From Bologna to the World: The Hundred-Year Story of the Most Legendary Badge in Motorsport

Some symbols are designed in boardrooms. Others are forged in competition, shaped by speed, ambition, and the unrelenting pursuit of victory. The Maserati Trident belongs firmly in the second category. One hundred years after it made its debut on the starting grid of the Targa Florio, the Trident remains one of the most recognized and revered emblems in the entire automotive world. 

In 2026, we celebrate not just a logo, but a living legacy that has defined Italian excellence for a full century here at Jim Butler Maserati of St. Louis. 

A Legend Born on April 25, 1926

The story begins in Sicily, at one of the most demanding road races ever contested. On April 25, 1926, Alfieri Maserati climbed behind the wheel of the Tipo 26 and drove it to first place in class and eighth overall at the Targa Florio. It was the first competitive victory in Maserati history, and it arrived wearing a badge the world had never seen before.

The Trident made its official debut on that very car, on that very day. The Trident did more than simply decorate a vehicle. It was a declaration of intent from a brand that had been built from the ground up with one purpose in mind: to compete and to win. That first victory was the opening line of a racing story that would go on to fill volumes.

The Trident itself had begun taking shape a year earlier, in 1925, when Mario Maserati, the only artist among the Maserati brothers and the only one not directly involved in the automotive side of the business, created the first drawing of the emblem now preserved in the Maserati archives in Modena. His inspiration came from the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, located just steps from the family’s first workshop and a symbol deeply woven into the identity of the city.

A Racing Legacy Without Equal

What followed that first Targa Florio victory was one of the most extraordinary competitive histories any automotive brand has ever written. Maserati went on to claim back to back victories at the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940, a feat that announced the Trident’s arrival on the global stage of motorsport. Four consecutive Targa Florio victories between 1937 and 1940 further cemented the brand’s dominance on some of the most challenging roads in the world.

In Formula 1, Maserati collected nine race victories and the ultimate prize: the 1957 Formula 1 World Championship, claimed by the incomparable Juan Manuel Fangio behind the wheel of the legendary 250F. Decades later, the MC12 brought the Trident back to the winner’s circle in GT competition, claiming six international FIA GT championships between 2005 and 2010. Since 2023, the Maserati GT2 has continued that tradition, eligible to compete in more than 20 championships around the world and reminding a new generation of motorsport fans exactly what the Trident stands for.

The Maserati Trident: An Evolution of an Icon

Over the course of a century, the Trident has evolved while always remaining unmistakably itself. The original badge that appeared on the Tipo 26 featured a rectangular design with a dark Trident on a light background. By the early 1930s, the brand had moved toward the oval shape that would become iconic, adopting the red and blue colors of the city of Bologna and establishing a visual identity that would remain largely stable for more than four decades.

In 1980, a version featuring a gold background was introduced across the production lineup. A further redesign in 1997 marked a new chapter in the brand’s evolution. The most recent and perhaps most significant transformation arrived with the launch of the MC20 in 2020, which inaugurated what Maserati calls the New Era. 

The contemporary Trident is more refined and more dynamic than any previous version, with carefully considered proportions, rounded side arrows for greater visual continuity, and a palette reduced to white and the deep, lacquered Blu Maserati. The result is a symbol that honors its origins while looking unmistakably forward.

A Campaign Worthy of the Anniversary

To mark one hundred years of the Trident, Maserati has launched a campaign as bold and emotionally resonant as the legacy it celebrates. The centerpiece is a cinematic video that brings the brand’s past and present into conversation through a carefully chosen cast of iconic vehicles. The Tipo 26, the Ghibli, and the MC12 represent the heritage that built the legend. The GranTurismo Trofeo, the Grecale Trofeo, and the MCXtrema carry that spirit forward into the present day.

The visual journey begins at the Targa Florio pit lane, where the historic cars set off before entering a new dimension where past meets future. From the dust of history, the contemporary models emerge across a vast salt desert, their tracks combining from above to trace the shape of a giant Trident. 

The film blends three-dimensional animation and artificial intelligence to achieve a visual quality that matches the gravity of the occasion, accompanied by a specially composed soundtrack and closed with the line: “A Century of Stories, Signed with One Symbol.”

Perhaps the most moving element of the campaign is its narrator. The campaign employs artificial intelligence to bring the voice of Maria Teresa De Filippis back to life. She was the first woman to qualify for and compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, doing so at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Maserati 250F. Her presence in the film is a tribute to one of the most remarkable chapters in the brand’s history and a reminder that the Trident has always represented something larger than automotive achievement.

The Trident: A Stamp of Italian Excellence

Recognition of the Trident’s cultural significance has come from the highest levels of Italian institutional life. The Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy recently dedicated an official postage stamp to the centenary of the Maserati logo, presented at a ceremony held at Palazzo Piacentini in Rome. The stamp’s graphic design was created by Centro Stile Maserati and refined by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, placing the contemporary Trident in visual dialogue with its earliest iterations from 1926.

Distributed by Poste Italiane for everyday use and the collectors’ market, the stamp is accompanied by a dedicated philatelic folder. It is a fitting tribute to a symbol that has represented Italian craftsmanship, performance, and elegance in more than 70 markets around the world for an entire century.

One Hundred Years Strong and Still Moving Forward

The Trident did not become a legend by standing still. It was carried forward by the hands of engineers and designers, by the courage of drivers who pushed it to its limits on the most demanding circuits in the world, and by the vision of a brand that has never stopped reaching for what comes next. In 2026, as Maserati also celebrates 112 years since its founding, the Trident stands as proof that true excellence does not diminish with time. It deepens.

For anyone who has ever felt the pull of the Trident, this centenary is more than a milestone. Join a story that continues to unfold today. At Jim Butler Maserati, that story is available to experience firsthand. Come in, get behind the wheel of the current lineup, and discover what one hundred years of Italian excellence feels like on the open road.

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