1957 Maserati 200 SI Spyder

Maserati produced approximately twenty-eight examples of the Model 200 (including S and SI) between 1955 and 1958. The Maserati 200SI is powered by a 1993 cc 4-cylinder engine developing 188 horsepower. The Maserati 200 'SI' was named in 1957 to signify its conformance to international sports car racing rules. This example, chassis number 2423, was produced on June 13th of 1957 and sent by Maserati Corporation of America to Houston. The car's first owner was Gaylord Jackson of Chattanooga, Tennessee who entered the Maserati in races in Florida for driver Joe Sheppard from Tampa.

The first outing in the new Maserati was at Fort Pierce, Florida on September 30th of 1957 where it placed 2nd and 3rd in two races that weekend. The following week, in Gainsville, Sheppard won both his heat race and the main event in the 200 SI. In Miami, at the Orange Bowl Nationals, the Maserati placed 9th and then traveled to New Smyrna Beach in February 1958 for the Paul Whiteman Trophy race - which it won. The next outing was on March 9th, 1958 in Boca Raton, Florida. During practice, a connecting rod railed and the 200 Si's engine was damaged to the point where it had to be shipped to Maserati in Modena for a rebuild. The work was slow and extensive, prompting Sheppard to source a new car to drive. His father Jack acquired a Porsche Spyder, which they raced very successfully through 1961.

The 200 SI saw very little use, sitting in the back of the garage at Sheppard Motors until the early 1970s when Dale Powers acquired it for $6,000 in complete form, albeit dirty and not running. A short time later, it was sold into new ownership - possibly David Laramie of Maine - through dealer Stanley Nowak for $16,000. By the late 1970s, the Maserati was owned by racer Robert Fergus, whose wife Barbara drove it in vintage racing competition. By 2000, the Maserati was in the care of Brian Brunkhorst who raced it in the Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge before selling it to Charles Wegner of Chicago. Mr. Wegner campaigned the car extensively, winning the Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge Drum-Brake Championship circa 2004.

In December of 2008, it was discovered that the engine block had a crack in the webbing between two cylinders. A new 2.5-liter engine was sourced by Vintage Restoration Services and built by Rick Bunkfeldt. The original engine, with cylinder head stamped 2423, remained in a disassembled state with the vehicle.

More recently, chassis number 2423 was raced at the Monterey Historics, the Coronado Speed Festival (where it was awarded Best in Class) and the Ferrari Challenge event at Cavallino in January of 2010.