The Maserati Tipo 60/61 (commonly referred to as the Maserati Birdcage) are a series of
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
racing car
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
s produced between 1959 and 1961 by Italian automobile manufacturer
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 ...
for privateers racing in sports car events including the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
in the 2-litre and 3-litre racing category.
It used an intricate tubular
space frame chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
, containing about 200
chro-
moly steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
tubes welded together, arranged triangular formation at high stress areas of the chassis, hence the nickname "Birdcage".
This method of construction provided a more rigid and, at the same time, lighter chassis than other racing cars of the time.
By recessing the windscreen base into the bodywork, Maserati was able to reduce the effect of new Le Mans rules demanding a tall windscreen.
The
Camoradi
Casner Motor Racing Division – also known as America Camoradi (casner motor racing division), Camoradi USA or Camoradi International – was an American racing team of the 1960s known for racing Maserati Birdcage sports cars, and a Porsche and ...
team became famous racing the Tipo 61s but, despite being very competitive, the Birdcage was somewhat unreliable and retired from many races due to problems with the drivetrain.
The road legal version of the
Maserati MC 12 was available in a white colour with blue stripes livery as a tribute to the Tipo 61 and the Camoradi racing team.
The Tipo 60/61 were succeeded by the
Tipo 151 which used a more conventional tubular chassis.
Development history
In 1958, the Orsi family assigned technical director
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 ...
to devise technical solutions to make Maserati race cars more competitive on the track, he was given freedom despite the company's difficult financial situation at the time. The initial idea was to use a backbone chassis, as used by Maserati's competitors but that idea did not go ahead. In October 1958, Alfieri and his team came up with an innovative idea which consisted of using 200 small steel tubes having a diameter between 10 to 15 mm welded together in very short lengths in a complex mesh to form a cage like structure.
A compact four-cylinder engine taken from the
200S was mounted at the front of the car at a 45-degree angle and towards the centre for a better centre of gravity. The engine was significantly modified, having newly designed cylinder heads, a 93x72 mm bore and stroke, twin Weber 45 DCO3 carburettors, Marelli battery powered dual ignition and a revised exhaust system. It was rated at . The suspension systems consisted of spiral springs at the front and De Dion rear axle with single transverse leaf spring. The construction techniques used on the chassis allowed for a low weight of .
The first car was completed in May 1959 and was given to
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British Formula One racing driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several categories of comp ...
for testing. Initial tests revealed cracks in the chassis. The development team would resolve the issue by changing the grade of the steel used to construct the chassis. On 12 July 1959, the Tipo 60 won in its debut race, driven by Moss. This caught the attention of American racing teams competing in the 3-litre class. After demands of making a 3-litre variant of the car available, the displacement of the engine was increased to which resulted in an increase in the power output by . Consequently, weight was increased to due to the use of a revised propeller shaft in the engine. This change did not affect the fuel consumption which gave the car a significant advantage during races. The revised version of the car was called the Tipo 61.
Racing history
The Tipo 60/61's impressive performance would catch the attention of
"Lucky" Casner. After testing a prototype of the car at the Modena Autodrome, and on his request, a prototype of a Tipo 60 would be converted to a Tipo 61 and delivered to him fielded by Maserati. Initial races with
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified duri ...
driving the car would be troublesome but the car showed promising results at the 1960 Targa Florio driven by Umberto Maglioli but would retire due to an engine failure.
Casner founded the
Casner Motor Racing Division
Casner Motor Racing Division – also known as America Camoradi (casner motor racing division), Camoradi USA or Camoradi International – was an American racing team of the 1960s known for racing Maserati Birdcage sports cars, and a Porsche and C ...
who raced three Tipo 61's in the
1960 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the race, the Tipo 61 would show impressive performance, clocking speeds of and maintaining a lead over cars fielded by rival Ferrari of over 4 minutes but a starter motor problem would push the team to last place. Rain combined with the impractical windshield design would once again not let the car finish.
The Tipos never won Le Mans due to reliability issues, however in both 1960 and 1961 the Camoradi team won the
1000 km Nürburgring.
The Birdcage series
![MaseratiTipo61TheStreamlinerBirdcage-side](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/MaseratiTipo61TheStreamlinerBirdcage-side.jpg)
The Tipo 61 was the most well known model but
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 ...
designed 5 different models, all based on an intricate multi-tubular frame concept. This multi-tubular construction produced a light weight and rigid chassis that was a significant competitive advantage for a racing car. All models included independent front suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes and 5-speed transmission. A De Dion type rear axle was used on the Tipo 60 and 61.
The Tipo 60 featured a small 2-litre 4-cylinder engine rated at , located in the front and tilted over at a 45° angle for a lower center of gravity. The weight was and the car had at a maximum speed of .
![Maserati Tipo 61 Carrozzeria Drogo rear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Maserati_Tipo_61_Carrozzeria_Drogo_rear.jpg)
The Tipo 61 featured a 2.9-liter 4-cylinder engine rated at , located in the front at a 45° angle for a weight of pushing the car at a speed of .
![Maserati T61 engine bay Donington](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Maserati_T61_engine_bay_Donington.jpg)
The mid-engined Birdcage cars began with the Tipo 63. Maserati now changed to a mid-engine configuration using a similar multi-tubular chassis construction as the Tipo 60/61. The rear suspension was changed to an independent double wishbone configuration.
The Tipo 63 through 65 cars have been described as a "historian's nightmare". Maserati was in difficult financial circumstances and Giulio Alfieri was trying to build a competitive car on a low budget. He would retrieve various engines from the Maserati parts bins. Then, he had them modified and installed in the ten various chassis that were constructed from the ground up. The Tipo 63 was raced with four-cylinder and twelve-cylinder engines and the chassis was radically redesigned when the first version proved less competitive than the Tipo 61.
[ ]
The Tipo 63 first used a 4-cylinder engine similar to the Tipo 61 and later a V12 engine from the 1957
250F Grand Prix car. The Tipo 63 cars raced in 1961 with both engines, placing 4th at the 24 hours of Le Mans (12 cylinder version) with
Briggs Cunningham
Briggs Swift Cunningham II (January 19, 1907 – July 2, 2003) was an American entrepreneur and sportsman. He is best known for skippering the yacht ''Columbia'' to victory in the 1958 America's Cup race, and for his efforts as a driver, team o ...
's team. Count Volpi’s Scuderia Serenissima hired
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 ...
to modify one of their Tipo 63 cars with a longer nose and a fin behind the driver.
File:Maserati Tipo 63 Scuderia Serenissima front.jpg
File:Maserati Tipo 63 Scuderia Serenissima rear.jpg
File:Maserati Tipo 63.jpg
The Tipo 64 featured the same 3-liter V12 as the Tipo 63 with an upgraded frame (many smaller light alloy tubes) - nicknamed "Supercage".
The Tipo 65 featured a 5-litre V8 engine similar to the one used in the
Tipo 151 003 delivering about pushing the car at . Only one car was built using a modified Tipo 63 chassis.
Maserati Birdcage 75th (2005 concept car)
The Maserati Birdcage 75th is a concept car to honor both the Birdcage and the 75th anniversary of
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...
. It features a
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The fi ...
.
References
External links
The Marvelous Tipo 61 Racing Car1960 Maserati Birdcage Tipo 61 Restoration and FIA Documents*
Maserati Birdcage Tipo 61 2459
{{Maserati
Tipo 61 'Birdcage'
Sports racing cars
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars