Adolfo Orsi

Who was Adolfo Orsi?

Adolfo Orsi was an Italian industrialist, known for owning the Maserati automobile maker.

Coming from a poor family from San Lazzaro, near Modena, he lost his father in 1899. Later he created a successful business in the scrap iron, steel mill and farm equipment manufacturing area, employing several thousands in Modena and surrounding towns, as of the late 1920s. His interests also included running the trolley company of Modena, and being involved with the local soccer team, Modena F.C. in its successful early years.

With his brother, Marcello, he was involved in a Fiat dealership, the Fiat A.M. Orsi. He bought the financially troubled Maserati company in 1937, employing his son, Omar Orsi as managing director; three of the Maserati Brothers were retained on ten-year contracts on the engineering team. Orsi moved operations from Bologna to Modena, near his steel plants, for automobile as well as spark plug manufacturing. Orsi hired his brother in-law Alceste Giacomazzi, as new general director, and succeeded in bringing Ferrari employee Alberto Massimino over to Maserati, as well as hiring the Argentine driver ace Juan Manuel Fangio.