This was the first Maserati monster! The Tipo V4 was basically a car with two Tipo 26B engines bolted together to make a V16. It made 280 - 305bhp and according to the Maserati web site consumed 50 litres for every 100 kms driven!
This picture was first published on www.maserati.com.
It weighed in at 980kg and could do 250 km/h. Alfieri Maserati entered the 1929 Monza Grand Prix and set a lap speed that wasn't beaten until the early 50s! Even more amazing was that another driver set a class land speed record that was only beaten by Malcolm Campbell's 1,500bhp Bluebird in the mid 30s.
The V4 was like the Tipo 26B in that it had a ladder frame chassis with an aluminium body and two of everything: superchargers, carburettors and oil pumps.
It was raced for just three years: 1929 - 1931 and was possibly entered in the 1930 Indy 500. Two cars started in 28th (Baconin Borzachini) and 30th spots (L.P. Cucinotta) on the grid. Borzachini lasted just 7 laps before mechanical failure stopped him and Cucinotta finished in 12th place.
