Five of the six Maserati brothers — Alfieri (1887–1932), Bindo (1883–1980), Carlo (1881–1910), Ettore (1894–1990), and Ernesto (1898–1975) — were involved in automobiles from the early twentieth century. Alfieri, Bindo, and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for the Turin-based Diatto company before founding the Maserati marque after Diatto suspended race car production in 1926. One of the earliest Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Mario Maserati, the brother who chose an artistic career, designed the trident logo in 1926, inspired by the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore. Alfieri Maserati died in 1932 from injuries sustained in an earlier racing accident, but Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore continued operating the firm.
In 1937, the remaining brothers sold their shares to the Adolfo Orsi family, who moved the company headquarters to Modena in 1940. Racing successes continued under the new ownership. At the Indianapolis 500, Maserati achieved back-to-back victories in 1939 and 1940 when Wilbur Shaw drove the Maserati 8CTF (known as the Boyle Special), making Maserati the only Italian manufacturer ever to win that race. During World War II, the company abandoned car production to manufacture components for the Italian war effort.
Post-war, Maserati resumed competition with the A6 series. Engineers including Giulio Alfieri, Vittorio Bellentani, and Gioacchino Colombo joined the firm. The Maserati 250F became one of the most celebrated Formula One cars of the 1950s; Juan Manuel Fangio drove it to the 1957 Formula One World Championship, one of the most dramatic title victories of the era. Sports car programmes in the 1950s included the 200S, 300S, and 450S, followed by the Tipo 61 Birdcage in 1961. Maserati withdrew from factory racing in 1957 following the Guidizzolo tragedy during the Mille Miglia, though it continued supplying cars to privateer teams.
The 1957 Maserati 3500 GT marked a decisive shift toward series-produced grand tourers. It was the marque's first ground-up GT design and first car made in volume, with over 2,200 produced. Chief engineer Giulio Alfieri developed its inline-six from the 350S race engine. Subsequent models included the Quattroporte saloon (1963), the Ghia-designed Ghibli coupé (1967), and various derivatives. In 1968, French automaker Citroën took over Maserati and funded development of several new models, including the mid-engined Bora (1971), but the 1973 oil crisis devastated demand for performance cars and led Citroën to place Maserati in liquidation in 1975.
The Italian government intervened to prevent closure, and Argentinian industrialist Alejandro de Tomaso took control in 1975 with support from state holding company GEPI. During the 1980s, the twin-turbocharged Biturbo family dominated production and sold 40,000 units, though reliability issues damaged the brand's reputation. Fiat acquired full ownership in 1993. In 1997, Fiat sold a 50 percent share to Ferrari, and by 1999 Ferrari had taken full control, treating Maserati as its luxury division. Under Ferrari, a new factory was built and quality improved substantially. The Maserati MC12 GT racer, based on the Ferrari Enzo platform, won the FIA GT Championship three consecutive times from 2005 to 2007. From 2005, Maserati was separated from Ferrari and partnered with Alfa Romeo within the Fiat group structure.
Maserati expanded its model range significantly in the 2010s, adding the Levante SUV (its first), the Ghibli saloon, and updates to the Quattroporte. The MC20, a mid-engined sports car with a 3-litre V6 producing 630 horsepower, debuted in 2020. Following the formation of Stellantis in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, Maserati announced plans to produce electric versions of all its models under the Folgore sub-brand. The GranTurismo returned in 2022 in both combustion and electric Folgore forms.