In 1930, Maserati decided to concentrate its efforts on the voiturette class, which was not contested by German manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union. The 1,100 cc (1.1 L; 67 cu in) Tipo 4CM was Maserati's first racing voiturette.[4] The name of the car is derived as follows:
Built alongside the 4CS two-seater sports-racer, the 4CM was powered by a 1,088.4 cc (1.0884 L; 66.42 cu in), (65 x 82 mm) twin-overhead-camshaft supercharged four-cylinder engine that produced 125 hp (92 kW) at 6,600rpm, an output sufficient to propel it to a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph). Some cars came with a spare cylinder block, pistons, connecting rods and supercharger enabling it to be converted to 1,495.7 cc (1.4957 L; 91.27 cu in), (69 x 100 mm) when required. Depending on the size of the engine, the roots-type supercharger boosted power to 90–150 hp (66–110 kW).[5][6]
