Maserati 150S is a racing car made by
Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
alongside the
Maserati 200S
The Maserati 200S (Tipo 52) is a racing car made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati as a successor to the Maserati A6GCS. 28 cars were made in total. The development of the 200S, codenamed Tipo 52 started in 1952, led by Vittorio Belle ...
, to take over for the aging
Maserati A6GCS
Maserati A6 were a series of grand tourers, racing sports cars and single seaters made by Maserati of Italy between 1947 and 1956. They were named for Alfieri Maserati (one of the Maserati brothers, founders of Maserati) and for their straight-si ...
racing variants. Twenty-seven examples were built, and one additional street-going car, called the
Maserati 150 GT.
The project ''Tipo 53'' was designed by
Vittorio Bellentani Vittorio Bellentani (March 11, 1906 – March 26, 1968) was an Italian automobile engineer and racing driver.
Biography
Born in Modena, he studied in Germany at University of Freiburg before joining Enzo Ferrari in 1940, where he first worked o ...
in 1953 and utilized the ''4CF2'' 1484.1 cc engine, fitted with twin
Weber 45 DCO3 carburetors and producing at 7500 rpm.
The engine was developed from
Alberto Massimino
Alberto Massimino (5 January 1895 – 27 November 1975) was an Italian automotive engineer.
Biography
Born in Turin, he studied mechanical engineering in Switzerland and worked for FIAT (1924–28), where he followed Vittorio Jano who had left fo ...
's earlier two-liter version, created to offer a simpler design suitable for
private competitors in Formula 2 racing.
[ The 1.5-liter version underwent initial testing in a racing boat belonging to Liborio Guidotti in 1954–1955. Maserati unveiled the 150S at the April 1955 ]Turin Motor Show
The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...
; the final example was completed in January 1957.
Development
The first series had a Maserati 300S
The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955 and 1958 to compete in the FIA's World Sportscar Championship. Twenty-six examples were produced.
Background
The 3.0-litre (approx at 6200 rpm) engine was based on the ...
-inspired body developed by Celestino Fiandri who also assembled the first few chassis; Gilco soon took over this aspect. A less rounded design by Medardo Fantuzzi
Medardo Fantuzzi (1906–1986) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his Carrozzeria Fantuzzi body workshop.
Life
Fantuzzi was born in Bologna in 1906 and died in Modena in 1986.
Automotive engineer
He and his brother, Gino Fantuzzi we ...
followed during 1956. Other changes for the second series included a swap from a four-speed transmission with Porsche patent synchromesh
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear changes ...
to a five-speed unit made by ZF.[ Eight 1955s were built; it is not certain whether all of them were fitted with the four-speed gearbox. The tubular frame chassis was similar to that of the A6GCS, but with the important distinction of having a de Dion rear axle with transverse leaf springs rather than the A6's live rear end.][ The wheelbase on the first five cars was ; this was increased to beginning with chassis #1656.][ Vassal (2008), p. 43.]
The 1957 Maserati 150 GT was a spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
built on a Maserati A6GCS
Maserati A6 were a series of grand tourers, racing sports cars and single seaters made by Maserati of Italy between 1947 and 1956. They were named for Alfieri Maserati (one of the Maserati brothers, founders of Maserati) and for their straight-si ...
chassis intended for street use, bodied by Medardo Fantuzzi
Medardo Fantuzzi (1906–1986) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for his Carrozzeria Fantuzzi body workshop.
Life
Fantuzzi was born in Bologna in 1906 and died in Modena in 1986.
Automotive engineer
He and his brother, Gino Fantuzzi we ...
and sporting a 150S engine with a lowered compression ratio.
Massimino, the spearhead of Maserati's four-cylinder program, left for Stanguellini in late 1952 and was replaced at Maserati by Gioacchino Colombo Gioachino Colombo (1903–1988) was an Italian automobile engine designer. Colombo was born in Legnano. He began work as an apprentice to Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo.
In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attentio ...
. Colombo, as well as Giulio Alfieri
Giulio Alfieri (10 July 1924 – 20 March 2002) was an Italian automobile engineer, affiliated with Maserati in Modena, Italy since 1953, where he was central to the development of racing and production cars in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Alfieri ...
who joined Maserati in September 1953, preferred the six-cylinder design and the 150S/200S family was never developed to its full potential.[ During 1956, Maserati accordingly stopped developing the 150S, although this engine (as well as the larger variants) found new life in later years, being used to power mid-engined, British ]Formula Two
Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name retur ...
and Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
chassis into the early 1960s.
Tipo 6
The engine's second life began in 1956 with chassis number 1666, which was delivered to Brian Naylor in the United Kingdom. Naylor found the car, designed for long-distance racing on the continent, too heavy for the short British circuits against the new, rear-engined British designs. He installed the 150S engine in a crashed Lotus Eleven
The Lotus Eleven is a sports racing car built in various versions by Lotus from 1956 until 1958. The later versions built in 1958 are sometimes referred to as Lotus 13, although this was not an official designation. In total, about 270 Elevens ...
, which proved highly successful with 27 victories and a class win that season.[ An additional 150S engine was specifically built for Stuart Young to be installed in a Lotus Eleven in 1957, and a few F2 Cooper-Maserati T51s were similarly equipped. When Formula One changed to 1.5 liters maximum displacement for 1961, Maserati restarted production of the 150S engine as the "Maserati Tipo 6 1500". This iteration was updated and lighter at , thanks to the generous use of magnesium alloys, and developed at 8,500 rpm rather than the 140 of the original design.]
10 such Tipo 6 engines were built for smaller teams like Scuderia Centro Sud
Scuderia Centro Sud was a privateer racing team founded in Modena by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei and active in Formula One and sports car racing between 1956 and 1965.
Dei had been an amateur driver in the 1930s. In the early 1950s he opened a Maserat ...
, Ecurie Nationale Belge
Ecurie Nationale Belge (also known as Equipe Nationale Belge or ENB) was a Formula One and sportscar racing team in the 1950s and 1960s, which was formed through a merger of Jacques Swaters' Ecurie Francorchamps and Johnny Claes' Ecurie Belge.
...
, JBW (Brian Naylor's own team[), and ]Serenissima
aSerenissima ( heMost Serene) may refer to:
Certain countries
* , a name for the Republic of Venice
* , the official Latin name of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Art, entertainment, and media
* La Serenissima (musical ensemble), a Britis ...
. The best result achived by the Tipo 6 engine was at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1961 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 May 1961 on the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was race 1 of 8 in both the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and the 1961 International Cup for Formula One Man ...
, the first race entered, where Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (30 October 1917 – 13 February 2005) was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest caree ...
took seventh place for Serenissima in a Cooper T51. The last race entered was at the 1963 South African Grand Prix, where privateer Trevor Blokdyk reached the finishing line in 12th place in a similar car.
Competition
Most of the cars built were sold to customers who competed as privateers.Maserati Tipo 150S
from maserati.org.au (last accessed April 27, 2007) The best result for the 150S came when Jean Behra
Jean Marie Behra (16 February 1921 – 1 August 1959) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams.
Appearance and personality
Behra was small in stature, stocky, and weighed 178 pounds.''B ...
won the half-sized 1000km Nürburgring
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
in 1955. Alejandro de Tomaso
Alejandro de Tomaso (10 July 1928 in Buenos Aires – 21 May 2003 in Modena, Italy) was a racing driver and businessman from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as ''Alessandro de Tomaso''. He participated in two Formula ...
finished fourth overall at the 1956 1000 km Buenos Aires
The 1956 1000 km Buenos Aires took place on 29 January, on the Autódromo Municipal-Avenida Paz, (Buenos Aires, Argentina). It was the third running of the race, and once again, it was opening round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. F ...
, behind two Maserati 300S
The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955 and 1958 to compete in the FIA's World Sportscar Championship. Twenty-six examples were produced.
Background
The 3.0-litre (approx at 6200 rpm) engine was based on the ...
and a Ferrari 857 Monza, all with factory backing.[ The engine also had a successful afterlife when fitted to various Lotus and Cooper chassis, as noted in the section on the Tipo 6.
]
Literature
*Karl Ludvigsen
Karl E. Ludvigsen (born April 24, 1934) is a journalist, author, and historian of the automotive industry and motor sports.
Personal life
Karl E. Ludvigsen was born on April 24, 1934 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was the son of Elliot "Lud" Ludv ...
, ''Maserati 150S''
References
150S
Sports racing cars
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