<< Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >> With its boxed channel-section legs the chassis was another novelty for Maserati. Following the lead of the German cars, the car featured independent suspension on all four corners. At the front it sported double wishbones and torsion bars while at the rear swing axles and semi-elliptic leaf springs were fitted. The compact engine was mounted so low in the sophisticated chassis that the exhaust manifolds were swept upwards. Just like its predecessors, the new Maserati used a four-speed gearbox but it was mounted in unit with the final drive for the first time. Due to its bulbous aluminium body, the new Grand Prix car also looked nothing like its predecessors.
Dubbed the V8RI (for Ruote Indipendenti or Independent Suspension), the new Maserati was heralded by the Italian press with very high expectations. Desperate for success against the mighty Germans, some reporters suggested the new miracle car from Bologna produced as much as 400 bhp and had a top speed of nearly 300 km/h. This very warm welcome meant that the the V8RI could really only disappoint. When it finally appeared in June of 1935, all bugs had been ironed out of the blisteringly fast German cars, so the new Maserati had to be very quick and reliable from the first lap to really make a mark, sadly it turned out to be neither.
Lined up to drive the first example at the V8RI's debut was Frenchman Philippe Etancelin, who was a gifted gentleman driver and a loyal Maserati customer. He finished a promising second behind an Alfa Romeo in the first heat of the Grand Prix de la Marne at Rouen but then was forced to retire from the feature race with engine troubles. At the subsequent Swiss Grand Prix 'Phi-Phi' crashed out on the opening lap. A second car was readied in time for the Italian Grand Prix for Giuseppe Farina. In front of the partisan crowd the Maseratis failed miserably with Farina's car developing an engine problem before the start and Etancelin crashing heavily due to a stuck throttle. << Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >>
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With its boxed channel-section legs the chassis was another novelty for Maserati. Following the lead of the German cars, the car featured independent suspension on all four corners. At the front it sported double wishbones and torsion bars while at the rear swing axles and semi-elliptic leaf springs were fitted. The compact engine was mounted so low in the sophisticated chassis that the exhaust manifolds were swept upwards. Just like its predecessors, the new Maserati used a four-speed gearbox but it was mounted in unit with the final drive for the first time. Due to its bulbous aluminium body, the new Grand Prix car also looked nothing like its predecessors.