Maserati is marking 2026 as one of its most symbolically loaded years in recent memory, with the centenary of the Trident badge coinciding with 100 years since the marque’s first major racing victory.
The overlap is more than coincidence in brand terms. It ties identity, competition and design back to a single origin point that continues to shape how the company presents itself today.
The story returns to April 25 1926 when Alfieri Maserati drove the Tipo 26 to victory in class at the Targa Florio, finishing eighth overall. It was a formative result for a young manufacturer defining its place in motorsport. Crucially it was also the first appearance of the Trident emblem on a competition car, a symbol that would go on to become inseparable from Maserati’s identity on road and track.
The company is framing the anniversary under the banner “100 Years of the Trident”, with the word “Ride” emphasised as a nod to the driving experience that has long defined Maserati’s positioning between sport and refinement.
Across 2026, that milestone will be reflected in everything from global brand events and concours appearances to product showcases and cultural activations. A new communication campaign will thread through these moments, drawing on key models from the brand’s history to chart its evolution.
The centenary has also been formally recognised by Italy’s ministry of enterprises and Made in Italy, which issued a commemorative stamp dedicated to the Trident, underlining its status as an exportable symbol of Italian industrial design and heritage.
Santo Ficili, Maserati’s COO, placed the anniversary in broader context. “The Trident embodies the most authentic soul of Maserati,” he said.
“Born on the racetrack in 1926, it carries with it the legacy of a company that learnt to build cars in pursuit of tenths of a second — an invaluable heritage made up of racing victories, iconic models and technical milestones that the women and men of Maserati preserve and renew every day.”
This year also marks 112 years since the company’s founding, reinforcing its position as the longest-standing name in Italy’s Motor Valley.
The Trident itself has undergone a number of evolutions since its first appearance on the Tipo 26. Originally a simple rectangular badge, it soon shifted in the early 1930s to the now-familiar oval form, inspired by Bologna’s Fountain of Neptune, near Maserati’s original workshop. Over time it moved through different iterations, including a gold-background version in the 1980s and a redesign in 1997 that aligned with a broader brand relaunch.
The most recent update arrived with the MC20 in 2020, part of what Maserati calls its “New Era”. That redesign refined proportions, softened the side points of the Trident and reduced visual weight, moving towards a cleaner palette dominated by white and deep “Blu Maserati”.
To accompany the centenary, Maserati is also rolling out a new campaign that draws a direct line between past and present. A short film brings together historic models such as the Tipo 26, Ghibli and MC12 with contemporary cars including the GranTurismo Trofeo, Grecale Trofeo and MCXtrema.
The narrative begins at the Targa Florio pits and moves into a more abstract landscape where heritage and future design coexist. In a striking visual motif, tyre tracks traced across a salt desert gradually form the shape of a giant Trident when seen from above.
The film combines 3D animation and artificial intelligence, and is underscored by an original score. It also features a recreated voice of Maria Teresa De Filippis, the first woman to compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, who raced a Maserati 250F in 1958. The closing line, “A Century of Stories, Signed with One Symbol”, anchors the campaign’s reflective tone.
Alongside this, Maserati has also revisited its heritage through a 10-part video series released ahead of the anniversary, each episode dedicated to a decade of the brand’s history and narrated by figures connected to its past, beginning with Mario Maserati.
Wanted
