Tag Archives: Sussex Trophy

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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