Maserati Logo: Meaning, History and Evolution of the Trident

What Does the Maserati Logo Mean?

The Maserati logo shows a trident, the three-pronged spear of Neptune, taken from the statue of the sea god on the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, the city where Maserati was founded in 1914. The trident is associated with Neptune’s strength and vigor. The red and blue that the badge carried for most of its life are the colors of Bologna.

So the Maserati trident points to a place, the company’s home city, rather than to an abstract idea, and the word under it is simply the brothers’ surname. Readings such as “speed” or “perfection” do not come from Maserati (see the myths below). Other brands with this motif are on our list of car logos with tridents.

Why Is the Maserati Logo a Trident?

The Maserati logo is a trident because Mario Maserati modeled it on the Neptune statue in Bologna, a few hundred meters from the brothers’ first workshop.

The Fountain of Neptune in Bologna

The Fountain of Neptune stands at Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s main square; strictly speaking it sits on Piazza del Nettuno, which adjoins it. Tommaso Laureti designed the fountain, Giambologna sculpted the figure of Neptune, and the work was built between 1563 and 1566. The trident in the god’s hand is the element Mario turned into a badge.

Mario Maserati’s Drawing

Mario Maserati designed the trident. He was the family’s one artist and, unlike his brothers, had no direct role in the car business; he reportedly trained at the Brera Academy in Milan. Maserati dates Mario’s first drawing of the trident logo to 1925 and keeps it in its archives in Modena; many other sources say the idea goes back to around 1920. According to Wikipedia, a family friend, Marquis Diego de Sterlich, suggested the trident. Maserati’s own account does not mention him.

First Use: The Tipo 26, April 25, 1926

The trident made its debut on April 25, 1926, on the Tipo 26 at the Targa Florio. The Tipo 26 was the first car built under the Maserati name, after Diatto suspended its racing program that year. Alfieri Maserati drove it to a win in the 1,500 cc class and eighth place overall. That was a class victory, not the outright win some histories describe.

Maserati Logo History: Every Version Since 1926

1. 1926
2. 1930s
3. 1980
4. 1997
5. 2005–2006
6. 2020
7. 2020

The idea has not changed since 1926, but the drawing has: Maserati’s own history records a rectangle, an oval, a gold version and redesigns in 1997 and 2020. This Maserati logo evolution covers the documented versions and variants, from the first badge to today’s restyle.

1926: The Rectangular Badge

The first Maserati badge was a tall rectangle with a dark trident on a light background. It was a silver metal plaque with a heavily detailed trident and MASERATI in thin capital letters along the bottom. There was no oval and no red or blue yet. The rectangle did not last long: by the early 1930s the oval had taken its place.

Early 1930s: The Red and Blue Oval

In the early 1930s the trident moved into an oval in the red and blue of Bologna: a red trident above, the MASERATI name on a blue band below. Sources give 1931 or 1933, so the exact year is uncertain. According to Maserati, this oval stayed substantially stable for more than 40 years on road and race cars.

It outlasted three owners. The Orsi family bought the company on May 1, 1937, Citroën took over in 1968, and in 1975 control passed to the state holding GEPI, with Alejandro de Tomaso in charge.

The Saetta (Lightning Bolt) Variant

Saetta is Italian for lightning bolt, and the Saetta is a trident variant of the badge. Dealer sources place it on the C-pillars of the Quattroporte and Ghibli. Sources describe its design differently, and no reliable date for its introduction has been published.

1980: The Gold Badge

The gold Maserati logo arrived in 1980. Maserati describes it as a version with a gold background, used across the entire production of the period, which means it replaced the red and blue oval on the cars.

1997: The Narrow Oval

In 1997 Maserati redesigned the logo’s proportions and style as part of the brand’s relaunch. The oval became longer and narrower, the trident thinner and sharper, and the lettering bolder.

Why it changed: the redesign came in a year of new ownership. In July 1997 Fiat, sole owner since 1993, sold 50% of Maserati to Ferrari.

Around 2005–2006: Deeper Blue, Serif Wordmark

Around 2005–2006 the badge was refined again; sources disagree on the exact year. The blue lower field grew, the trident became more delicate, and the wordmark switched to a high-contrast serif with sharp points. Some sources also describe gradient shading for a three-dimensional look. This design stayed in use until about 2020.

2020: The MC20 Restyle

The current Maserati logo dates from 2020, when the brand restyled the Maserati trident for the MC20 and what it called a “New Era.” The official changes:

• the three points redrawn, with rounded side arrows
• a different relationship between the trident and the blue shield
• a lighter oval structure
• red removed, leaving white and a deep Blu Maserati with a lacquered effect

Some logo sites say the 2020 badge dropped the oval. Maserati says the oval stayed, only lighter; the stand-alone trident is the brand lockup below.

2020: Trident Over the Wordmark

Next to the car badge, Maserati uses a brand lockup: a trident with no oval or frame above a cursive Maserati wordmark in upper and lower case with connected letters. Logo sites show it in black or dark blue. It is the brand’s signature rather than the badge on the car, and Maserati’s 2020 release does not describe it.

The Trident’s 100th Anniversary (2026)

2026 is the 100th year of the Maserati trident, counted from the 1926 Targa Florio debut. Maserati marked it with a campaign built around its best-known cars and ten short films, one per decade, released from April 16 to 26, 2026. An Italian postage stamp for the centenary was presented on April 9, and Maserati’s official release followed on April 27. The brand also recalled its racing record, including the 1957 Formula 1 title with Juan Manuel Fangio.

Maserati Logo Colors and Design Details

The Maserati logo colors have changed more than the trident logo itself. Five palettes are documented:

Period	Colors	What the sources say
1926	Dark trident on a silver plaque	First rectangular badge
Early 1930s to 1980	Red trident, blue band	The colors of Bologna, per Maserati
1980	Gold background	Used on the whole production of the period
1997 to about 2020	Red trident, blue field	Redrawn in 1997 and around 2005–2006
Since 2020	White and Blu Maserati, no red	MC20 restyle

Only red and blue have an official explanation: they are Bologna’s. A black and white Maserati logo is usually the trident-over-wordmark lockup.

The Maserati Logo PNG on This Page

The PNG behind the download button at the top of this page is another monochrome version: a grey trident above MASERATI in serif capitals, with no oval. It is the flat logo used before the 2020 restyle, so it shows neither the red and blue badge nor today’s white and Blu Maserati oval.

Popular Myths About the Trident

• “The three lines at the base mean perfection.” No reliable source says so; the claim comes from a single logo site.
• “Blue is the sea, white the land, red fiery power.” Dealer blogs repeat this reading of the Maserati symbol in one copied paragraph. Maserati’s explanation is Bologna’s colors.
• “The logo has never changed since 1926.” The idea has not, but Maserati lists redesigns in 1997 and 2020.
• “Fiat Chrysler bought Maserati in the 1990s.” Fiat became sole owner in 1993 and Ferrari came in from 1997; Stellantis followed in 2021.
• Versions dated 1937, 1943, 1954, 1983 or 2015. Logo sites list them, including a “first use of color” in 1943, but Maserati puts red and blue in the oval by the early 1930s and records none of those years.

Where You Will See the Maserati Emblem on the Car

The Maserati emblem is rarely a single badge. Look for the Maserati logo on car exteriors and in the cabin:

• the front grille
• the hood
• the wheel centers
• the steering wheel
• the C-pillars, where some models carry the Saetta badge
• interior trim

Whichever spot it takes, the Maserati car logo is the trident. On a Maserati badge from the 2020 restyle onward, it sits in the lighter white and Blu Maserati oval.