Maserati 4CL

The Maserati 4CL was designed and manufactured in 1939 as a rival to the Alfa Romeo 158 and the various models of the ERA. More powerful, wider, lighter and lower the new 4CL was significantly better than predecessor the Maserati 6CM.
The car was raced largely after the war and dominated GP racing at this time with multiple wins for drivers like Johnnie Wakefield, Luigi Villoresi and Raymond Sommer.
In 1948 a variation, the 4CLT/48 was produced. This was the car largely driven at World Championship events by the leading Maserati entrants and constructors but some 4CL models were still present. A later model which also featured in Formula 1 was the 4CLT/50.
During 1950, the various versions of the Maserati 4CL were the most populist on the grid with its entrants starting 33 races from the six rounds they competed in.
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== 4CL ==
As the 1930's arrived, motorsport started getting more competitive and the Maserati brothers looked to build a replacement of their 6CM model that had enjoyed GP racing success. The cars to beat were the Alfa Romeo 158 and ERA when Maserati launched the new 4CL.
The car had a new inline-4 engine, an improvement of up to 50bhp on the predecessor with a more powerful supercharger. Wider and Lower due to a new suspension layout and Lighter with more aluminium parts, the car was superior to the 6CM.
With star driver Luigi Villoresi, the 4CL took pole position on its debut at the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes brand new W165, but all four of the new Maseratis retired with engine troubles. However, two races later, privateer Johnnie Wakefield picked up the car's first victory at the Naples GP. Two more wins were achieved by Wakefield and the factory cars picked up another two before the outbreak of war.
After the war, the Maserati's went through a period of dominance in the absence of the German cars with wins from Luigi Villoresi, Tazio Nuvolari and Giorgio Pelassa but it was in the hands of Frenchman Raymond Sommer that the car was at its most formidable in 1946.
1947 would prove even more successful despite Alfa Romeo fielding the revamped 158, Maserati drivers picking up 10 individual race victories.
In 1948 the Maserati factory team, Oficine Alfieri Maserati and leading Maserati teams switched to the new 4CLT/48, selling their 4CL's to yet more privateer teams and entrants.
==Variants==
===Model 1585===
The model was ordered for Enrico Platé in April 1947 to which it was subsequently used by a number of drivers in Grand Prix events over the following two years. In 1949, Platé sold this chassis to Joe Fry whom competed in the car at the 1949 Goodwood Trophy, 1949 BRDC International Trophy and the 1950 British Grand Prix. After Fry's death at the Blandford Hillclimb, the car passed to Duncan Hamilton and Philip Fotheringham-Parker.
The car subsequently was retired from active racing after five seasons and would eventually be used in historic racing by various British owners. Since 2007, the car resides in the Tubingen Motor Museum in Germany.
== 4CLT/48 ==
In 1947 Maserati started experimenting with a 4CLs and a feature from this experimental car was brought to the new 4CLT/48. T denotes the new innovation, a Tubular Chasis and 48 denotes 1948.
The new car produced 260BHP, an increase in 40BHP from the previous model, brought by the introduction of a Twin-Supercharger. The 4CLT/48 was sometimes refered to as the Sanremo, after winning at the circuit on its debut. Alberto Ascari's victory at the 1948 Sanremo Grand Prix was followed by wins for Reg Parnell and Luigi Villoresi. The car took six wins in 1948 and was also notable for being the car that Juan Manuel Fangio raced in his early European racing career.
The race winning form continued into 1949 with victories at 9 of the first 15 races of the season including Toulo de Graffenried winning at the 1949 British Grand Prix but the rest of the season saw a resurgence from the Ferrari and Talbot-Lago teams.
In 1950 the World Championship was launched and the hugely upgraded Alfa Romeo 158 and relaunched the factory team. In reaction to this Maserati fitted bigger superchargers to their car, bringing the pre-war design up to 280BHP and shed some weight but the performance was not there. The season's only Formula One wins came in non-Championship events. whilst The Milano team modified a 4CLT for use in 1950 and 1951, but without success.
In 1951, Prince Bira relaunched his own team and modified his 4CLT/48 to accept a naturally aspirated OSCA V12 engine. This engine developed around 300 bhp and won the Goodwood race early in the season, but in its only World Championship appearance, at the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix, it retired on the first lap.
The 4CLT/48's best Grand Prix result was achieved by Louis Chiron at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix, surviving the first lap incident, the Monegasque driver brought his car home 3rd.
== 4CLT/50 ==
The 4CLT/50 was a version of the 4CLT/48 car with an enlarged 1.719cc engine, designed to be competed in Argentina, when they returned to Europe they were converted back to the Formula 1 World Championship specification and were used in 1950 by the Scuderia Milano team in two rounds.
The team also used the Maserati-Milano, a modified version of the car at the 1950 Italian Grand Prix with tuned engine and shorter wheelbase.
==Race Victories==
Year	Event	Driver	Notes
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
==Complete Formula One Results==
Entrant 	Chassis	Engine 	Tyre	Drivers 	1 	2	3	4 	5 	6	7 	8 	9
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Officine Alfieri Maserati 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Chiron 	 	 	 	9th 	 	 	 	 	
Officine Alfieri Maserati 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Rol 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Ambrosiana 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Murray 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Ambrosiana 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Hampshire 	9th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Ambrosiana 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Parnell 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	de Graffenried 	 	 	 	6th 	 	 	6th	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Bira 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Joe Fry 	4CL 	4CL 1.5 L4s 	 	Fry 	10th†	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Joe Fry 	4CL 	4CL 1.5 L4s 	 	Shawe-Taylor 	10th†	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Achille Varzi 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	González 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Achille Varzi 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Piàn 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Achille Varzi 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Pagani 	 	 	 	7th 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Achille Varzi 	4CL 	4CL 1.5 L4s 	 	Branca 	 	 	 	11th	 	 	 	 	
Antonio Branca 	4CL 	4CL 1.5 L4s 	 	Branca 	 	 	 	 	10th	 	 	 	
Scuderia Milano 	4CLT/50	1.5 L4s 	 	Bonetto 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Milano 	4CLT/50	1.5 L4s 	 	Comotti 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Paul Pietsch 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Pietsch 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Chiron 	7th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Schell 	12th 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	de Graffenried 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Pietsch 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Milano 	4CLT/50	1.5 L4s 	 	Marimón 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Milano 	4CLT/50	1.5 L4s 	 	Godia-Sales 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	10th	
Scuderia Milano 	4CLT/50	1.5 L4s 	 	Jover 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scuderia Ambrosiana 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Murray 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
John James 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	James 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Philip Fotheringham-Parker	4CL 	4CL 1.5 L4s 	 	Fotheringham-Parker	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Antonio Branca 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Branca 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Birabongse Bhanudej 	4CLT/48	4500 4.5 V12	 	Bira 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	de Graffenried 	6th 	 	 	† 	19th	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Schell 	 	 	 	† 	17th	 	 	 	
Enrico Platé 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Crespo 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Fadely-Anderson/R.A. Cott 	4CLT/48	4.5 L4 	 	Forberg 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Fadely-Anderson/R.A. Cott 	4CLT/48	4.5 L4 	 	Webb 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Morgan Engineering 	4CLT/48	4CLT 1.5 L4s	 	Kladis 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
*† Indicates shared driving.
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