Carlo Maserati (1881 in

Voghera The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera ( Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy. The population was 39,374 ...

– 1910) was an Italian bicycle and automotive engineer, and the eldest of the Maserati Brothers. His engineering career started in a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

factory in Affori, near

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, where he developed a one-cylinder

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

for

motorized bicycle A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-power ...

s. The engine went into production at Marquis

Michele Carcano Michele Carcano Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M. Obs. (Michael de Carcanis de Mediolano) (Lomazzo, 1427- 20 March 1484) was an Italian Franciscan preacher. He is known for his part in founding the montes pietatis banking system, with Bernardine of Fe ...

Anzano del Parco Anzano del Parco ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about southeast of Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum C ...

s factory, using a

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

strap as transmission. Carlo was engaged as a racer of these bicycles, winning the Brescia-Orzinuovi (1899), Brescia-Cremona-Mantua-Verona-Brescia and Padova-Bovolenta (1900).Diatto and the Maserati brothers
/ref> Carcanos factory ended in 1901, and Carlo worked as test driver for

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

(1901–1903), then as test driver and mechanic at

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...

(1903) where he was joined by brother

Alfieri Maserati Alfieri Maserati (23 September 1887 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for establishing and leading the Maserati racing car manufacturer with the other Maserati Brothers. Maserati was born in Voghera. In 1903 he and his ...

. He moved to work on automobiles for

Bianchi (motorcycles) Bianchi motorcycles were made from 1897 to 1967 by F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A., a company which today is a major Italian bicycle manufacturer, and who also produced automobiles from 1900 to 1939. Edoardo Bianchi started his bicycle manufact ...

(1907), where he raced the

Coppa Florio The Coppa Florio (or Florio Cup) was a motorsport race for automobiles first held in Italy in 1900. It was renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50,000 Lira prize money and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The cup was to be aw ...

(9th) and the

Kaiserpreis The Kaiserpreis (german: Emperor's Prize) auto race, named after Emperor Wilhelm II, was held in 1907. Like his brother's Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt held from 1908 to 1911, it was a precursor to the German Grand Prix. As Camille Jenatzy had won the Gordo ...

, before becoming manager of the Junior car company (1908). At Junior, he hired his brother

Ettore Maserati Ettore Maserati (1894 – 4 August 1990) was an Italian automotive engineer, one of five brothers who founded the Maserati firm in Bologna 1914. He was born in Voghera. His oldest brother Carlo Maserati brought him to the Junior car manufacturer ...

. Carlo died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

(1910) and his brothers established

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

(1914).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maserati, Carlo Carlo Maserati people Italian automotive engineers Italian automotive pioneers 1881 births 1910 deaths People from Voghera Formula One people Italian founders of automobile manufacturers