Italy · Original 1.5-litre competition specification · 1926

Maserati Tipo 26

The first racing car to wear the Maserati name arrived with a supercharged straight-eight and won its class on its very first outing.

Racing cars

The source identifies an exact 1926 Maserati Tipo 26, chassis 11, photographed at the Bologna Flying Kilometre on June 13, 1926. It is a historical competition photograph rather than a modern museum view.

Historical exterior side/front view in competition · Photo shows The source identifies an exact 1926 Maserati Tipo 26, chassis 11, photographed at the Bologna Flying Kilometre on June 13, 1926. It is a historical competition photograph rather than a modern museum view.. Exact year and model; individual mechanical state is not established from the photograph.
1926 Maserati Tipo 26 at the Bologna Flying Kilometre · Unknown photographer · Public domain

Auction-based estimated value

Research pending

A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.

A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Alfieri Maserati developed the Tipo 26 during the winter of 1925–26 from ideas he had explored at Diatto. Its name simply marked its birth year, but its April 1926 Targa Florio debut made history: Alfieri drove and Guerino Bertocchi rode beside him as mechanic, and the new marque won the up-to-1,500 cc class. This page keeps the original 1.5-litre, three-speed specification separate from later four-speed updates and the larger 26B.

Look a little closer.

The Tipo 26's badge carried the trident inspired by Bologna's Fountain of Neptune—so the first Maserati was already wearing the symbol the brand still uses today.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

A winning debut, but not an overall victory

The Tipo 26 won the Targa Florio class for cars up to 1,500 cc on April 25, 1926. Period summaries differ on whether it was eighth or ninth overall, so Joyride records the class result confidently and does not turn it into an overall race win.

Source: Autoappassionati · Maserati Tipo 26 centenary history ↗

Why the exact year matters

Maserati progressively changed the Tipo 26 and later built the visually similar 2.0-litre Tipo 26B. This page uses the 1926 1,492 cc engine and original three-speed gearbox, not the four-speed update or the 26B's larger engine.

Source: Tipo 26 register · original model record ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.

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