Tag Archives: 300S

Maserati Racers – Silverstone Classic

Last weekends Silverstone Classic included a centenary celebration of the Maserati marque and here are six of the racing cars that were part of the event.

Maserati 250S, Bond, Silverstone Classic

I understand only 3 cars were built by Maserati to 250S specification and that the car seen here driven by Stephen Bond may be the prototype the only one of the three to have started life as a Maserati 200S before being fitted with the larger displacement 2.5 litre / 152 cui motor.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

I’m fairly certain the vehicle above is a Maserati 300S but which one of the 26 built and who is in it I have yet to find out since it appears to have been a late entry, if you happen to know which car this is please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Maserati 250F, Silverstone Classic

One of the most interesting vehicles at Silverstone was the white Maserati 250F chassis 2521, seen above, which is as it appeared in the 1959 German film “Ein Engel auf Erden” An Angel On Earth also known as Highway to Heaven which I have never heard of before but from this youtube clip appears to be a romantic comedy set in the Cote d’Azur with Romy Schneider in the role of an angel.

Cooper Maserati T51, Wilson, Silverstone Classic

Christopher Wilson was driving one of two 1959 Cooper Maserati T51’s entered in the Jack Brabham Memorial Trophy for pre 1966 Grand Prix cars.

Maserati A6GCM, de Baldanza, Silverstone Classic

I looked at Julia de Baldanza’s fabulous Maserati A6GCM last week.

OSCA G4500, Rettenmaier, Silverstone Classic

In 1947 the Maserati brothers founded Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili – Fratelli Maserati SpA better known as O.S.C.A and this is their 1951 G4500 formula one challenger which is known to have raced at least once in the 1951 Italian Grand Prix where Franco Rol was classified 9th 13 laps down after starting 18th, Stephan Rettenmaier is seen at the wheel here.

Thanks for joining me on this “Maserati Racers” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the French Cars at Silverstone Classic. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Goodwood Festival Details – Maserati Centenary

For this weeks Maserati Monday, I am taking a look at details of some of the Maserati’s present at the weekends Festival of Speed that will feature in forth coming editions of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”.

Maserati V8RI, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Scuderia Subalpina was founded by Count Luigi del la Chiesa, in December 1934, with backing from industrialists Giorgio Ambrosini (owner of Siata) and Giorgio Giusti, and the wealthy racing driver Gino Rovere who became Maserati president. The Scuderia’s badge is seen here on the side of the first 1935 Maserati V8RI to be built.

Maserati 8CTF, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Maserati 8CTF was built for challenging the mighty German Silver Arrows of Mercedes Benz and Auto Union, but it’s most notable success came at Indianapolis where chassis #3032 seen here was driven by Wilbur Shaw in 1939, ’40 and ’41 in the Indy 500 and was en route to a trifecta of back to back victories when a tyre damaged in an accident let him down.

Maserati 4CLT, Goodwood Festival of Speed

For some reason this Maserati 4 CLT does not appear to be listed in the programme and I look forward to identifying it and finding out it’s story.

Maserati A6 GCS, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Likewise I look forward to teasing out the identity and details behind this 1955 Maserati A6 GCS.

Maserati 300S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Festival of Speed programme notes give a useful to tip in to help determine the identity of this 1957 Maserati 300S, it was once driven by 1959 Le Mans winner and later Ford USA competition guru Carroll Shelby.

Maserati 250 F V12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Tracing the ID of this particular Maserati 250F V12 should not prove too tricky as their is at least one good book on the complicatd story of the Maserati 250F model.

Thanks for joining me on this “Goodwood Festival Details – Maserati Centenary” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again when I’ll be looking at some of the French cars at Goodwood. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Unwelcome Early Night – Maserati 300S #3054

Carrying the #15 on the 1955 Le Mans entry list, one spot below Mike Sparken’s #14 Ferrari 750 Monza chassis 0504M which I looked at some time ago, was today’s featured Maserati 300S chassis #3054 which was to be driven by Roberto Mieres and Cesare Perdisa two weeks after the car had been driven to victory at Monza by Luigi Musso and Jean Behra.

24 laps into the race #3054 was running in second place overall when it retired with a gearbox problem giving the drivers an unwelcome early night. Ironically this occurred 1 lap after the #14 Ferrari had retired with a broken motor.

Maserati 300S, Rettenmaier, Silverstone Classic

A second Maserati 300S #3055, driven by Luigi Musso and Luigi Valenzano lasted 239 laps before it’s gearbox also failed making it the last car to retire from the 24 hour classic.

From it’s first four starts, by a 2 litre A 6GS in ’54 another in ’55 along side the two 3 litre cars, in the Le Mans 24 Hours Maserati had yet to record a single finish.

Maserati 300S, Rettenmaier, Silverstone Classic

With it’s gearbox repaired Jean Behra drove #3054 two weeks later to victory in the 1955 Portuguese Grand Prix and at the end of 1955 Juan Manuel Fangio drove #3054 to victory in the first Venezuelan Grand Prix.

For 1956 the #3054 was fitted with a long nose body and the car was taken to Buenos Aires where Stirling Moss and Carlos Menditeguy drove her to victory in the 1000km race. Piero Taruffi and Jean Behra then drove #3054 to 5th overall and 1st in class in Sebring 12 Hours.

Carlos Menditeguy teamed up with Jean Behra to drive #3054 in the 1957 1000kms race at Buenos Aires finishing second but 1st in class.

The #3054 was subsequently sold to Venezuelan Escuderia Sorocaima and the known results during his ownership include a 22 overall and 3rd in class finish in the 1962 3 hour Daytona race with Guido Lollobrigida at the wheel.

After Daytona Charlie Kolb bought the car and recorded 2nd place finishes with it at Fernandina Beach and Marlboro before going one better to record a win at Savanah which appears to be the last recorded in period outing for #3054.

The car is seen in these photo’s at the Silverstone Classic with Stephan Rettenmaier at the wheel.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unwelcome Early Night” edition of “Gettin’ A L’il Psycho On Tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at the first Le Mans winning Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Private Investigations – Maserati 300S #3053

Thanks to Ed Arnaudin’s superb photography we can have a look at the Maserati 300S at Lime Rock on May 9th 1959 that was raced by Joe Guibardo in Northeastern America during the 1959 season.

Just 28 Maserati 300S models were built from 1955 to 1958 to compete in the World Sportscar Championship. Thanks to contributions from Sir Stirling Moss the 300S is credited with three World Sports Car Championship victories two of them on the 14 mile Nurburgring in ’56 and ’57 along with many other wins in national races in Europe and the United States. In fact as with the the Ferrari 860 Monza we looked at yesterday Juan Manuel Fangio also drove a Maserati 300S to victory this time on two occasions in Brazil in 1957.

The 300S was powered by a 3 litre / 183 cui variation, with a lengthened stroke, of the 6 cylinder motor that was used simultaneously in the Maserati 250 F with a lower compression ratio to cope with the most commonly available fuel as stipulated in Sports Car regulations of the time. The drum brakes and stiffened suspension also show strong signs of 250 F heritage.

A trellis structured chassis was covered in an aluminium body penned by Madardo Fantuzzi who was also responsible for the second version of the Maserati 150S.

Perhaps the most incredible of Maserati 300S stories is that a 300S was raced against both a Porsche 908 and 910 in Brazil as late as 1971 ! Unfortunately we do not know the end result for the Maserati in that race but even so I hope you’ll agree a quite remarkable achievement just to enter a 15 year old design into a contemporary sports car race.

Slightly of topic regular GALPOT readers who really pay attention may recognise the name of the 5th place driver at Interlagos Antônio Carlos Avallone.

Allegedly Mark Knopfler is a long term Maserati 300S Owner.

Joseph Giubardo appears to have raced in Austin Healeys and MGs from 1954 to 1962 and used this 300S chassis #3053 from at least 1957 to 1959 scoring at least one class win at Thompson CT in 1957.

My thanks as ever to the Arnaudins for taking and sending the photograph and to Walter Baemer of International Maserati Research for identifying who this vehicle belonged to.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s Dire Straights edition of “Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres” and that you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a gargantuan Edwardian from the USA that recorded the first international race victory for an American driver. Don’t for get to come back now !

PS Slightly off topic but continuing the private investigation in to this photo graph wonderng if anybody recognises either the kid in front of, or the owner and hound in the, 1950 Cadillac Series 61 Sedan ? Thanking you in anticipation of your responses.

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