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The liveliness which pervaded Maserati’s technical office, in 1952, was hiding a wide program of intervention, whose execution was scheduled in short times. It took origin from the A6GCM single-seater, programming its natural evolutions of a sport car and, in a medium time, of a granturismo, with the intent to give strength to the slack mass-production. In the same way, the race two-seater, was hypothesized as the natural and necessary review of the A6GCS, of which it would have maintained the denomination, that can be integrated, for practical reason with "/’53", just to distinguish it from the previous model. This name has to be considered as improper, since, in the plant, the car was mostly known as "Sport 2000". But, calling it with that name would be straining, because the car lived and survived only as A6GCS. After the chassis n° 2019 and 2039, considered as intermediate models between the two series, only for the fact of adopting a DOHC engine, this technical choice had been the base of the new version, which, even maintaining the numeration of the recent 2 liters, was globally meeting the concepts expressed by Mr. Gioachino Colombo, chief of the project, in the transition period, between 1952 and the spring of 1953. The key of the operation had been the use of the same 6 cylinders engine of the one-seater model, in a short stroke version (mm 76.5 x 72), appropriately adapted to the requirements of category of cars used in endurance races, often used in those difficult street routes, typical of the Italian tradition. The adaptation regarded, most of all, the drastic reduction of the compression rate, which went over the 9:1 value, only in the engine which, from June 1953, equipped the n°2086 car used by the Centro-Sud Team. Besides prudential reasons, it was a choice imposed by the use of a commercial fuel, while for the one-seater a particular mixture had been adopted. This was one of the reasons of the 30-hp power reduction, with a rotation regime that had to be considered restful for that mechanism, projected for higher efforts. Probably this had been one of the fundamental reasons of the reliability and longevity of the car. Another less-important variant, regarded the running of the engine. While in the one-seater car there were exclusively two magnets, this solution had been adopted only on 5 exemplars of the sport model. Commonly, as a first equipment, was preferred a mixed solution, or, even simplier, the use of two coil ignitions. As it was foreseen, part of the power suppressed, had been absorbed by the power of the dynamo, through double a gum belt. In the same way, the starter placed on the opposite side of the engine, betrayed the road destination of the car. The chassis was made of a classical tubular structure, without anything particularly innovative. Most of its production was committed to Gilco, but some exemplars had been made directly by Maserati. As on the preceding version of the A6 GCS, there were independent wheels on the front suspension and an unbending axle as rear bridge. A part for its orthodoxy, the entire design seemed more neat, and could be seen the resort of stabilizing bars to reduce the excessive rolling. Moreover, the rear axle scheme was inspired by the more recent one, introduced on the one-seater, with triangular anchorage and semicantilever leaf springs made of 12 sheets, 4-5 mm thick. The braking system had constant characteristics, with big drums of 328x60 mm on the front and 290x50 mm on the back, with Fren-doo Ferodo friction material and functioning scheme derived from the evolutive experience of the 250 F one-seater. Provided the modest reserves, provoked by the behavior of the car on wet road, the A6GCS benefited from the power of the self-blocking differential, now and then introduced since the n° 2062. All these things have been significant that, while projecting, it hadn’t been given evidence to the necessity to confer a good general equilibrium and driving docility to the car, looking for that commercial success which awarded, in the past, all the low displacement car mad by Maserati. Besides it’s inner qualities, part of the commercial success of the A6 GCS, had been given by the harmony of the bodywork, designed by Colombo, which Fantuzzi before, and Fiandri after, interpreted in a magisterial way. Its salient characteristic was the line of the central body, low and flattened, perfectly joined to the prominent gibbosity of the fenders. Practically, the car was one of the most successful technical and stylistic examples of the Italian school in the sport cars field. This renewed approach of Maserati to the specific sector, in a complete state of turmoil because of the spur given by the world brand championship, had been only the starting point towards higher displacements. That’s the reason why the A6GCS had been automatically confined in the role of typical commercial car, which limited its possible development. The only particular which had been subjected to modification was the front air intake grid. The original one, which perpetuated the typical scheme of the house, with a forcedly flat design and a series of vertical small bars, had been occasionally substituted with a big trident, variously framed in an oval or in a lozenge. Other detailed variations regarded the small windbreak in Plexiglas, which had different horizontal development, the not very frequent closing of the second seat with a banal peace of plate, the generalized mounting of two fog lamps, together with the big Marchal lamps, the brand and type of the instruments on board, normally characterized by a wonderful mechanical revolution counter with a blue-background, made by Jager. After the positive debut, at the Italian races in the spring of 1953, the activity of the A6 GCS went on in each direction with a growing success, and contributed to the forming of a new generation of drivers, asserting itself as a car that answered perfectly to the needs of the moment. For its universally recognized qualities, the car represented the best way of expression for lots of independent drivers and private racing teams, so much that its golden age went beyond the appearance of the 200S, which, being its direct heir, was potentially more qualified. The market success is emphasized by a production of 52 exemplars, and some more engines, for all the limitations imposed to the production cycle, by an expansionistic policy towards a more and more evolved technical key. Near the mass-produced spider, which integrally created the success of the model, some variants had been made. In rigorous order of importance are, the three Pininfarina’s car, the spider n°2054, made by Frua, and the n°2049 that Tony Parravano commissioned to Alfredo Vignale. Subsequently fit by Scaglietti in Modena, it ended its career in Austria with the driver Rudi Grimas |
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