTurismo and GranCabrio ranges, the latest generation of Maserati’s flagship sedan, the Quattroporte, and the new sports executive sedan, the Ghibli, provide the cornerstones to the brand’s strategy of producing some 50,000 units annually and gaining a significantly strengthened presence in the global luxury car market.
For 2013, Maserati posted a 148% increase in shipments to 15,400 vehicles, driven by the success of the new Quattroporte and Ghibli models. Its major markets include the USA (2013: 6,900, plus 138%), China (2013: 3,800, plus 334%), Europe (2013: 2,500, plus 133%) as well as Asia-Pacific (2013: 1,300, plus 52%) and the Middle East (2013: 750, plus 81%). For 2013, the company posted revenue of €1,659 million (plus 120%) and a trading profit €171 million (plus €114 million).
About European Automotive Imports
European Automotive Imports (EAI), trading as Maserati Australia and New Zealand, was appointed as the distributor of Maserati, its products and services in Australia and New Zealand in 2005, starting operations on 1 October that year, initially from offices in the Sydney suburb of Homebush before moving, in 2010 to its present offices in Waterloo. The company also took over the New South Wales retail Maserati representation from 1 October 2005, initially as Italia Motori until the completion of the new facility in Waterloo as both home to EAI and the new dealership, Ferrari Maserati Sydney, which opened its doors in 2010. From 2013 EAI has also controlled the Maserati retail outlet ‘Maserati Auckland’ in New Zealand. In addition to offices for EAI Maserati dedicated showroom and workshop facilities, the Waterloo facility also provides a state of the art training facility for both technical and sales training. EAI has a fully computerised parts facility in Sydney to ensure fast and efficient distribution of parts and accessories.
EAI is a private company wholly owned by its Executive Chairman, Neville Crichton, and it is not a subsidiary of any of Mr Crichton’s other companies. Maserati Australia and New Zealand is headed by Glenn Sealey, who took over as General Manager in 2010, and who has overseen a doubling of team responsible for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. These include Bilgen Tug, National Marketing and Public Relations Manager; David Weihen, National Aftersales Manager; Alex Ball, National Sales Manager and Angelo Ruberto, General Manager of Ferrari Maserati Sydney.
Following its appointment, EAI set about a major renewal of its dealer group, with all-new dealerships opening in Brisbane (2006), Melbourne (2008), Perth (2008), Sydney (2010), Adelaide (2013) and Auckland (2013) with major refurbishments in Sydney, Adelaide and Auckland prior to new facilities opening. In addition, Christchurch opened initially as a Maserati service centre bringing the marque officially to the South Island of New Zealand in 2008 and this was expanded to a full dealership in 2013. In Maserati’s centenary year these dealerships will be joined by a second dealership each in Sydney and Melbourne to serve the growing customer base and, in 2016, another dealership in Queensland.
EAI has consistently grown Maserati sales in Australia with its annual best in 2008 with a total of 201 units, a record which is set to be broken in 2014 with sales expected to exceed 300 units. With arrival of new products, EAI plans to take Maserati to an annual sales figure of 1500 by 2016.
For further information, please contact
Glen Sealey
/ Tel: +61 2 8577 8070General Manager / Fax: +61 2 8577 8079
Maserati Australia and New Zealand / E:
Release Number: Maserati_481
Date of release: 12/30/2018 3:23:30 PM