Tag Archives: Spicer

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

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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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Sweet and predictable – #43 Maserati 150 S #1643

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Thanks to again to Ed Arnaudin for today’s photograph of a Maserati 150 S owned by EF Spicer seen here at Thompson CT 20th July 1958.

7 43 27s

By the time the smallest ever Maserati, the 150S, was built in 1955 the Maserati brothers were long gone from the company bearing their name working on their new OSCA vehicles.

The popularity of the 1500 cc / 91.5 CUI sports car class racing led Maserati to fill the gap in the lower end of their range with this vehicle.

Following Ferrari who in turn was inspired by the fuel efficient advantages of an HWM four cylinder Alta engine, Vittorio Bellanti also ditched the prevalent smooth 6 cylinder engine architecture in favour of a new 4 cylinder alloy block, dry sump lubricated engine featuring hemispherical combustion chambers, double overhead cams and twin plug ignition which produced 140 hp at 7,500 rpm.

Valerio Colotti designed the chassis with independent front and de Dion rear suspension originally covered in a 300S derived body by Celestino Fiandri in 1955.

For 1956 the slightly less derivative body seen here was designed by Medardo Fantuzzi. Stirling Moss drove one of the factory entered 150 S’s in a sports car race to second place on the Nurburgring in 1956 beaten by margin of ‘just’ 3 seconds over 100 miles by Hans Hermann in a Porsche 550 A.

Stirling is alleged to have said of the 150 S that it was ” sweet-handling and predictable but overbodied and gutless.”

EF (Edward Farnham) Spicer drove the #43 in the photo to 9th place in the final all comers race on July 20th, 8 spots behind the winning Porsche 550 of Newton Davis.

My thanks and best wishes to Ed Arnaudin and his son Steve for todays photograph, Jerry Entin for vehicle identification and Terry O’Neil for the results.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s sweet & predictable edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ and that you’ll join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to come back now !

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