1961 OSCA 1600 GT

The O.S.C.A. Company was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1947 by the three surviving Maserati brothers, who had previously sold the rights to their name in 1938. The Maserati brothers had been very successful during the 1930s in motor racing, especially with the small-displacement sports cars. The death of Alfieri was devastating for the company, but the company continued to score racing successes, though their financial stability was beginning to falter. The remaining three Maserati brothers decided to sell their company to the Orsi brothers in 1937. A condition in the sales contract stated that the brothers would continue to design cars for the Orsis for a decade. After their contract was satisfied in 1947, the brothers started a new company, OSCA - meaning Officine Specializzate Construzione Automobili.

The endeavors of the newly formed OSCA Company were similar to the early years of the Maserati Company - the focus was on building racing cars. The early cars were powered by a one-liter engine, and weighed in at less than 1,000 pounds. One of the earliest cars was the MT4, which was instantly successful in competition, earning many victories and evening a class victory at the 1953 LeMans. Another source of income for the OSCA Company was supplying 1500cc and 1600cc twin cam engines to Fiat.

As the 1950s came to a close, the brothers began expanding their catalog to include road-going cars. One such example was the 1600 GTS, fitted with a 1600cc engine and offering 140 horsepower. It featured double overhead camshafts, twin side-draft Webers and four-wheel disc brakes. There were just 128 examples of this model produced and they were bodied by Boneschi, Fissori and Zagato. Only 32 examples had the 'double bubble' Zagato body.

The Zagato body opened its doors in 1919, and specialized in lightweight, sleek, and generally timeless styling efforts.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019