The Fiat Bartoletti 642 was a masterpiece of practical Italian design, built on Fiat’s reliable 642 RN2 chassis and bodied by Bartoletti to carry multiple racing cars in a two-deck configuration. With its partially enclosed bodywork, loading ramps, and storage for spares and tools, the transporter was as much a workshop on wheels as it was a hauler. Painted in Maserati’s deep blue with bold yellow panels, it presented an image of professionalism and pride befitting the Modenese marque.
In 1957, this transporter was the workhorse of Maserati’s racing program, ferrying the legendary 250F Grand Prix cars to circuits across Europe. That season proved historic, as Juan Manuel Fangio secured his fifth and final World Championship at the wheel of a factory-entered 250F, while privateer entries swelled the grids with Maserati machinery. Photographs of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza show an astonishing fifteen 250Fs entered, with Maserati’s works cars arriving aboard the striking Bartoletti transporter. On track and in the paddock alike, Maserati projected an aura of excellence and style that few rivals could match.