Maserati 350S is a series of three racing cars made 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 ...

, built by

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 ...

, with

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

body 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 ...

, both Maserati engineers. The 350S was built to experiment with a new straight-six engine while a V8 engine was being developed in the factory. The engine used in the car was heavily revised for racing purposes and the completed unit shared little resemblance to the engine it was based on. Two different variants were made. One featured a dry sump lubrication system while the other features a wet sump lubrication system. The power outputs of the engine varied from . The engine was installed in a strengthened chassis of a 300S. The first chassis #3501 was developed in 1955, using the chassis of a 300S, and the 3.5-litre straight-six engine under development for the future 3500 GT. It was crashed by

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 ...

in the 1956 Mille Miglia, then factory rebuilt as the first

450S The 450s decade ran from January 1, 450, to December 31, 459. Significant people References {{Reflist ...

prototype fitted with a

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

. During the 1960s it was acquired and heavily modified by Tom Meade (he previously did the same to #3503), only to be purchased and completely restored during the 1980s by its current owner, Franco Lombardi. Chassis #3502 was, like the first one, upgraded by the factory to the 450S specifications in 1956, then sold to Tony Parravano. Chassis #3503 (third) was built along #3502. It first used the straight-six, but was converted to a 3.5-litre

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 ...

. It took part to several races in 1957 driven by

Luigi Piotti Luigi Piotti (October 27, 1913 in Milan – April 19, 1971 in Godiasco) was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in nine Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open ...

Roberto Bonomi Roberto Wenceslao Bonomi Oliva (30 September 1919 in Buenos Aires, Argentina – 10 January 1992) was a racing driver who took part in one Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international ...

Hans Herrmann Hans Herrmann (born 23 February 1928) is a retired Formula One and sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany. In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 August 1953. He achieved 1 podium, and scored a ...

, and

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 ...

. In the early 1960s it was bought, rebuilt and modified by Tom Meade, but was destroyed beyond repair in a 1966 road accident in California. There is a replica of this car, based on the different chassis of a Maserati 3500 GT, which is occasionally exhibited at events such as the 1992 Mille Miglia.Maserati 350 S s/n 3503
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maserati 350s 350S Sports racing cars sv:Maserati 300S