Maserati and Ferrari are two Italian luxury sports car brands that have a lot in common. Both are headquartered in Modena Italy and have a long history of producing some of the world’s most iconic and stylish cars.
So it’s no surprise that people often wonder if Maseratis have Ferrari engines.
The simple answer is no Maseratis do not have Ferrari engines. But there is a bit more to the story than that.
Here’s a closer look at the relationship between Maserati and Ferrari and why Maseratis don’t have Ferrari engines.
The History Of Maserati And Ferrari
Maserati was founded in 1914 by brothers Alfieri Ettore and Ernesto Maserati. The company started out as a producer of race cars and quickly gained a reputation for building fast and beautiful cars.
In 1937 Maserati introduced the world to its first road car the Maserati Tipo 8C.
This car was powered by an impressive 8-cylinder engine and quickly became one of the most desirable cars on the market.
Ferrari was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari. Like Maserati Ferrari started out as a race car builder and quickly became known for building some of the fastest and most successful race cars in the world.
In 1947 Ferrari introduced its first road car the Ferrari 125 S. This car was powered by a small but powerful V12 engine and quickly established Ferrari as a producer of high-performance road cars.
The Relationship Between Maserati And Ferrari
In the early 1960s Ferrari was struggling financially and was looking for a partner to help fund its racing program.
Maserati was also in need of financial assistance so the two companies entered into a partnership.
Under the agreement Ferrari would provide engines for Maserati’s race cars and Maserati would provide financial assistance to Ferrari. This partnership lasted for several years and resulted in some of the most successful race cars ever built.
In 1968 Fiat the Italian automaker took control of Maserati. Fiat wanted to use Maserati’s expertise in building high-performance cars to help it develop a new generation of cars.
Fiat also saw the value in having a luxury car brand under its control and began to invest heavily in Maserati.
Why Don’t Maseratis Have Ferrari Engines?
The simple answer is that Fiat owns Maserati and Ferrari is its main competitor.
It wouldn’t make sense for Fiat to give its luxury car brand a major advantage over its main competitor by using Ferrari engines.
Maserati has its own engineering and design team that is capable of building high-performance engines. The company has also developed a close relationship with other engine suppliers such as Chrysler and Jaguar which has resulted in some impressive engine collaboration.
Maserati’s current lineup of cars is powered by a range of different engines including V6 V8 and even a diesel engine. The company is also working on an all-new electric powertrain that will be used in its future cars.
So while Maseratis don’t have Ferrari engines they do have a range of different engines that are capable of delivering high performance and luxury.