Italian automakers like Ferrari and Maserati are steeped in racing heritage. Every once in a while that heritage comes to the forefront of a new limited edition model. The Maserati F Tributo special edition Ghibli and Levante are just that.

The story of Maserati's racing history begins 95 years ago. On April 25, 1926, the first race car wearing the Trident on its hood, the Tipo26, won the 1,500 cc class at the Targa Florio with Alfieri Maserati at the wheel. Maserati, an Italian automotive engineer, was a key player in founding and establishing the Maserati brand, alongside his brothers.

The special edition Levante will likely start near $100,000.Photo courtesy of Maserati

Twenty-eight years from that first car's win, Maserati, the company, made its Formula One debut with a 250F driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. The new Ghibli and Levante's names derive from that F1 partnership. The "F" is for Fangio.

Maserati is making the special series available in two exclusive colors Rosso Tributo and Azzurro Tributo, two colors designed to be reminiscent of Italian motorsports. The red is derived from its traditional application in the motorsports world, especially in Italian motor racing history. The blue was created to bring to mind Maserati's historic home, the City of Modena. Blue stands alongside yellow on the city's flag and coat of arms.

Further, there are references to Fangio's 250F with the special editions' yellow brake calipers and the wheel trims. Maserati has given the Levante F Tributo Anteo 21-inch black wheels and the Ghibli gets 21-inch Titano glossy black wheels.

Each special edition is marked with a specific glossy black badge on the wheel arch and a body-color trident logo on the C-pillar.

The interior reflects the exterior with either red or yellow stitching holding together black full-grain Pieno Fiore leather.

The Ghibli F Tributo goes on sale in North America later this year.Photo courtesy of Maserati

Maserati will offer just 345 of the models for sale and both versions of the special edition will be available to U.S. customers.

Maserati will offer the Ghibli F Tributo based on the Ghibli S GranSport, which retails for $88,035 or the Ghibli Q4 GranSport ($90,535). Both models have a 424-hosepower V6 under the hood. Levante versions of the special edition are similarly engined and based on the Levante S GranSport ($95,385). Exact pricing for F Tributo models will be available closer to their North American on-sale date of June 2021.