The car featured an 8-cylinder in-line engine, supercharged by a Roots compressor and double overhead camshaft timing system, with which Alfieri Maserati won third place overall at the 1927 Targa Florio. Despite Alfieri was forced to stop racing due to an accident at the Coppa di Messina, the 26 B had already won the favour of the drivers. Furthermore, in 1928, it won the prestigious Italian Makes Championship. According to the Maserati brothers, it was “the first car built in our workshops”.