<< Prev Page 3 of 3 A few more outings in minor events late in the season did not yield any better results. Surprisingly undeterred the Maserati brothers were not ready to give up just yet. Two more cars were built over the winter, the first of which was destined for Etancelin. The car that he had crashed heavily during the Italian Grand Prix was reconstructed with a revised rear suspension. Through two trailing arms, each corner could now move independently without the camber changes that were part and parcel of the swing axle configuration. Incorporating some small revisions, the supercharged V8 engine now had 320 bhp available, which was still well short of what the German engines produced.
Etancelin started the 1936 season remarkably well with a victory at the Pau Grand Prix in his brand new V8RI. It must be said that the competition was not particularly strong. The remainder of the year was unfortunately again filled with disappointment with poor reliability and lack of pace preventing the V8RI from scoring any more notable results. After a season and a half, Maserati abandoned the costly project, setting their sights instead on the much more profitable 'Voiturette' class. The four V8RIs were all sold to the United States where they were raced for many more years. Unlike most other Grand Prix cars from this era, all four cars have survived.
Although not particularly successful, the V8RI project was not a complete loss for Maserati. The innovative chassis design formed the basis for the subsequent Voiturette cars and also the 8CTF that scored back to back Indy 500 victories in 1939 and 1940. The V8RI also was the first ever V8-engined Grand Prix car. The Maserati brothers did have to pay a high price for the ambitious project; in 1937 they were forced to sell their company to the Orsi family. This inevitable step did provide the brothers with more capital and time to do what they did best: designing exquisite racing cars. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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A few more outings in minor events late in the season did not yield any better results. Surprisingly undeterred the Maserati brothers were not ready to give up just yet. Two more cars were built over the winter, the first of which was destined for Etancelin. The car that he had crashed heavily during the Italian Grand Prix was reconstructed with a revised rear suspension. Through two trailing arms, each corner could now move independently without the camber changes that were part and parcel of the swing axle configuration. Incorporating some small revisions, the supercharged V8 engine now had 320 bhp available, which was still well short of what the German engines produced.