Chassis No. 1531 By the mid-1930s, the Maserati brothers faced increasingly difficult competition in Grand Prix racing from Alfa Romeo's well-funded program and the formidable state-backed Daimler-Mercedes and Auto Union teams. Consequently, they made the strategic decision to direct their focus to the voiturette one-liter class, beginning with the four-cylinder 4CM in 1932. 4CM 1.1-, 1.5-, and 2.0-liters filled the grid until 1936 when Maserati developed the exceptional 6CM, emerging as one of the most successful voiturette racing cars of the prewar era. From Voiturettes to Formula 1 by Adam Ferrington and Alessandro Silva quote that 33 total examples were completed from 1936-1939, including a handful of 6CM/4CM specials. Powering the 6CM was a twin-overhead cam 1,493-cc six-cylinder engine fed by a Weber 55ASL carburetor and a Roots-type supercharger, producing 175 horsepower. The sophisticated 2,490-mm wheelbase chassis incorporated independent front suspension via torsion bars, initially complemented by semi-elliptic rear suspension that was later refined to a quarter-elliptic configuration. Just eleven chassis were retained as factory works cars, while the remainder were sold to privateers. Chassis number 1531 is one such works car and is widely understood to be the first example built, with Maserati historian Walter Bäumer recording that the car was completed on 7 April 1936, painted in red, and received its Certificato di Origine on 9 April when it was registered by S.A. Officine Maserati in Bologna on plate “BO 18164.” Just two days later, it would line up on the grid at Circuito di Monaco for the Coupe de Prince Rainier in the hands of its first owner, Gino Rovere—the new Chairman of Maserati S.p.A. and major financial supporter of the firm. The 6CM showed promising pace in its competition debut, starting from 4th on the grid, but ultimately retired in the race under Rovere’s co-driver Freddy Zehender with a broken accelerator. Interestingly, Bäumer notes that 1531 did not receive its factory build sheet until 15 April, three days after its debut in Monaco! Officine Alfieri Maserati entrusted brilliant works driver Count Carlo Felice "Didi" Trossi—1933 European Hillclimb Champion for Alfa Romeo and former President of the then recently-formed Scuderia Ferrari—to pilot chassis 1531 for the remainder of the 1936 voiturette season. Alongside him was Hungarian privateer László Hartmann in chassis 1532. Trossi gave 1531 one of its most significant early victories at the Nürburgring Internationales Eifelrennen that June. The Italian masterfully tamed the treacherous German circuit, showcasing the 6CM’s superb handling and speed. Further works victories in Trossi’s hands came at the Grand Prix de Picardie in Heat 1, Circuito di Milano, Coppa Ciano, Coppa Edda Ciano, and Circuito di Modena, along with an impressive podium finish at Coppa Acerbo (2nd). Following its impressive debut season, 1531 soon passed to its first private owner on 14 April 1937, Turinese industrialist Piero Dusio. His ownership saw the 6CM continue its impressive form under his own “Squadra Torino” banner, posting some of its most consistent private results at major voiturette events of the era. Dusio achieved landmark results in the 1937 season, finishing 5th overall and 2nd in class at Circuito di Torino, 5th in class at Gran Premio di Tripoli, 6th overall at Gran Premio di Firenze, and 2nd overall at Circuito di San Remo in Heat 1. However, its best result during this period and final pre-war victory came in the hands of Eugenio Siena—a young mechanic for drivers like Antonio Ascari, Campari, and Nuvolari—who piloted 1531 to 1st overall at Circuito di Milano in June 1937. In April 1938, the 6CM passed to Società Anonima Squadra Automobilistica Torino where it would continue to be campaigned by various drivers including Gianni Battaglia, Pietro Ghersi, Andrea Brezzi, and Giorgio Pelassa. Its most notable results during the 1938 season included 6th overall at Gran Premio di Tripoli, 3rd overall at Circuito di Varese, 3rd overall at Coppa Ciano, and 4th overall at Gran Prix de Berne in Heat 1. After two consecutive seasons of front-line voiturette racing, the 6CM was sold to Andrea Brezzi, an affluent Turinese racing driver who had piloted 1531 in four events the previous year. In his ownership, the original engine of chassis 1531 was replaced by the Tipo 4CM engine of Armand Hug’s chassis number 1554. The potent supercharged 4CM 1,496-cc inline-four engine delivered more torque than the six-cylinder 6CM engine and therefore offered an advantage on twisty circuits. In this specification, the 6CM competed in its final two pre-war events, both in 1940. Famed former Scuderia Ferrari and Maserati works driver Piero Taruffi piloted 1531 to 8th overall at Gran Premio di Tripoli, followed by Nunzio Nasi claiming 8th overall in the Targa Florio. By the outbreak of World War II, chassis 1531 had amassed an enviable racing record, its early exploits with Trossi, Dusio, Taruffi, and others becoming the stuff of legend. After the war’s long hiatus, during which the Maserati remained stored in Turin, 1531 re-emerged intact and was back on the starting grid by 1946, then under the ownership of American Lucy O’Reilly Schell and her son, Harry Schell—a Maserati factory driver and later a Formula One and endurance racing star—who contested international Grands Prix such as the Grand Prix de Nice, Grand Prix de Marseille, Coupe Henri Lebègue, Grand Prix du Perpignan, Grand Prix des Nations, and Gran Premio del Valentino. These outings proved that despite the 6CM losing some of its competitiveness, it was often able to finish against grids full of more modern machinery. During the remainder of the 1946 season, the Schells loaned 1531 to Vittorio Mazzonis and Marino Brandoli, an ex-Maserati mechanic, who campaigned two events each. In 1947, the Schells loaned 1531 to famed road racer Giovanni Bracco, who completed a full season in the Maserati which included podium finishes in numerous hillclimbs and international Grands Prix. Toward the end of the season, E. Romersa was behind the wheel of the 6CM, competing in a further two hillclimb events, followed by just a single outing in 1948 at the Vue des Alpes Hillclimb in June, finishing 1st in class. In 1949, the Maserati joined Belgian racing driver Arthur Legat who continued the chassis competitive career at local hillclimbs in Europe that summer. By the 1950s, chassis 1531 transitioned from frontline competition into the hands of dedicated enthusiasts and historians who would preserve its legacy. It was briefly owned by Belgian Formula One driver André Pilette before passing to Englishman Ken Rudd, an accomplished engineer and racing driver, who is thought to have retained the car until 1970. At that time, it joined noted American collector and marque historian Joel E. Finn in conjunction with the American Motor Museum. Recognizing 1531’s significance, Finn ensured that its history was meticulously documented under his care. The Maserati saw brief subsequent ownership by dealer Dan Margulis in London before joining enthusiast Paul Colborne in 1980, who kept the 6CM for nearly a decade. Remaining in British enthusiast circles, 1531 entered long-term stewardship under Robin Lodge in 1989, who is understood to have undertaken a mechanical and cosmetic restoration during his tenure. Lodge also kicked off the car’s enviable vintage racing career at the 2000 Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or, with each successive owner treating 1531 not just as a collectible, but as a living piece of motorsport history—preserving its mechanical integrity while exercising it on the track as intended. In 2005, the car returned to Italy under the care of collector Tommaso Gelmini, who campaigned 1531 in numerous successful outings in the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge series through the mid-2000s. In the 2010s, the Maserati passed to Italian collector Federico Buratti, who continued to demonstrate the car at historic events including the 2012 Grand Prix Historique de Monaco, the 2013 Donington Historic Festival, and the 2015 Vernasca Silver Flag. Most recently, 1531 entered a prominent European collection in 2017 under the care of its current owner. A comprehensive restoration was undertaken in Geneva, with the car now freshly restored and ready for its next chapter. Not merely a showpiece, this Maserati 6CM remains an active and front-running competitor on the historic racing scene. Chassis 1531 continues to be a regular entrant in the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco, the premier event for pre-war Grand Prix cars, competing in 2018 and 2022 under current ownership. In these exclusive outings on the famous street circuit where the car made its competitive debut in 1936, chassis 1531 has achieved two podium finishes—most impressively securing 2nd -place podium in 2022 against a grid of top pre-war machinery. Such results speak to the outstanding preparation and authenticity of 1531, which continues to perform with the same vigor it displayed in the 1930s. Accompanying this sale is an extraordinary dossier of documentation that befits a machine of such distinguished history. Chassis 1531’s file includes period reports and magazine articles providing valuable contemporary accounts of its racing successes. More recent documentation is equally comprehensive: the car comes with FIA papers (Historic Technical Passports issued in 1991, 2010, and 2020) and its FIVA Identity Card issued in 2011, ensuring its eligibility for international events. Also included are restoration invoices, correspondence, and crucially, Walter Bäumer’s comprehensive history report validating its complete ownership history and competition results. In sum, Maserati 6CM chassis 1531 is a masterpiece of pre-war engineering and competition, boasting an unbroken chain of racing provenance from 1936 to the present day. From Carlo Trossi’s works victories to its privateer triumphs, and from post-war revival with Harry Schell to modern podiums at Monaco, this car’s history is exceptionally rich. Beautifully restored, extensively documented, and steeped in motor sporting glory, 1531 now stands as one of the most significant pre-war Maserati voiturette single-seaters extant—offering its next custodian the thrill of experiencing a pre-war Grand Prix legend firsthand whether diving into a Monaco hairpin or battling it out on the concours lawn.