The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955 and 1958 to compete in the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

World Sportscar Championship The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and ...

. Twenty-six examples were produced.

Background

The 3.0-litre (approx at 6200 rpm) engine was based on the Straight-6 design of the

Maserati 250F The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made. Mechanical details The 250F principally used the SSG 220 bhp (@ 7400 rpm) ...

and incorporated a lengthened stroke developed by Vittorio Bellentani to increase the capacity from the original 2.5-litres. The compression ratio was reduced from 12:1 to 9.5:1, partly due to the FIA regulations requiring the engine to be run on road car fuel. It used three Weber carburettors, initially 42DCO3, later 45DCO3. A trellis structure was used instead of the tubular one of the 250F, and the

aluminium 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. I ...

body was 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 ...

. The brakes were the same as the 250F, precisely machined alloy drums with extensive finning. The suspension was also of the same design as the 250F but with some strengthening to cope with the rougher tracks and road surfaces encountered in WSC racing. New features for the 300S included the incorporation of a De Dion type rear axle, a transverse four-speed gearbox and two chain driven camshafts. After a poor showing in the first season (1955) mainly due to mechanical malfunctions and development problems, the 300S won at the Nürburgring in 1956 and finished second overall. It was second to the

Maserati 450S The Maserati 450S (Tipo 54) is a racing car made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for participating in FIA's endurance World Sportscar Championship racing. A total of nine were made. Development of the 450S started in 1954 under the ...

, and was followed by the Maserati 350S. After the major accident at Guidizzolo in the 1957 Mille Miglia, the last few examples of the 300S were sold to customers in the USA.

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 ...

gave up an attempt to fit it with fuel injection. One 300S was developed with the new

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 f ...

, becoming the Maserati 350S.

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, originally of Dire Straits, is a long term owner of a 300S and has raced the car in historic competitions. Additionally he featured the lines ''"If I was a Maserati, A red 300s, I'd ride around to your house, baby, Give you a driving test."'' in the song ''Red Staggerwing'' on his 2006 album ''

All the Roadrunning ''All the Roadrunning'' is a collaboration between British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler and American singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris, released on 24 April 2006 by Mercury Records and Universal Music internationally, and by Warne ...

''.Lyrics for "Red Staggerwing" by Mark Knopfler
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maserati 300s

300S 300s may refer to: Time * The period from 300 to 399, almost synonymous with the 4th century (301–400) * The period from 300 to 309, known as the 300–309, 300s decade, almost synonymous with the 31st decade (301-310) * 300s BCE (century), the ...

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