Some cars have gone down in history for legendary wins some for the innovations they introduced and some for the drivers who piloted them to victory. Others, meanwhile, have become veritable icons and tend to represented a unique story, a turning point in history; a social phenomenon or an event that stood by beyond the stands of the race track to ultimately define an era in time.

One such case was the Maserati “Eldorado”, which became famous in 1958 as the first single-seater car in Europe to be sponsored by a brand not linked to the world of motorsport. The brand was Eldorado, an ice-cream manufacturer. This was the first example of modern sponsorship, where the car was painted in the colours of the partner company, abandoning the traditional colour assigned to each country by the International Federation.

Maserati was commissioned to build the car by Gino Zanetti, owner of the Eldorado ice-cream company. Determined to promote his brand on the international stage, Zanetti turned to the House of the Trident to create a single-seater car to compete in the “Trofeo dei due Mondi” (Race of Two Worlds) at Monza: the Automobile Club d'Italia had organised a 500 Mile race at the circuit based on the Indianapolis 500, with top American drivers lining up alongside Europe’s cream of the crop.

The Maserati 420/M/58, chassis number 4203, was thus finished with a cream coloured livery, instead of Italian racing red. The name Eldorado was emblazoned in bold black lettering along the sides of the car, with two additional smaller logos on the nose and below the small deflector that acted as a windshield. The logo with the face of the smiling cowboy was positioned in the centre of the nose and on the sides of the rear fin. Below the two Eldorado brands on the sides, in bright racing red was “Italia”, denoting the nationality of the sponsor as well as that of the racing car manufacturer. The long silhouette of the “Eldorado” also bore the name of the driver chosen to race it in the “Monzanapolis”: Stirling Moss, one of the greatest drivers in the history of motor sports, and a former Maserati driver.

The engineer Giulio Alfieri created the “Eldorado” by deriving the engine from the V8 unit mounted in the 450S twin cam models. It had its displacement reduced to 4,190 cc, generating 410 hp at 8,000 rpm; both the engine and transmission were offset to the left by nine centimetres. The aim of this decision was to ensure a more balanced weight distribution. The gearbox had just two speeds while the De Dion rear axle had no differential. Inspiration for the tubular chassis was taken from the highly successful 250F, although it proved oversized compared to the latter. To reduce the weight, Halibrand magnesium wheels were used along with Firestone 18 inch braided tread tyres inflated with helium. With these adjustments, the car weighed in at 758 kg. The aluminium bodywork, hand crafted by Fantuzzi, was characterised by an aerodynamic vertical fin behind the cockpit and a front carburetor scoop.
 

On 29th June 1958, at the Monza track, the race was held in three parts to decide the final points table. This strategy was aimed at enticing European car manufacturers to enter with their own cars, which had not originally been designed to compete in such a long race, and one that was so mechanically arduous.

In the first race Moss finished 4th. In the second he stood 5th. In the final race, however, his steering broke and the Maserati slammed into the guard-rail, dashing the English driver’s hopes of finishing the race in third place overall. Taking the three races into account and the total number of laps completed, Moss took seventh place in the end. He walked away without any injuries from the crash and, all things considered, the “Eldorado” too suffered only limited damage, proving the value of its solid structure. Despite the success in terms of spectator numbers and entertainment value, the 500 Miles of Monza did not become a regular event on the racing calendar. Based on the findings from the race, the “Eldorado” was modified by the Gentilini bodywork shop, which removed the rear fin and reduced the hood scoop, after which the car was entered in the Indianapolis 500 in 1959.

This time it the car was finished in red, the colour denoting Italy in competitions, but still emblazoned with the Eldorado sponsor’s name in white lettering on the sides, as well as the cowboy logo in a white circle on the nose and tail. The inexperience of the gentleman-driver, Ralph Liguori, meant that the car failed to qualify, as it set the 36th fastest time. The Indy 500 race was dear to Maserati, which took victory in 1939 and 1940. Maserati is the only Italian car manufacturer to have won on the Indiana race track and the only European brand to have triumphed on two consecutive occasions.

The Maserati “Eldorado”, perfectly restored in its original white livery, is part of the Panini Collection, housed in Modena.