Rare Maserati an homage to first female F1 racer
BY PETER BARNWELL
AUSTRALIA will get but one of the rare Maserati F Tributo Levante special edition models that are available overseas in the Ghibli sedan and Levante SUV (pictured).
The local delivery Levante is in a Grigio (grey) colour with tan/orange interior. It will be priced at $235,000 plus on-road costs, with arrival scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.
The Australia-bound Levante F Tributo is based mechanically on the Modena S, its twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 producing 316kW and 580Nm, with a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds.
Maserati recently announced special edition F Tributo models that pay tribute to female Formula 1 pioneer Maria Teresa De Filippis.
De Filippis was the first woman to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix, wrangling a Maserati 250F, and was appropriately nicknamed “the she-devil” for her audacious driving style.
In a stunning tribute to the iconic racing driver, Maserati has launched the F Tributo in two distinct colours – Arancio Devil and Grigio Lamiera.
The Arancio Devil is a saturated orange, while Grigio Lamiera is a distinct grey, inspired “by the track” where Maserati forged its performance roots.
Bold colour choices aside, exterior changes include cobalt blue 21-inch Anteo wheels for the orange option or gloss black Titano wheels for the grey livery option.
While the special edition brings no tangible performance upgrades, the visual upgrades are both racy and appealing and a suitable homage to a driver who was both those things.
Mechanically, the F Tributo Special Editions of the Ghibli and the Levante remain identical to their regular counterparts.
Both models offer multiple engine options across different spec’ grades. The most powerful V8-powered Trofeo variants make 433kW/730Nm from a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8.
There are also twin-turbo V6 versions in different tunes, the GT with 243kW/450Nm, the Modena with 257kW/500Nm, and the Modena S with 316kW/580Nm.
As for De Filippis, she retired from racing shortly after the death of fellow driver and friend Jean Behra at the Avus circuit in Berlin in 1959.
The F Tributo models feature special badging, and interior colours that match the exterior flair, with unique stitching across the full-grain leather.
De Filippis was born in Naples in 1926, and by 1948 she was beating her male counterparts out on the racetrack.
At just 22 years of age, she won the 10km Salerno-Cava de ‘Tirreni, in the 500cc class of the touring car category, igniting her passion.
By 1954 she had moved on to an Osca 1100cc and took the win at the 12 Hours of Pescara, the Trullo d’Oro, the Catania-Etna, and the circuits of Caserta and Syracuse.
A fateful year for both De Filippis and Maserati was 1955, when she jumped into a Maserati 2000 A5GCS, in which she saw many wins, among them the Catania-Etna in record time.
In 1958, she pedalled a privately-owned Maserati 250F in her debut in the GP of Syracuse, then competing in her first Formula World Championship Gran Prix in Belgium.
She was the first woman to ever compete in Formula 1, and a tenacious pioneer of the sport, an important player across the history of the Maserati brand.
Her story of tenacity, courage and audacity is commemorated with the F Tributo, some 74 years after her racing debut.
Maria Teresa de Filippis died in 2016, yet her determination and accomplishments continue to be remembered, thanks in part to these stunning Maserati special editions.
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