1957 Maserati 200 SI

Maserati's heritage is firmly rooted in motorsport competition, dating back to the mid-1920s when the Maserati brothers (Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, and Ernesto) birthed the marque. Their mechanical prowess and technical expertise were immediately proven when the first Maseratis built, driven by Alfieri, won the Targa Florio in 1926. A range of 4, 6, 8, and 16 cylinders powered vehicles followed competing in a wide range of disciplines.

Alfieri Maserati passed away in 1932, and the three other brothers, (Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore) kept the firm going until 1937 when they sold their shares in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family. In 1940, the company headquarters were relocated to the Orsi's hometown of Modena, where it remains to this day.

Although the brothers had sold the company, they continued to lend their engineering expertise, resulting in back-to-back victories in 1939 and 1940 at the Indianapolis 500 with an 8CTF. Numerous other victories were achieved, often against more powerful cars and better-funded teams. After World War II, when the Maserati brother's 10-year contract with Orsi expired, they left to form O.S.C.A. Their engineering roles at Maserati were replaced by Alberto Massimino, a former FIAT engineer with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari experience, along with engineers Giulio Alfieri, Vittorio Bellentani, and Gioacchino Colombo. Under their guidance, Maserati entered a new era of racing and road-going successes, with projects that included the 4CLT, the A6 series, the 8CLT, and the A6GCS.

During the 1950s, the company enjoyed a very successful, albeit expensive, career with their 200S, 300S, 350S, and 450S, followed in 1961 by the Tipo 61. The 250F brought the company its greatest notoriety by winning the world championship in 1957. Despite its successes and heritage, Maserati withdrew from factory racing participation during the later-1950s as they focused on profitability by building road-going grand tourers in greater quantities.

The Maserati 200S (Tipo 52)

Following World War II, Maserati introduced the A6 series named in honor of Alfieri Maserati and for their straight-six engine. The 1.5-liter unit was named A6 TR (Testa Riportata for its detachable cylinder head) and based on the pre-war Maserati 6CM; its first appearance was in 1947 powering the A6 Sport (or Tipo 6C2/46). This later became the A6 1500 Pinin Farina-designed two-door Berlinetta that was introduced at the 1947 Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva.

The A6 GCS was a two-seater equipped with a two-liter straight six initially offering 120 horsepower. The 'G' represented Ghisa (cast iron block) and 'CS' denoted Corsa & Sport.

In 1952, Maserati began working on the successor to the A6GCS, codenamed Tipo 52. Engineering was handled by Giulio Alfieri around a four-cylinder light-alloy engine with dual overhead valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts. The early examples received double Weber 50DCO3 carburetors while later examples were equipped with 45DCO3 carburetors. Depending on the configuration, the engine developed approximately 190 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and was backed by a four-speed synchromesh manual transmission (later examples used a five-speed).

To reduce cost and speed up development time, many mechanical components, including the chassis, were sourced from the Maserati 150S. The rigid rear axle, however, was courtesy of the Maserati A6. The first three tubular chassis were built by Maserati while later examples were outsourced to Gilco. The first five aluminum bodies were made by Celestino Fiandri, and the 23 final bodies were made by Medardo Fantuzzi. Drum brakes provided the stopping power.

The front suspension was fully independent on all examples, while early examples received a live rear axle. A more advanced deDion axle was applied to most customer cars.

Just like the 150 and 250 series of sports racers, the 200 was generally geared towards privateer owners. In its first competitive outing, a 150S was driven by Jean Behra at the Nürburgring, where he set a new 1,500 cc record in practice by a margin of nine seconds and went on to win his class by two minutes. The 200S that followed displaced nearly two liters and its output increased by 45 bhp. Competition successes for the new 200S were not immediate, but later included a class win at the 1956 Mille Miglia and a 1-2 finish by Behra and Cesare Perdisa at the Bari Grand Prix. Soon, a variant named the 200 SI was introduced, for Sport Internazionale, and denoting the model's compliance with new FIA Appendix C regulations. They had a wider windscreen, wipers, and doors. A hood (cloth roof) protected the car from the elements while parked.

Maserati built eight examples of the 200S during 1955 and 1956, with the remainder (estimated at 20) being built to 'SI' specification. The 200 SIs received the five-speed gearboxes, an additional five horsepower, and larger brakes, however, specifications typically varied by car. The 200S and SI were bodied by Fantuzzi, with a sleek, aerodynamic shape with a long nose that was later incorporated on the later-production 300S and 450S models. Maserati later offered a 250S model and sold conversion kits to upgrade earlier cars in the series to the later 2.5-liter (2,498cc) specification. Most of the 250S cars were either 150S or 200S that had been converted to 250S specifications. Just two 250S cars were built from the ground up.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2416

Maserati produced 32 Model 200Si cars between 1955 and 1958. For the 1955-56 season, Maserati's aging but still impressive A6GCS was updated with their 4C2F engine, which had originally been designed in 1952. An early 200S was entered in the 1955 Imola Grand Prix and driven by Franco Bordoni, but the car's performance proved that further work was needed to make it competitive. Further development and modifications brought about the 200Si, which featured a number of body changes to meet the 1957 FIA regulations.

This example, chassis number 2416, was a Maserati works car built for the 1957 season.

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2423

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.

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2427
Engine number: 2427

Maserati introduced its 200SI in 1955 as the successor to the aging A6GCS and as an answer to Ferrari's Lampredi-powered four-cylinder models. Both the new Maserati 150S (Tipo 53) and 200S (Tipo 52) shared similar conventional tubular chassis, along with 1.5- and 2-liter versions of the same all-new. twin-plug four-cylinder engine. Suspensions were similar with conventional double wishbones and coil springs, although the 200S (initially) had a live rear axle and the 150S employed a De Dion tube and transverse leaf-spring arrangement. Subsequent 200S models were configured like that of their smaller sibling.

Plagued by transmission problems, the success of the 200S was limited. Jean Behra scored victories during the 1956 season at the Gran Premio di Bari and Gran Premio di Roma, and Stirling Moss and Cesare Perdisa's placed second in that year's Supercortemaggiore at Monza.

The 1957 season was run under Appendix C regulations resulting in the car's transformation into 200SI, or Sport Internazionale - which added two functioning doors, a full-width windscreen, a makeshift fabric top, and provision for a spare wheel.

This particular example is one of 20 examples of the 200SI. It was completed at Maserati's Modena works on August 9th, 1957, and is one of approximately five 200S/SI chassis fitted with Fantuzzi coachwork. Additionally, it received Jaeger instruments, Cibie headlights, and Pirelli-shod Borrani wire wheels.

Chassis number 2427 was sent to the United States by Maserati Corporation of America on behalf of its first owner, New York-based Vincent Dyckman Andrus. It was primarily driven by John Fitch in East Coast SCCA events. The inaugural outing was in the Queen Catherine Cup at Watkins Glen on September 21st of 1957 where he finished 4th overall and 1st in class. A week later, both Fitch and Maserati traveled to Bridgehampton, where they finished the 25-lap SCCA feature race in 5th position overall and another class victory. It raced at the International Bahamas Speed Week in December 1957 where it wore a new white-with-blue-underbelly color scheme in place of its previous red. It placed 2nd overall and 1st in class in the preliminary five-lap heat for the Governor's Trophy race, followed by a retirement in the feature race. The following day, it competed in the Nassau Memorial Trophy race where Fitch drove it to a 3rd overall finish and 1st in class.

The 200SI raced in April of 1958 at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut where Fitch placed 2nd overall and 2nd in class. It returned in June with Fitch placing 4th overall and 1st in class in the feature 40-lap Sports Car Race. Fitch's final outing with the car was at the July SCCA meeting at Lime Rock where he placed 3rd overall and first in class.

The car was advertised for sale by Carroll Shelby Sports Cars Inc. in September 1958 and purchased shortly thereafter by Floridian John J. Packo. The original red paint scheme was returned to the vehicle and it is believed that it was raced only once by Mr. Packo, at Boca Raton in March 1959, where he finished 2nd in the Preliminary race and 3rd in the feature race.

In February 1960, the car was lent to the Camoradi team where it was driven by Dan Gurney but failed to finish the race.

In 1963, the car was sold to Carl Bross of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and after he passed away in 1971, much of his collection was sold to Anthony Bamford of Rocester, United Kingdom, before joining the collection of Ray Fielding in 1978. It was displayed in the Doune Motor Museum near Falkirk, Scotland for many years and retained by the Fielding family for almost three decades. Anton Bilton, of London, became the car's next custodian in July 2007, who soon entrusted the car to GPS Classic of Soragna, Italy to overhaul the chassis, numbers-matching engine, and gearbox in preparation for vintage racing. The restoration of the original bodywork was entrusted to Quality Cars of Padova.

This Maserati made its post-restoration debut in 2008 at the Mille Miglia Storica. It was then sold to Dr. Wolf Zweifler of Munich, Germany in July 2008, who campaigned the car extensively over the next few years, including several participations in the Ferrari Maserati Challenge, 2009 Mille Miglia Storica, and the 2010 Le Mans Classic, before selling the car.

Oscar Davis acquired the Maserati in 2012 and had it sent to Leydon Restorations of Lahaska, Pennsylvania for a mechanical and cosmetic restoration. The work entailed bringing the car back to its original specification, fitting its original components, and removing previously added safety materials.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2427
Engine number: 2427

Introduced in 1955, the 200SI was the successor to the A6GCS and Maserati's answer to Ferrari's Lampredi-powered four-cylinder cars in the two-liter Sport Internazionale class.

This particular example was ordered in May, 1957 by Maserati USA, and delivered to John Fitch and Vincent Andrus. At its debut race, at Lime Rock, John Fitch scored the first of six class victories out of eleven races in which it was entered. The car finished as high as second overall at Montgomery, Nassau and Lime Rock.

The car was sold at the end of the 1958 season through Carroll Shelby Sports Cars and continued to be actively raced in SCCA events through the 1962 season by drivers including John Packo, Arch Means and Jack Brewer. Racing great John Fitch said this Maserati 200SI was 'one of the best handling racing cars from that period....a pleasure to drive.'

This Maserati with Spyder coachwork by Fantuzzi is one of 28 examples of the 200 SI-specification chassis built - fewer still were bodied by Fantuzzi.

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2412
Engine number: 2412

Development of the 200S, codenamed Tipo 52, began in 1952 and was led by Vittorio Bellentani. It was the successor to the Maserati A6GCS, and twenty-eight examples were built from 1955 to 1959 (of all the 200 and 250-spec chassis). Its 1.994.3 cc (2.0 liter) inline four-cylinder light-alloy engine had dual overhead valves per cylinder, twin camshafts, a pair of Weber 50DCO3 carburetors on early cars (later cars had 45DCO3 carburetors), and produced 190 horsepower at 7,500 RPM. It had an 86.6-inch wheelbase chassis, and many of its mechanical components were shared with the Maserati 150S. The first three chassis were built internally at Maserati, but the remaining chassis construction was outsourced to Gilco and modified by Maserati. Celestino Fiandri created the first five aluminum bodies, and the final 23 bodies were built by Medardo Fantuzzi. Styling elements included sweeping fender lines, a protruding small-mouth grille, and a trailing head fairing.

Following a period of teething problems, the 200S claimed a 2nd-place finish at the 1956 Gran Premio di Bari, and an overall victory at the Gran Premio di Roma, and Stirling Moss and Cesare Perdisa finished 2nd overall at the 1956 Supercortemaggiore at Monza.

When the FIA introduced new Appendix C regulations in 1957, Maserati modified its 200S to comply with the new rules, adding a full-width windscreen, space for a spare wheel, and two functioning doors. These updates led to the rechristening of the model as the 200SI (with the suffix standing for Sport Internazionale). Later examples were given 2.5-liter engines and were renamed the 250S; many of the original 2-liters cars were subsequently upgraded to 250S-specification.

Chassis Number 2412

This Maserati 200SI by Fantuzzi has been owned by its current caretaker for 14 years and is one of the few examples that retains a correct 2-liter engine. It was completed by the factory in February 1957 and wore a rosso paint scheme with black upholstered seats.

Chicago-based dealer Harry Woodnorth imported the Maserati to the United States, and was sold new to racing privateer 'Gentleman' Jim Kimberly. Mr. Kimberly had the 200SI repainted in his signature shade of Kimberly Red, a color he had formulated with the help of none other than GM design legend Harley Earl. Most of his sport-racing Ferraris and Maseratis that he raced were given this color scheme.

Period Racing

Mr. Kimberly's inaugural race with the 200SI was at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1957, with Ted Boynton, Kimberly, and Denise McCluggage sharing driving duties. After 58 laps, the car was forced to retire due to a gearbox failure. The car raced on three more occasions in 1957, all at Elkhart Lake.

The Maserati 200SI raced at seven events during the 1958 season, including the Grand Prix of Cuba in February and the 12 Hours of Sebring a month later. Many of these races brought various mechanical issues that hindered the car from finishing. Its most successful outting was a 9th in class at Elkhart Lake in June 1958, and 3rd overall at the same track a month later (driven by Jay Middleton at both events).

Provinance

In May 1958, Harry Woodnorth was consigned to find a new owner for the Maserati. Its exact ownership history during the 1960s is currently unknown; by the early 1970s, it was owned by William Baker of Illinois. Dr. Elliot Siegel of Chicago purchased the Maserati in December 1976 and retained it until November 1993. Jay Jessup of Charlottesville, Virginia, became its next owner and had it inspected by Mike DePudja of Denver, Colorado, for the purpose of an extensive restoration. The restoration would include replacing the original body panels with reproduction coachwork in proper aluminum alloy. Since the 200SI was intended to be used in vintage racing events, Mr. Jessup wanted to preserve the Fantuzzi body - thus its removal. The original panels remain with the vehicle, but are not installed. In 2000, Mr. Jessup brought the car to the Monterey Historic Races.

Dr. Wolf Zweifler of Germany purchased the Maserati in January 2005 and retained Tommaso Gelmini's GPS Classic in Soragna, Italy, to maintain the car and prepare it for event use, including the 2005 Mille Miglia Storica.

Nick Colonna purchased the 200SI a year later and used it in many events through early 2009, including the Shell Maserati Historic Challenge, the Cavallino Classic, and the Monterey Historics.

The current owner purchased the car in October 2009. From 2013 to 2014, the car was given an engine rebuild by Mike DePudja. Since the work was completed, the ar has not been used in any vintage racing events.

by Dan Vaughan

Spyder by Fantuzzi
Chassis number: 2425

In the wake of the ultra-successful A6GCS, Maserati launched its new race car in 1955: the 200S. Only 28 units were built in three iterations, and this car is an SI model for Sport Internazionale. Introduced in 1957, the 200SI was developed to conform with new international sports car racing regulations and as such was graced with a wider windshield, wipers, and doors. It had a 2.0 liter, inline four, light alloy engine with double carburetors. This works car was completed on July 16, in red with coachwork by Fantuzzi, and was campaigned by Maserati in 1957, and then raced by Jim Hall, Bob Kuhn, and Otto Klein. The current owner has raced the car extensively in Europe and the United States since 2007.

Maserati's aging but still impressive A6GCS needed improvement in order to remain competitive. The decision was made to address the 4C2F engine that had been in production since the early 1950s and used in Formula 2 racing. Development began and the project was codenamed 'Tipo 52', but commonly referred to as Tipo 200S. In order to speed up production and reduce costs, the project was divided into two groups, the 150S and the 200S. The 2-liter 200S engines were similar to the 150S, both had five main bearings, dual overhead camshafts, dual ignition with magnetos, and dual Weber 50 DC03 carburetors. The carburetors were quickly replaced with a 45 DCO3s unit. A four-speed gearbox was installed but later removed in favor of a five-speed all-synchromesh transmission driven through a limited-slip differential. Top speed could be achieved at just over 160 mph. Due to improvements, modifications, and enhancements, specifications vary.

The DeDion Type rigid rear axle was courtesy of the A6GCS. The suspension was comprised of independent coil springs, torsion bar and shock absorbers in the front and transverse leaf springs and shock absorbers in the rear. The chassis was nearly identical to the one used for the 150S. Braking power was from hydraulic brakes fitted on all four wheels and cooled by centrifugal air. The fuel tank had a 22-gallon capacity.

A 200S was entered into the 1955 Imola Grand Prix and driven by Franco Bordoni where it left with disappointing results. Further work was needed to make it competitive. Later in the season, a pair of 200S was entered into the Targa Florio. At the checkered flag it was a Maserati in the lead, but not the 200S. An A6GCS driven by Francesco Giardini managed to secure the overall victory while the two 200S were both forced to retire prematurely due to mechanical difficulties.

The 200S's two biggest flaws were its handling and its braking. These were addressed on the off-season and the vehicles were prepared for 1956. All three 200S's, chassis number 2403, 2404, and 2405, were entered in the Supercortemaggiore GP. 2403 and 2404 borrowed the chassis design from the 150S and had a DeDion bridge anchored to the differential with a sliding pin. 2405 had a traditional rigid rear axle. The bodies differed slightly in an effort to capitalize on aerodynamic features. One of the 200S's was damaged during practice and a second 200S retired after the first lap. Chassis number 2405 showed potential and finished the race, but did not achieve the success Maserati was hoping for. Nevertheless, the decision was made to continue with production. A tubular chassis was selected and the coachwork was passed from Celestino Fiandri to Medardo Fantuzzi.

Further development and modifications brought about the 200SI, meaning Sport Internazionale, indicating their compliance with newly adopted regulations. These regulations stated that the cars needed to comply with new rules and specifications in order to compete in international racing. The changes included a soft-top, full windshield with wipers and doors. The dimensions and specifications of many of the mechanical components were also dictated within these rules.

Replacing the successful A6GCS was a tall order which the 200S had done rather well. Like most other vehicles, it suffered from teething problems with many of its issues being ironed out with continued development. It required a skilled driver to control, especially at high speeds. Nevertheless, it is one of Maserati's most successful smaller-displacement racing cars. They were customer race cars that were quick, powerful, and durable. Their most prestigious victories were class wins at the 1956 Mille Miglia and the 1957 European Mountain Championship.

Later, the engines were enlarged and the 200S became the 250S. There were only four created by Maserati, while many of the privateers made the same modifications.

by Dan Vaughan