This was Maserati‘s all-conquering factory race car of the mid-1950s and, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful ever built. With its voluptuous bodywork designed by Fantuzzi and hand-formed by Modena-based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Fiandri & Malagoli, this 1954 Maserati A6GCS was a tour de force on race tracks across Europe in period.

Piloted by renowned Maserati works driver Luigi Musso (the Michael Schumacher of his day), it took first in its class at Italy’s grueling Giro delle Calabrie and Circuito di Senigallia, and later in Northern Ireland’s RAC Tourist Trophy competition. When the season was over, Maserati sold the car to Argentine amateur racer Ricardo Grandio in 1955 . Grandio continued its winning streak by finishing first in class at the Buenos Aires 1000 Kms. Fast-forward to this coming August, and the road-going Maserati racer is set to headline Broad Arrow‘s auction at the Quail, in Carmel, Calif., during Monterey Car Week.

“Here is a very desirable car from the golden era before race cars became true, track-only cars. It is a highly useable, very rewarding car to drive, that offers a sure golden ticket to the world’s best vintage rallies, like the Mille Miglia and Colorado Grand,” says Jakob Greisen, senior car specialist at Broad Arrow Auctions.

Arguably the most interesting part of the Maserati’s long life has been the past three decades, when it’s been a part of Nevada-based sports-car racer Dean Meiling’s collection. Acquiring the car in 1998, Meiling and the A6GCS have been regulars at key motoring events in the U.S. and Europe—everything from the 1,000-mile Colorado Grand road rally to the Mille Miglia Storica to the Monterey Historics. It was even used for hot laps during the race weekend for Formula 1’s 2005 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

During its showing at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it received the coveted Gran Turismo Trophy for best race car. And the fiery-red Maserati was back on the Pebble Beach lawn in 2024, as part of a Maserati display marking the Italian marque’s 110th anniversary. 

“For me, what makes the car so special, is that it was a true  “Works” car, most often piloted by Luigi Musso, who campaigned it throughout 1954, helping him be crowned champion of the Italian Two-Liter division, a rung on the ladder just below Formula 1,” Meiling tells Robb Report.

The car itself—identified by chassis No. 2078—was completed in March of 1954 and was the 25th of 52 examples of the A6GCS built by Maserati between 1953 and 1955. Underpinned by a robust tubular-steel chassis and wrapped in an open, two-seat body of flowing aluminum, the car is powered by Maserati’s 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated straight-six engine with triple Weber carbs. The power plant is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.

According to research by leading Maserati historian Adolfo Orsi, after the car’s successful 1955 season in Argentina, where it ended up being part of the Equipo Presidente Perón race team, it was sold to Alberto Gomez, a garage owner in Buenos Aires. Painted black with white stripes by that point, and past its competition prime, it eventually changed hands multiple times, mostly between friends of Gomez. One of them, Jorge Macome, reportedly had the car extensively restored.

In 1984, the Maserati was bought by Italian architect Paolo Dabbeni and shipped back to his home town of Brescia, Italy. In 1986, he entered the car in the Mille Miglia Storica, but it was retired on the first day. The following year, it was passed on to Italian industrialist Gianni Vitali, who had the car completely restored, and for six consecutive years—from 1987 to 1992—it took part in the Mille Miglia. It did so again in 1995.

It was Vitali who sold the car to Meiling in February of 1998. Meiling then shipped it back stateside and entered it in that year’s Colorado Grand rally. His own extensive research shows that, at some time while in Europe, the car’s original engine had been replaced by a replica built by Crosthwaite & Gardner, U.K.-based specialists in the restoration of historic race cars. It’s fitted with that engine today, but both the original and a second replica motor are part of the auction listing.

Meiling, who has driven the Maserati more than anyone in its 72-year history, explains that while the car was built for racing, it’s also comfortable for hours of driving on long-distance events like the Mille Miglia. “On open highways, the car never wanders, and through twisties, the handling is light—a finger-tip touch on the wheel is all you need,” says Meiling. “As with other cars of that era, you can drift it around tight corners with ease. In vintage race events, it’s an able competitor—even when up against younger cars, and always fun to drive.”

The Broad Arrow auction is Meiling’s second stab at finding a new owner for the car. At the RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale in 2019, the Maserati reached a high bid of $3.1 million, yet it failed to meet the reserve. According to Broad Arrow’s Greisen: “The Maserati’s incredible racing history as a Works car and its success in the hands of Luigi Musso make it a very significant collector car. Compared to increasingly expensive, more modern Italian sports cars, I see it as excellent value for money.” That monetary figure is now estimated at between $2.4 million and $2.9 million.

Click here for more photos of this 1954 Maserati A6GCS race car.