Firefighting Elegance: The Maserati Quattroporte F1 Firetruck Saga

Recently, we discovered that five Maserati Quattroporte Series II from the first generation were transformed into pickups to act as support vehicles for the 1967 Formula One Italian Grand Prix. 

Not only were they transformed into pickups, but also into firetrucks, and one of them is going for auction with Artcurial on February 2. The controversial idea of transforming the vehicles appears to belong to CEA, an Italian fire extinguisher manufacturer, who hired Italian coachbuilder Grazia to build it. 

However, Grazia didn’t modify the chassis; he cut off the B-pillar back and turned it into a two-door pickup, making it look like an Australian ute.

Therefore, we think it’s more of a dueporte. 

What initially was a luxurious back seat became storage for a fire extinguisher, a pump, a two-handed water cannon, and a water reserve. 

Despite this, the rest of the Quattroporte remains untouched. The vehicle continues to sport a 4.7-liter V8 under its long hood, producing 260 hp, helped by a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. The black steelies probably weren’t factory options but should’ve been. 

All five Maserati firetrucks were sold out after their service at the F1 and have changed owners several times since then. 

The estimated sale for an F1 firetruck version reaches up to 270,000 USD, as rarity is its grandest piece of jewelry. In the late 1960s, only around 500 first-gen Maserati Quattroporte Series II sedans were built. 

Despite its rarity, the Maserati Quattroporte F1 firetruck is simply a cool truck. Its peculiar amalgamation of words—both function and style—makes it almost impossible not to fall in love with it.