Heat & light

The Maserati A6G/54 is a thinly disguised racer with just enough civility for the road - beautifully wrapped in ultra-lightweight Zagato bodywork. Peter Tomalin is treated to a rare thrill 

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Maserati and Zagato.

Two of the most revered and storied names in our small corner of the universe. Both have suffered the odd misfire, but at the peaks of their powers they had an aura and an ability to inspire desire like few others. And when their talents converged in the mid-’S0s, the results were little short of transcendental. The masterpiece you see here is a Maserati A6G/54 Zagato, and I think I might be in love.

The A6 series was the first fruit of Maserati’s post-war flowering. The earliest cars were pure racers but the series evolved and expanded to include GT cars, of which the A6G/54 signifying the year of its introduction) was the ultimate evolution. A mere 63 were built, and various coachbuilders clothed the rolling chassis produced by Maserati. They included Frua and Allemano, but the Zagato berlinettas are and were especially valued for their streamlined forms and low weight always the two key Zagato traits). Many were raced in-period on such events as the Tour de France and Giro de Sicilia while doubling as road cars.