1960 Maserati Birdcage TIPO 60 61 Consigned at MOTOSTALGIA‏

COLLECTOR CAR CATALOG AUCTION - Friday, May 2nd, 2014 - Lakewood Yacht Club • 2425 NASA Parkway • Seabrook, TX 77586

Presenting the 1960 Maserati Tipo 60/61 "Birdcage". An extremely rare and sought after vintage competition car. Offered with proper Historic Technical Passport/FIA Class TSRC4 documentation. This iconic competition car is ready to relive the trills of vintage racing at historic tracks and exclusive events. Concours winner and multiple show invitations are a testament to the world class craftsmanship that this Maserati Birdcage displays. The handling capabilities and power of a Birdcage has impressed the most discerning drivers and has inspired the most prestigious collectors.

Lot: 155 1960 Maserati Birdcage "Tipo 61/60"

Estimate:$2,800,000 - $3,400,000Vin: 2459

Chassis No: 2459200 bhp, 1,989 cc twin-cam, in-line 4-cylinder Tipo 60 engine with dual Weber 48 carburetors, 5-speed manual transaxle, Tipo 61 tubular trellis frame, independent front suspension with coil springs, de Dion rear axle with transverse leaf springs, and 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 88" (2200 mm)Chassis #2459, one of the earliest Tipo 61 chassis built, was ordered by Briggs Cunnigham who had it race prepped by Alfred Momo. After sorting out a few issues, such as a shattered differential, two-time SCCA Driver of the Year, Walt Hansgen piloted #2459 to a 1st overall win at Cumberland in mid-May 1960, followed two weeks later by a repeat performance at Bridgehampton. His winning streak continued at the SCCA races in Roosevelt where he won the Rickenbacker Trophy on a Saturday and then the Vanderbilt Trophy the following day! Other pilots who drove for Cunningham in #2459 included Dr. Dick Thompson and Augie Pabst. #2459 achieved four wins and one finish each for second, third and fourth through the 1960-61 seasons.In 1962, #2459 was taken to Daytona, Florida to compete in the inaugural Continental 3-Hour race. There, during a practice run with Augie Pabst at the wheel, an accident against the safety wall occurred which damaged the car, but allowed Pabst to come out with a only a couple of broken ribs, some cuts, and bruises.It is reported that the remains of Tipo 61 #2459 were transported back to Momo’s shop in New York where he determined he would dismantle the remains of #2459 for potential use on other Tipo 60 and 61 Birdcages, components that are believed to have been sent to England. THE CAR… It’s concluded that eventually the remaining components of Tipo 61 #2459 returned to Modena, Italy, home of the Maserati factory. An anonymous collector and restorer spend years collecting a number of original Birdcage parts including a number of motor parts. Based on these earlier findings, the documented restoration work started in 2007 where chassis #2459 was designated to the restoration and serves as the basis of the car offered for your consideration.The unique techniques used while assembling #2459 back to glory are proper and correct to Maserati’s Birdcage highest standards. The painstaking task of locating skilled craftsmen who knew the secret welding processes used in the original build, and just locating the proper small diameter chrome-molybdenum steel tubes correct to Maserati standards were two challenges that were met for this project.The completed Tipo 61 chassis presented here with a proper Tipo 60 engine were shipped to Steve Hart restoration and race preparation shop in England in November of 2007. Steve Hart specialists in vintage Maseratis and other racing cars. Among the engine parts that Steve Hart documented to be Maserati original are the cylinder head, lower crankcase and sump, cam covers and the transaxle-tower often referred to as the differential case. In the displayed Steve Hart document, he certifies that these parts were components in the rebuilt engine done to original factory specifications and combined with new components created in accordance with the original drawings. At this point in 2007, he added a number of other original “Birdcage” items to the car including rear lights, repeater lights, rev counter, ignition switch/light switch, starter button, indicator switch and front hubs.In April 2010, the Tipo 61/60 #2459 was completed. It was then submitted to the Motor Sports Association with the necessary documentation, where it was given a thorough and complete inspection, which it passed, and the new owners were issued an Historic Technical Passport/FIA Class TSRC4 documents on August 31, 2010 for this Maserati under #2459.THE MODEL...In the early 1950’s, one of Italy’s premier racing brands, Maserati, was going through a number of changes. While their famed 250F had attracted the talents of World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio, the technologies were changing. Light cars, smaller but more powerful engines, and new concepts in body and chassis fabrication were being developed and Maserati wanted to be at the front of this new wave of power and performance. It was under these conditions that the legendary “Birdcage” was born.From the start, the Birdcage gained a reputation of being an excellent racing vehicle, especially when the 200 HP, 1990 cc equipped Tipo 60 won on its first time out in July 1959 at the Coupe Delamare Debauteville with the greatest racing driver of all time at the wheel, Sir Stirling Moss. He would later establish a number of track records with this car at Nurburgringand be quoted as saying of that early Tipo 60, "A fabulous car-light, very nimble, fantastic brakes, super steering, enormous torque, and good power."It didn’t take long for a larger more powerful engine to be developed and installed in the Birdcage platform, creating the Tipo 61. In October 1959, Maserati started deliveries of the improved Tipo 61 “Birdcage” racers. Their abilities on the track quickly became apparent, making them a force to reckon with. At the December 1959 Governor’s Race in Nassau, Bahamas, Gaston Andrey piloted his #25 Tipo 61 to a first in class and 2nd overall, and while not the top-top dog, his and the Maserati’s performance was the talk of the island when the checkered flag fell.RACE CAR’S HERITAGEMaserati Birdcages, as with most racing cars of the day, were intended for competition uses, not for becoming an investment vehicle. Race cars, unlike other classic cars, have no across-the-board standard for what is and isn't a proper restoration. This is because the owners, drivers, and maintainers of these racing vehicles had no idea that the cars they were racing would one day have a collector’s interest and hence become an investment grade car. They had one goal in mind, get the cars put back together after they broke or got banged up an do it as quickly as possible with whatever parts were available, time was money. The result is that after a just one or two outings, the factory installed components could be scattered among several similar cars and parts from those vehicles on the original chassis.One of the best resources for the Birdcage collector is Joel Finn’s book “Maseratie Birdcage: The Marvelous Tipo 60 and 61 Sports Racing Cars”, published by Osprey. In this well researched volume the author researched and traced each car by chassis number up to the published date of 1980. After exhaustive research he concluded that only one example, #2455, is “except for new tires, is still in totally original condition, the only existing example in such shape."As should be expected, many of these Birdcages, and race cars in general, have missing periods of time in their ownership history. With the unique and individual treatment of every Birdcage created, we offer this vehicle which has been treated to a fully professional restoration by skilled craftsmen in both Italy and England, who know, breathed, and lived these cars. Most important is the certification by the MSA and FIAA testament to this car’s build, performance, and handling is best left to the words of Richard Crump, who co-authored another outstanding work on Maserati race cars of this era, Maserati Sports, Race and GT Cars 1926-1975, who had the honor to test drive this car, and wrote in a letter dates April 28, 2010; "If you were a buyer of a Birdcage in the 1960's, then this car, 2459, finished by Steve Hart Racing in the UK is what it would be like. When you drive this fabulous car the message is clear. Light steering, fabulous brakes, big torque with useable power, and it sticks like glue to the tarmac. If you are a driver or a collector you will not easily tire of using such a Maserati, and when it comes to a stop you will just wish you could do it all again."A winner when it was new and ready to relive to thrilling days at vintage tracks from the past, this is a car that deserves consideration to the fullest degree well worth the investment just for the thrill of experiencing the handling capabilities and power of a Maserati Birdcage.

read more at http://www.motostalgia.com/car-detail/?vin=2459


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