1959 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage Roadster

The Maserati Company, based in Modena, was established by seven brothers in 1914. During the 1950s, they fostered a reputation for building exciting road and racing cars and competed rather successfully at the world's top racing venues. Their A6G was given coachwork by the finest and most skilled craftsman and on the racetrack, the A6GCS captures some prestigious victories. The 200S and 300S would continue this lineage. Perhaps one of the company's finest hours during the 1950s was when Juan-Manuel Fangio captured the 1957 Championship title in a Maserati 250F gran prix car.

With such an impressive road and racing career during the 1950s, it is hard to imagine the company was struggling financially. Maserati and the Orsi family invested heavily in their racing program, and when it did not achieve the financial return they hope for, they were forced to cancel all racing activities by the close of the 1957 season.

By 1958, they had regained some of their financial stability. So, the Orsi family felt it was time to develop a new racing car. Giulio Alfieri, Maserati's chief engineer, was chosen to lead the development of the new car. The car was to be one that could be raced by the factory or sold to customers.

Though Alfieri was starting from a blank slate, he had to control costs. One method for keeping costs at a minimum, some of the existing sub-components already in production at Maserati were sourced.

Design work began in October 1958. A front-engine design was chosen and designed to hold the two-liter Maserati DOHC four-cylinder. The engine was to be laid on its side for better weight distribution and a lower profile. The suspension system from the 250F grand prix car was chosen for the rear suspension setup. It consisted of a DeDion axle with a transverse-mounted leaf spring. The front suspension was a fully independent coil-spring setup also the same type found in the 250F. Newly developed telescopic-type shock absorbers were used in all four corners, and the steering was of the rack-and-pinion type. Disc brakes were also placed at all four corners.

For the chassis, Alfieri used several hundred small-bore mild steel tubes welded together in a clever network that distributed weight evenly across all stress points. The frame was nicknamed for its resemblance to a birdcage. The frame was stronger than traditional tube-frame designs and weighed a mere 66 pounds. The body was meant to be made from aluminum with minimum overhang and an innovative Kamm tail shape to reduce rear-end lift and drag.

By May 8th of 1959, the prototype Tipo 60 was completed and ready for testing. Stirling Moss was tasked with shaking down the new car at the local Modena Autodrome on May 19th. Moss was impressed with the car and obtained permission from Alfieri and Mr. Orsi to do more testing during the upcoming 1,000 km race at Nurburgring. Moss felt the car could compete and win in the two-liter class. If it were upgraded to 3-liter configuration, Moss felt it could win the World Sports Car Championship.

When Moss drove the car at Nurburgring, it broke the two-liter track record. A few months later, Maserati brought the car to its first competitive event, a two-liter race in Rouen, France. Moss drove the Tipo 60 to victory in its first competitive outing. Orders for Maserati's new race car began flooding in, and production was initiated.

In the United States, the most important class was the D Modified (2,000cc to 3,000cc) class. So Maserati upgraded the car with a three-liter engine, and the Tipo 61 was born. Alfieri chose a short-stroke 2890cc design which delivered smooth power and very limited vibration. The new engine offered 250 horsepower and with the overall weight of the car remaining close to that of the Tipo 60, the Tipo 61 was truly a fierce and competitive machine.

The Tipo 60 and 61 raced on the world's finest stages, competing at the 24 Hours of LeMans, the Targa Florio and the 1000 KM of Nurburgring. Lloyd 'Lucky' Cassner's famous Camoradi racing Team won at Nurburgring in both 1960 and 1961.

It is believed that less than 20 Maserati Tipo 60 and 61s were built between 1959 and 1961.

This example, chassis number 2454, was the third Tipo 61 built. Finished at Maserati on November 9th of 1959, the new car was painted black and given a slightly higher rear deck and less pronounced fender crowns than the cars produced afterwards. The car was ordered by privateer racer Loyal Katskee of Omaha, Nebraska. Katskee also owned an MG and Jaguar dealership in Omaha.

Katskee tended to race at major events and was not particularly interested in local competition.

Chassis 2454 left Italy in an airplane on November 13, 1959 and was flown straight to Miami, Florida, in time of the 1959 Nassau Speed Week later that same month. Katskee drove the Maserati at Nassau in several races, finishing 11th overall in the Governor's Trophy Race, and, a few days later, 16th overall in the Nassau Trophy Race. In February of 1960, Katskee drove his Tipo 61, now painted white, in the Grand Prix of Cuba, but failed to finish the race. In June of 1960, it was raced at the USAC International Race at Continental Divide Raceways in Castle Rock, Colorado, but once again ran into problems and failed to finish.

His next outing with the Maserati was in July of 1960 at the USAC Race at Road America. The car was driven to an impressive 3rd place overall. The remaining part of the 1960 season would see the Tipo 61 racing on the West Coast, first at the USAC Times Grand Prix in Riverside, California, and later at the USAC Pacific Grand prix at Laguna Seca, finishing 14th overall at Laguna.

By the close of the season, the car was sold to Donald Skogmo of Minneapolis, Minnesota. By this point in history, the car's original engine had been removed but kept with the car as a spare, replaced by an un-numbered engine.

Skogmo's first outing with the car was in May of 1961 at the SCCA race held at Wilmot Hills Road Racing Course in Wisconsin, where Skogmo finished an impressive 2nd overall. The following month, at the Hoosier Grand Prix held at Indianapolis Raceway, Skogmo finished 11th overall in the first heat and 8th overall in the second. At the SCCA race at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota in late 1961, Skogmo emerged victorious. In July, he raced at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with an 8th overall finish, and again won at the July SCCA race at Metropolitan Stadium. In December of 1961, Skogmo raced at Nassau Speed Week, finishing 8th overall in the Governor's Trophy Race and 16th overall in the Nassau Trophy Race.

For 1962, the Maserati saw little use, though it did race at Elkhart Lake in September. Chassis 2454 was eventually sold, at that point with neither engine nor transaxle installed.

The car was purchased by a Floridian individual, then later sold to a New Yorker before finally purchased by an Englishman in 1970. Under his ownership, 2454 was given a sympathetic restoration and fitted with a two-liter Tipo 60 engine and four-speed transaxle from a 300S.

In the mid-1970s, the car was purchased by Joel Finn who soon installed a correct Tipo 61 engine and transaxle. It remained with Mr. Finn until the early 1980s, when it was purchased by Giulio Dubbini in Padova, Italy.

After Mr. Dubbini's passing in 1989, it was sold to Swiss collector Karl Bloechle. Mr Bloechle campaigned the Tipo 61 at historic racing events throughout Europe during the 1990s before finally selling it to Swiss collector and historic race car driver Carlo Voegele in 2000. Mr. Voegele treated the car to a full refurbishment. Near the end of the restoration process, 2454 was inspected, evaluated, and received the ultimate stamp of authenticity: certification by Maserati Classiche, an honor which is believed to have bestowed upon just one other Tipo 60/61.

The current owner acquired the car in 2011. It has since been raced at Spa Francochamps, Nurburgring and Goodwood.

This car, chassis number 2454, retains its original body and chassis. It has a known history and ownership, as well as Maserati Classiche certification. The 2890cc dual overhead cam four-cylinder alloy engine has twin-plug ignition and two Weber 28 DCO3 carburetors. The 250 horsepower produced by the engine is sent to a five-speed manual transaxle. There are four-wheel disc brakes and an independent front suspension with coil springs.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California. it was estimated to sell for $3,500,000 - $4,500,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $3,520,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2012