1954 Maserati A6 GCS

The Maserati A6 series of roadsters and berlienttas were built between 1947 and 1956.

This Series II A6GCS - A for Alfieri, 6 for six-cylinders, G for Ghisa or cast-iron block and CS denoting Corsa and Sports - competed as the Maserati works car for Luigi Musso for the entire 1954 season. Musso garnered six first-class wins and three overall wins during the season as well as second in class and third overall in that year's Mille Miglia. In 1955 the car was sold to Ricardo Grandio of Argentina and spent several years racing in South America. It returned to Italy in 1985 and in 1998 was acquired by its current owner, who has raced the car in historic events ever since.

This Maserati is approximately the 25th of 52 total A6GCS examples built, and one of 41 barchettas bodied in a similar style by Fantuzzi and later Fiandri & Malagoli. It was completed in March of 1954 and was retained by the factory for Works competition. Its early racing history is not fully known as the exact chassis driven in each race was not often documented. It is believed to have been driven in various races by factory Grand Prix driver Luigi Musso. He placed 4th overall and 1st in Class at the Giro di Sicilia in April of 1954. About a month later he placed 3rd at the Mille Miglia, one of the six World Sportscar Championship rounds. At the Grand Prix Napoli in mid-May, he placed 1st overall followed by a 2nd overall finish and class win at the Targa Florio in late May.

It is believed that Musso drove two Works cars during 1954, and chassis 2078 may not have been raced until the later part of the 1954 season. The first outing for 2078 may have been at the 10 Hours of Messina in July of 1954, where brothers Luigi and Giuseppe Musso shared the car. This was followed by a class win at the Giro Calabria, and then a 1st in Class finish at the Circuit of Senigallia in August. It raced in September at the RAC Tourist Trophy held at Dundrod, one of the 1954 World Sportscar Championship rounds. Luigi Musso and Sergio Mantovani would finish 5th overall and 1st in the Sports 2000 Class earning Maserati two championship points that helped put Maserati above Porsche in that year's final championship standings.

It is believed it raced a week later at the Bologna-Passo della Raticosa hill climb driven by Cesare Perdisa to First in Class and 2nd Overall.

In April of 1955, it finished in 3rd place at the Autodromo di Buenos Aires. A pair of third place finished followed at the Kilometro Lanzado-Autopista Ezeiza in December 1955, and the 500 Millas de Rafaela in June 1956.

After the 1958 Buenos Aires 1000 KM, it was sold to Alberto Gomez and then to his friend, Enzo Tasco. It is believed Tasco acquired the car without an engine. He later found an original A6GCS engine and installed it into 2078. It is believed to have been raced from 1964 to 1967 and during this time suffered front-end damage during practice at the Autodromo. It was subsequently sold to Guillermo Vago, when then sold it to Jorge Macome, who treated the car to a costly restoration. After the work was completed, he drove it in local street races.

Vago re-acquired the Maserati in late 1972, and a few years later, resold the car to Lucio Bollaert, Mr. Bollaert offered the Maserati for sale around 1983, with the old engine disassembled but complete. In 1984, it was purchased from Bollaert by Paolo Dabbeni of Brescia. It was entered in the 1986 Mille Miglia but mechanical failure forced an early retirement. By 1987 it had been purchased by Gianni Vitali, who ran the Maserati for six consecutive years in the Mille Miglia from 1987 to 1992 and once more in 1995. In 1996 it received its FIVA identity card.

In February 1998 the Maserati was sold by Vitali to the current American owner. Since then it has competed in the Monterey Historics five times, the Wine Country Classic three times, the Colorado Grand twice, and the Mille Miglia once, among many other events.

Crosthwaite & Gardiner produced a limited run of reproduction A6GCS engines using the old engine from 2078 as a template. Currently, 2078 is powered by one of these Crosthwaite & Gardiner units, which is numbered 001. The old 2078 engine, stamped as engine number 2078, remains with the vehicle.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2019