Maserati 4CLT
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| Category | Voiturette / Formula One | ||
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| Constructor | Maserati | ||
| Designer(s) | Ernesto Maserati | ||
| Technical specifications | |||
| Chassis | Light alloy ladder | ||
| Suspension (front) | Independent, torsion springs and friction dampers | ||
| Suspension (rear) | Live axle, leaf springs and friction dampers | ||
| Axle track | F: 1,250 mm (49.2 in) R: 1,276 mm (50.2 in) |
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| Wheelbase | 2,500 mm (98.4 in) | ||
| Engine | Maserati 1,491 cc (91 cu in) straight-4, single-stage supercharger, front-mounted | ||
| Transmission | Maserati 4-speed manual | ||
| Tyres | Pirelli | ||
| Competition history | |||
| Notable entrants |
Officine Alfieri Maserati Scuderia Platé Scuderia Milano Scuderia Ambrosiana |
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| Notable drivers |
 Johnnie Wakefield Luigi Villoresi Toulo de Graffenried Reg Parnell B. Bira Pierre Levegh Louis Chiron Giuseppe Farina Juan Manuel Fangio Maurice Trintignant Tazio Nuvolari Raymond Sommer
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| Debut | 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix | ||
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| Category | Voiturette / Formula One | ||
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| Constructor | Maserati | ||
| Designer(s) |
Ernesto Maserati Alberto Massimino Vittorio Bellentani Arialdo Ruggieri |
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| Technical specifications | |||
| Chassis | Light alloy tubular ladder | ||
| Suspension (front) | Independent, coil springs and hydraulic dampers | ||
| Suspension (rear) | Live axle, leaf springs and hydraulic dampers | ||
| Axle track | F: 1,250 mm (49.2 in) R: 1,200 mm (47.2 in) |
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| Wheelbase | 2,500 mm (98.4 in) | ||
| Engine | Maserati 1491 cc straight-4, two-stage supercharger, front-mounted | ||
| Transmission | Maserati 4-speed manual | ||
| Tyres | Pirelli / Ernesto / Dunlop | ||
| Competition history | |||
| Notable entrants |
Officine Alfieri Maserati Scuderia Platé Scuderia Ambrosiana Scuderia Achille Varzi Automóvil Club Argentino Scuderia Milano |
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| Notable drivers |
Luigi Villoresi Reg Parnell Toulo de Graffenried Juan Manuel Fangio Louis Chiron B. Bira Harry Schell Giuseppe Farina
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| Debut | 1948 Sanremo Grand Prix | ||
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The Maserati 4CL and its derived sister model the Maserati 4CLT are single-seat racing cars that were designed and built by Maserati. The 4CL was introduced at the beginning of the 1939 season, as a rival to the Alfa Romeo 158 and various ERA models in the voiturette class of international Grand Prix motor racing. Although racing ceased during World War II, the 4CL was one of the front running models at the resumption of racing in the late 1940s. Experiments with two-stage supercharging and tubular chassis construction eventually led to the introduction of the revised 4CLT model in 1948. The 4CLT was steadily upgraded and updated over the following two years, resulting in the ultimate 4CLT/50 model, introduced for the inaugural year of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. In the immediate post-war period, and the first two years of the Formula One category, the 4CLT was the car of choice for many privateer entrants, leading to numerous examples being involved in most races during this period.
In the late 1930s, continued rapid development in the increasingly competitive international voiturette class, and the introduction of the Alfa Romeo 158 and ERA B- and C-type models, forced the Maserati brothers into designing a new, square-bore, inline-4-cylinder engine. This new engine developed 30–50 bhp more than the previous inline-6, the increase mostly achieved through an increase to four valves per cylinder, coupled to the use of a more powerful supercharger and a small increase in the compression ratio. Following customary Maserati practice, the engine was mounted into a chassis design almost identical to that of the 4CL's predecessor: the Maserati 6CM. Conventional in its architecture, twin box-section spars ran the length of the car joined, ladder-fashion, by smaller cross members, although the 4CL design did incorporate more aluminium componentry than its forebear. Although near-identical in its wheelbase, the 4CL's track was a full 5 cm (1.97 in) wider than the 6CM, and sat lower thanks to repositioned spring hangers.
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Wikipedia