The Trident Marque. That’s how we refer to the Maserati brand, a lineage of cars that has endured now for more than a century. For long-time devotees, the trident is a symbol of Maserati’s three-pronged approach to building Italian sports cars: vivid driving experience, superior technology, and hand-crafted luxury. There are newer customers who might raise the question: Why is Maserati’s symbol a trident?
Maserati is headquartered in Modena, Italy, but that’s not where it was founded. Modena is home to the Orsi family, who took over the company in 1937. The original home of the manufacturer was Bologna, from whence the brothers Maserati hailed.
Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati started building cars in 1914, but they didn’t take up the trident as their logo until 1920. It was then that a family friend, Marquis Diego de Sterlich, suggested they borrow the symbol from the Fountain of Neptune at the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna. The trident would then tie their cars back to their home.
Neptune, or Poseidon in Greek reckoning, was the god of the ocean, and he is known to embody strength and vigor. The brothers considered this another excellent reason to use his trident as a symbol of their brand. The statue itself is made of bronze and was installed on the piazza during the mid-sixteenth century. It is mounted atop a fountain adorned with a number of other representations from Neptune’s coterie of the sea.
The staff at Maserati of Raleigh takes great pride in the history of our brand, so if you have other questions about the heritage of one of Italy’s greatest names, you need only ask. We would love to discuss what makes Maserati excellent in more detail during your next visit to our showroom on Capital Boulevard.
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