Tipo 26R

The short-lived Grand Prix formula of 1928 permitted a unlimited choice of engine displacement as long as the dry weight of the car was between 550 and 750 kg. Alfieri took the alloy cylinder block of the 2.0-litre Tipo 26B and fitted shorter connecting rods with roller bearings, hence the R designation, arriving at 1.7 litres and 140 bhp. Inspiration came from a Bugatti Type 35 that Bartolomeo Costantini had parked in the Maserati workshop overnight; while Alfieri took its owner to the cafés and bars of Bologna, Ernesto Maserati with his mechanics dismantled the French engine ...

The Tipo 26R was equipped with a narrow frame with a short 2.58 metres wheelbase and the engine was mounted offset to the left by 1 cm. Two body styles were tried, either with profiled tail or with Kamm-style tail. Dry weight of 720 kg - 380 kg on the front axle, 340 kg at the rear. Weight of the engine alone was 178 kg, plus 46 kg for the 3-speed gearbox. Top speed 200 kph (124 mph).

Two Tipo 26Rs were made: one as an experimental works car and a second one for Count Aymo Maggi of Milan. Both raced in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September 1928 where it turned out that the cars (which finished 5th and 6th) were the only entrants in regulation with the weight requirements ...