Tag Archives: 300S

Drag Winner – Maserati 450S #4504

Valerio Colotti commenced the initial design of the tubular chassis and body of Maserati 450S in 1954, the model was known internally as the Tipo 54.

Sharing some components with the 3 litre / 183 cui Maserati 300S the 450S, which was first raced in 1957, is differentiated by employing a 4,478 cc / 273 cui short-stroke V8 motor equipped with four Weber carburetors which produced 400hp.

Future Indy 500 entrant Jim Kimberly took delivery of today’s featured 450S chassis #4504 in time to race it at Road America where he finished 6th in June 1957, Jim’s only other known result is a 16th place finish in the 1958 Cudan Grand Prix.

Maserati 450S, Robson Walton, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca,

By July 1958 Harry Rollins had become the owner of #4504 and drove it in 3 events over the SCCA Carnival of Speed weekend at Walterboro winning the ITA Drag Event, finishing 2nd in race 3 and retiring from race 5.

Don Perkins bought the car in October 1958 and entered it in three meetings one each for John Haas, Ed Crawford and Hal Ullrich.

Ed scored a best 2nd overall and 1st in class in the 1958 Memorial Trophy during the Nassau Speed Week.

Maserati 450S, Robson Walton, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca,

At some point during the 1960’s the motor was taken out and used for a speed boat project.

In 1980 Virgil Milette is credited is reuniting the motor and chassis. Under the ownership of Luigi Mancini in 1987 #4504 was restored by Carrozzeria Garuti in Modena Italy.

I believe that Robson Walton who is seen driving the car in these photographs by Geoffrey Horton at the 2013 Laguna Seca Rolex Reunion has owned #4504 since 1999.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton as ever for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Drag Winner” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an Amilcar. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Maserati Classics – Classic Motor Show NEC Birmingham

This weeks Maserati Monday looks at some of the Maserati’s that appeared at the Classic Motor Show last week.

Maserati 300S, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Registered on the road as a 1960 Maserati 300S the chassis number motor number showing was “750” which I have not been able to identify as any of the original 27 examples of the 300S built by the factory. If you know the story behind this car please chime in below.

Maserati 5000GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The headlights on this 1964 Maserati 5000GT remind me of the infinitely less glamorous Citroén Ami for some reason, may be it was a portent of things to come as Citroén took over Maserati in 1968.

Maserati Mexico, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Think of Maserati’s and something racy usually springs to mind, quite a contrast to this 1968 Maserati Mexico.

Maserati Indy, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Mexico was replaced Maserati Indy in 1968, above a stylish door handle conceived by Giovanni Michelotti who working for Vignale on the Indy body.

Maserati Khamsin, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Powered by the same 4.9 litre 300 cui motor as the last of the Maserati Indys was the 1974 Maserati Khamsin styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone.

Thanks for joining me for this “Maserati Classics” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some French classics. Ne pas oublier de revenir maintenant !

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Angolan Adventures – Maserati 300S #3082

I believe today’s featured Maserati 300S chassis #3082 was the last to be built. It’s history discernible from internet sources is less than exact.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

From known results it would appear #3082, road registered AVN-04-44, was raced in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) taking part in 5 Angolan Grand Prix from 1959 to 1963 with Álvaro Lopes being the driver on 4 occasions and Flávio dos Santos driving the car in 1962 when it retired from the race.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

The result of Álvaro Lopes efforts in the 1959 Angolan Grand Prix do not appear to be recorded, but it is known he started. The following year carrying the #12 Álvaro did not finish the Angolan GP but finished 5th in the Leopoldville, DRC, Grand Prix.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

In 1960 the Álvaro recorded a 4th place finish in the Angolan Grand Prix in the #3082 chassis now carrying the #8 race number. This combination of car and driver appeared in the 1963 Angolan Grand Prix for the final time bearing the #4, but went one better and finished 3rd.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

By 1985 chassis #3082 had made it’s way via South Africa to the UK where Burkhard von Schenk purchased it for a reputed £200,000. The 2012 dated photo’s show the #3082 still in von Schenks ownership with Gregor Fisken at the wheel during practice for the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

In 2013 Austrian Martin Halusa bought #3082 for an undisclosed sum and the car is seen with fresh paint work in his ownership at this years Silvertone Classic in the remaining photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Angolan Adventures” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at an incredibly shiney Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Bought In A Sugar Bag – Maserati 300S #3074/3035

Today’s Maserati started life as chassis #3074 in December 1957 and was shipped to Antonio Mendez de Barros in Brazil for the 1958 season.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

Antonio raced the car with Luis Milan on it’s racing debut in the 1958 1000kms race in Buenos Aires where the pair finished 7th overall. For some reason the car was sent back to the factory and restamped chassis #3035 before being sent back to Antonio, according to the Maserati factory records. Driving the car now known as #3035 solo he finished 4th overall in the 1959 500kms race at Interlagos.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

Celso Lara Barberis bought #3035 in 1960 and recorded 3 wins all at various meetings run at Interlagos between 1960 and 1962 including the 1961 500kms race and the chassis last known race in May 1962.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

#3035 was rebodied in South America by the time Australian Bob Spicer described buying the car in a “sugar bag” in the 1970’s. After sorting out the contents of his sugar bag into a recognisable racing car he sold it to Bob Jane in 1976.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

Regular readers might remember that at this time Bob Jane still owned the 300S chassis #3059 at this time.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

#3035 remained in the Antipodes and was restored in Christchurch New Zealand before being returned to Europe via auction in 1994.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

Mark Knopfler bought the car at auction for over $600,000 and had it restored again with yet another new body as seen in these photographs taken earlier this year at Silverstone Classic.

Thanks for joining me on this “Bought In A Sugar Bag” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again when I’ll be looking at a Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

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The Corporation’s 300S – Maserati 300S

If cars had karma one might wonder what on earth today’s Maserati 300S chassis #3060 had been upto in it’s previous life.

Maserati 300S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#3060 was originally sold to Maserati Corporation of America in October 1955 and the car made it’s debut at the 1956 Sebring 12 hours with Italian Cesare Perdisa and Argentinian Carlos Menditéguy at the wheel.

Maserati 300S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

39 laps into the race the car was retired with accident damage, then on the way back to New York the trailer carrying #3060 was hit by a truck causing further damage.

Maserati 300S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

By 1957 Maserati Corp of America had repaired the car and Dale Duncan drove #3060 to victory on the Little Switzerland Hillclimb at Euraka Springs. A week later Carroll Shelby then drove the car to the first of two consecutive victories first at Caumberland Airport and then a month later at Lime Rock.

Maserati 300S, David Franklin, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bob Butcher bought the car miway through 1957 and he scored a 2nd at Thompson before hiring Carroll Shelby to drive #3060 in the Road America 500 at Elkhart Lake where he finished 2nd.

Maserati 300S, David Franklin, Goodwood Festival of Speed

It is believed that #3060 passed into the hands of Rallye Motors by 1959 and it is possible that #3060 was scheduled to be driven in the ’59 Sebring 12 Hours by Edwin P. Lawrence and James Cook. However there is at least one other 300S chassis, of a still extant vehicle, that Edwin was driving when he fatally crashed in practice.

Maserati 300S, David Franklin, Goodwood Festival of Speed

During the 1960’s #3060 was seen with a ‘ugly’ fibre glass body allegedly covering the original aluminium body, the chassis was also fitted with a Chevy V8 and GM Auto transmission.

The car was restored in 1991 and fitted with a motor that was assembled from ‘an amalgam of’ parts held by Cameron Miller. 1978 British Hillclimb Champion David Franklin is seen at the wheel of #3060 in these photographs during this years Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Corporation’s 300S” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l pshycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for a look at a Sultan’s Bugatti tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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First, Second Or Retired – Maserati 300S #3059.

This weeks featured Maserati 300S chassis #3059, seen below driven by Carlo Vögele at the Goodwood Revival a couple of years ago, has an astonishing known record of finishing first or second if it made it to the finish line at all in every competition into which it was entered between 1956 and 1962.

Maserati 300S, Carlo Vögele, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

#3059 was retained as a factory racer in the 1956 season. Pierro Taruffi drove #3059 in each of it’s first three races recording a second place finishes on the Giro di Scilia and Targa Florio which were interrupted by a trip to the Nurburgring 1000kms where Pierro was joined by Harry Schell, Stirling Moss and Jean Behra to record the chassis first win.

Cesare Perdisa recorded the chassis first retirement in the Rouen GP in France, but two weeks later Stirling Moss jumped into the car win the Bari GP. Moss and Behra driving #3059 failed to finish the Swedish GP in August 1956 but by December 1956 their mojo returned and they shared another victory at the wheel of #3059 in the Australian Tourist Trophy in Melbourne.

#3059 changed ownership twice in Australia before Bob Jane recorded the chassis next known finish, second overall, in the 1958 Fisherman’s Bend Victorian Sports Car Championship.

After an accident in a race at Albert Park in 1958 Bob Jane had #3059 fitted with a roof so he could compete in GT events during the 1961 season.

In GT form Bob drove #3059 to two class wins in the Australian and New South Wales GT championships and recorded a final in period second place finish in the Australian TT in December 1962.

A decade later Bob had his 300S returned to spider configuration and after a change of ownership in 1982 the car returned to European ownership in 1992.

Thanks for joining me on this “First, Second Or Retired” edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the ’90’s Bugatti Revival. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Gathering African Dust – Maserati 300S #3057

Today’s featured car the Maserati 300S chassis number #3059 was sold to Benoit Musy of Fribourg Switzerland midway through 1955.

Benoit is known to have raced #3057 in at least 16 events which including a pair of maiden wins Spa and Chimay in 1955 and three more in 1956.

Maserati 300S, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

In October 1956 Benoit was killed driving a Maserati 200S at Monthlery and two years later the car was acquired by Automovel e Touring Clube de Angola, Africa where it is known to have been entered in at least five events up until 1962.

Before it’s last known in period event the motor was damaged and replaced with a Ford V8. After the 1975 Communist Revolution in Angola the car was turned into a street car but was soon left to gather dust for over a decade until it was discovered by Norwegian Stein Johnson who imported the car to Oslo in 1991.

Between 1992 and 1994 #3059 was restored in the UK with a fresh motor, what remained of the original motor was repaired and fitted into chassis #3069.

#3059 seen above at a HGPCA test day at Silverstone last year currently belongs to German Stefan Rettenmaier.

Thanks for joining me on this “Gathering African Dust” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

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