Maserati Tipo 26C

The Maserati Tipo 26 C, also known as the 8C-1100 because it anticipated the later 8C designations, is a two-seat racing car that Maserati built from 1929 to 1930, and only four were made. To compete against the French cyclecars that dominated the small-capacity classes, the engine of the Tipo 26 was reduced to 1.1 litres by fitting nickel-steel liners to the Elektron alloy block, while keeping the stroke unchanged, giving an eight-cylinder in-line engine of 1,078.6 cc with two Roots compressors and 90 to 110 CV. Because it came from a larger model, the car weighed 150 kg more than its direct rival the Amilcar and 250 kg more than the Salmson, and in circuit trim it weighed 800 kg. It made its debut on 25 May 1930 at the Reale Premio di Roma, driven by Alfieri Maserati, and won its class, and in 1931 Giuseppe Tuffanelli won his class in the Mille Miglia. A road-racing version, the 26 C MM, weighed 880 kg.