This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(March 2019) |
Category | Voiturette / Formula One | ||
---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Maserati | ||
Designer(s) | Ernesto Maserati | ||
Production | 1939–1950 | ||
Predecessor | Maserati 6CM | ||
Successor | Maserati A6GCM | ||
Technical specifications | |||
Chassis | Light alloy ladder | ||
Suspension (front) | Independent, torsion springs and friction dampers | ||
Suspension (rear) | Live axle, leaf springs and friction dampers | ||
Axle track | F: 1,250 mm (49.2 in) R: 1,276 mm (50.2 in) | ||
Wheelbase | 2,500 mm (98.4 in) | ||
Engine | 1,491 cc (91 cu in) straight-4 single-stage supercharger front-mounted | ||
Transmission | Maserati 4-speed manual | ||
Tyres | Pirelli | ||
Competition history | |||
Notable entrants | Officine Alfieri Maserati Scuderia Platé Scuderia Milano Scuderia Ambrosiana | ||
Notable drivers | Johnnie Wakefield Luigi Villoresi Toulo de Graffenried Reg Parnell B. Bira Pierre Levegh Louis Chiron Giuseppe Farina Juan Manuel Fangio Maurice Trintignant Tazio Nuvolari Raymond Sommer | ||
Debut | 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix | ||
|
The Maserati 4CL and its derived sister model the Maserati 4CLT are single-seat open-wheel Grand Prix racing cars that were designed and built by Maserati. The 4CL was introduced at the beginning of the 1939 season, as a rival to the Alfa Romeo 158 and various ERA models in the voiturette class of international Grand Prix motor racing. Although racing ceased during World War II, the 4CL was one of the front running models at the resumption of racing in the late 1940s. Experiments with two-stage supercharging and tubular chassis construction eventually led to the introduction of the revised 4CLT model in 1948. The 4CLT was steadily upgraded and updated over the following two years, resulting in the ultimate 4CLT/50 model, introduced for the inaugural year of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. In the immediate post-war period, and the first two years of the Formula One category, the 4CLT was the car of choice for many privateer entrants, leading to numerous examples being involved in most races during this period.
In the late 1930s, continued rapid development in the increasingly competitive international voiturette class, and the introduction of the Alfa Romeo 158 and ERA B- and C-type models, forced the Maserati brothers into designing a new, square-bore,inline-4-cylinder engine, with a bore and stroke of 78 mm for a total displacement of 1,490.85 cc (1.5 L). This new engine developed 30–50 bhp more than the previous inline-6, the increase mostly achieved through an increase to four valves per cylinder, coupled to the use of a more powerful supercharger and a small increase in the compression ratio. Following customary Maserati practice, the engine was mounted into a chassis design almost identical to that of the 4CL's predecessor: the Maserati 6CM. Conventional in its architecture, twin box-section spars ran the length of the car joined, ladder-fashion, by smaller cross members, although the 4CL design did incorporate more aluminium componentry than its forebear. Although near-identical in its wheelbase, the 4CL's track was a full 5 cm (1.97 in) wider than the 6CM, and sat lower thanks to repositioned spring hangers.
Enveloping this rather conservative chassis was a low, curvaceous alloy-panel body, built in-house by Maserati. Maserati also built a streamlined version of the 4CL from the outset. Continued engine development, in response to Alfa Romeo's post-war introduction of two-stage supercharging, began to expose weaknesses in the chassis design. In an attempt to improve torsional rigidity Maserati began to experiment with tubular section chassis members. These experimental models ran alongside conventional 4CLs throughout the 1947 season, and eventually led to the introduction of the 4CLT in 1948.
In the hands of Luigi Villoresi the streamliner took pole position on the 4CL's race debut at the 1939 Tripoli Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes' brand new W165s. However, both it and two of the three conventional 4CLs entered retired early in the race with engine troubles, leaving the Silver Arrows to take the victory. Embarrassingly for the works team, following this disappointing debut the 4CL's first taste of victory came in the hands of privateer Johnnie Wakefield at the Naples Grand Prix, two races later. Through the remainder of 1939 voiturette races Wakefield took two further victories, and the works' 4CLs picked up another two, before the outbreak of war curtailed international competition. Villoresi took the 4CL to victory in the 1940 Targa Florio, but with entry restricted to Axis countries, and only Maserati fielding a factory team, the opposition was hardly world class.
On the resumption of competition in 1946 the Maserati 4CL proved the class of the field. Luigi Villoresi immediately returned to winning ways, taking victory in the first race following the cessation of hostilities: the 1946 Nice Grand Prix. Tazio Nuvolari and Giorgio Pelassa both took wins in 4CLs, but it was Raymond Sommer and his 4CL who dominated the season. 1947 would prove to be the 4CL's most successful season and, despite Alfa Romeo fielding the revamped 158 and new 308, Maserati drivers picked up 10 individual race victories.
After the replacement of the factory team's 4CLs by the new 4CLT, many examples of the older cars found their way into privateer hands. It was owing to the 4CL's popularity with privateer entrants that many were still being run in top-flight competition at the outset of the Formula One World Championship in 1950.
Category | Voiturette / Formula One | ||
---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Maserati | ||
Designer(s) | Ernesto Maserati Alberto Massimino Vittorio Bellentani Arialdo Ruggieri | ||
Technical specifications | |||
Chassis | Light alloy tubular ladder | ||
Suspension (front) | Independent, coil springs and hydraulic dampers | ||
Suspension (rear) | Live axle, leaf springs and hydraulic dampers | ||
Axle track | F: 1,250 mm (49.2 in) R: 1,200 mm (47.2 in) | ||
Wheelbase | 2,500 mm (98.4 in) | ||
Engine | Maserati 1491 cc straight-4, two-stage supercharger, front-mounted | ||
Transmission | Maserati 4-speed manual | ||
Tyres | Pirelli / Ernesto / Dunlop | ||
Competition history | |||
Notable entrants | Officine Alfieri Maserati Scuderia Platé Scuderia Ambrosiana Scuderia Achille Varzi Automóvil Club Argentino Scuderia Milano | ||
Notable drivers | Luigi Villoresi Reg Parnell Toulo de Graffenried Juan Manuel Fangio Louis Chiron B. Bira Harry Schell Giuseppe Farina | ||
Debut | 1948 San Remo Grand Prix | ||
|
Chassis and engine changes made to the experimental 4CLs eventually coalesced into the 4CLT, the appended T denoting its tubular chassis. The improvements in torsional rigidity that the tubular construction brought were required to counteract the increases in torque and power resulting from the twin-supercharger upgrade of the elderly inline-4 engine. Power was up to approximately 260 bhp (194 kW), from the 4CL's 220. Other changes included the use of roller bearings for the crankshaft, forged (rather than cast) rear suspension components, and the chassis was designed to run with hydraulic dampers from the outset.
The first variant of the 4CLT earned its "Sanremo" nickname from the first race for which it was entered: the 1948 San Remo Grand Prix. The name stuck, as Alberto Ascari took his 4CLT to victory in its maiden race appearance. A portent of things to come, Villoresi and Reg Parnell won five of the 1948 season's remaining races. In the first year of the Formula One World Championship, a Sanremo scored what was to be the Maserati's best Championship finish, when Louis Chiron took third place at his home Grand Prix: the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. The last 4CLT variant to compete in the World Championship was a 4CLT/48 modified by the Arzani-Volpini team, that failed to even qualify for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.
For 1949, minor modifications to the brake drums, switching from vanes to slits for cooling, along with small changes to the cockpit control layout and a repositioned oil header-tank resulted in a car sometimes referred to as the 4CLT/49. It was never known as such by the factory. The Ascari/Villoresi/Parnell trio, joined by Juan Manuel Fangio and Toulo de Graffenried, took up where they had left off the previous season, winning nine of the first fifteen races of 1949, including de Graffenried's victory in the British Grand Prix. However, the second half of the season only saw three further wins, as increasingly competitive Ferrari and Talbot cars squeezed out the Maseratis in most major races.
1950 saw the introduction of the FIA World Championship of Drivers. In response to improvements to the Alfa 158 and the already competitive Ferrari and Talbot, Maserati again upgraded the 4CLT's engine. A multi-part crankshaft, lightened and balanced rods, a more powerful pair of superchargers and changes to the ignition timing took engine output up to a claimed 280 bhp (209 kW). [1] Coupled to shedding 10 kg (22 lb) from the car's weight, this brought the Maserati up to near-Alfa levels of performance. Although moderately competitive in short runs, the final upgrades proved to be too much for the decade-old powerplant's design and the 4CLT's Grand Prix performance was hindered by engine failures. The season's only Formula One wins came in non-Championship events. Fangio won the Pau Grand Prix on the same day as Parnell took the Richmond Trophy at Goodwood. David Hampshire won the Nottingham Trophy later in the year. Fangio also won the Formula Two Ramparts Grand Prix, at Angoulême, in a 4CLT chassis fitted with an A6GCM engine. The Milano team modified a 4CLT for use in 1950 and 1951, but without success.
Also for 1951 B. Bira modified his '49-spec 4CLT to accept a more powerful, 4,450 cc (271.6 cu in), naturally aspirated OSCA V12 engine. This engine developed around 300 bhp (224 kW). [2] With it Bira won the Goodwood race early in the season, but in its only World Championship appearance, at the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix, it retired on the first lap.
In late 1949 a number (two or three, depending on source) of the remaining Sanremo cars were converted for use in the Temporada series Formula Libre races in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1949 to 1950 summer season. This model was referred to as the 4CLT/50; although that name is sometimes also applied to the 1950-specification Formula One cars, the Temporada cars are the only ones that were referred to as such by the factory. The modifications were mostly restricted to enlargement of the engine capacity to 1,719 cc (104.9 cu in). [1] Despite these improvements the series was dominated by Ferrari, and following the final race the cars were shipped back to Italy and reconverted to Formula One specifications.
A long term campaigner of Maserati automobiles, Enrico Platé recognised the Maserati's shortcomings as a Formula One vehicle, and converted a 4CLT/48 into the Maserati-Platé 4CLT Formula Two variant. As F2 was for naturally aspirated cars, the first step was to remove the superchargers. After this, to counteract the resulting loss in performance, the compression ratio was more than doubled and capacity was upped to the class limit of 2.0 L (122.05 cu in). With the lower power output from the revised engine, weight was shed and handling sharpened by reducing the wheelbase.
De Graffenried won the Richmond Trophy, and Giuseppe Farina the Paris Grand Prix, in 1951, but with the switch to Formula Two rules for the World Championship from 1952 onwards, the old 4CLT chassis were found to be overweight and underpowered in comparison to their newer rivals. Despite having been the mainstay of top-flight racing since the end of the 1930s, the 4CL and 4CLT rapidly fell from favour, as smaller and lighter machines began to emerge from European factories still recovering from the effects of war.
Today, many 4CL and 4CLT models survive and are regularly campaigned in historic motorsport events, as well as being on static display in museums.
Technical data | 4CL | 4CLT/48 | 4CLT/50 |
---|---|---|---|
Engine: | Front mounted 4-cylinder in-line engine | ||
displacement: | 1491 cm3 | ||
Bore x stroke: | 78 x 78 mm | ||
Max power at rpm: | 220 hp at 6 000 rpm | 260 hp at 7 000 rpm | 280 hp at 7 000 rpm |
Valve control: | 2 overhead camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder | ||
Compression: | 6.5:1 | 6.0:1 | |
Carburetor: | Single Weber 45DCO | Double Weber 50DCO | Double Weber 52DCO |
Upload: | Roots compressor | Double Roots compressors | |
Gearbox: | 4-speed manual | ||
suspension front: | Double cross links, torsion springs | Double cross links, coil springs | |
suspension rear: | Rigid rear axle, leaf springs | ||
Brakes: | Hydraulic drum brakes | ||
Chassis & body: | Box beam frame with aluminum body | Ladder frame with aluminum body | |
Wheelbase: | 250 cm | ||
Dry weight: | 630 kg | 620 kg | |
Top speed: | 250 km/h | 270 km/h | 280 km/h |
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1939 | P. Pietsch | 4CL | Maserati 4CL 1.5 L4 s | BEL | FRA | GER | SUI | |
Paul Pietsch | Ret | |||||||
J. Wakefield | 4CL | Maserati 4CL 1.5 L4 s | John Wakefield | 12 | ||||
G. Rocco | 4CL | Maserati 4CL 1.5 L4 s | Giovanni Rocco | Ret | ||||
Source: [3] |
(key)
Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina, often known by the name Giuseppe Antonio Farina, was an Italian racing driver. He was the Italian National Champion in 1937, 1938, and 1939, and in 1950 became the first World Drivers' Champion during the FIA's inaugural season of Formula One.
The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 36-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from second position. His teammate Luigi Villoresi finished second and Maserati driver Onofre Marimón came in third.
The 1951 Formula One season was the fifth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the second World Championship of Drivers, which was contested over eight races between 27 May and 28 October 1951. The season also included several non-championship races for Formula One cars.
The 1950 Formula One season was the fourth season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the inaugural FIA World Championship of Drivers, as well as several non-championship races. The championship, which commenced on 13 May and ended on 3 September, consisted of six Grand Prix races, each held in Europe and open to Formula One cars, plus the Indianapolis 500, which was run to AAA National Championship regulations. Giuseppe Farina won the championship from Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli.
The Coppa Acerbo was an automobile race held in Italy, named after Tito Acerbo, the brother of Giacomo Acerbo, a prominent fascist politician. Following Italy's defeat in World War II, and the consequent demise of fascism, the race was renamed the Circuito di Pescara, and in some years was also referred to as the Pescara Grand Prix and 12 Hours of Pescara. The race was run between 1924 and 1961 and over the years was held to a variety of vehicle class regulations and durations. In 1957 the Pescara Grand Prix formed a round of the Formula One World Championship, a race which still holds the record as having the longest circuit length ever used for a Championship event.
Louis Claude Rosier was a racing driver from France.
Luigi Villoresi was an Italian racing driver. He competed in Formula One at the time of its inception.
Frederick Roberts Gerard was a racing driver and businessman from England. He participated in numerous top-level motor racing events on either side of World War II, including eight World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring no championship points.
English Racing Automobiles (ERA) was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954.
Reginald Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from Derby, England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of nine championship points.
The 125 F1 was Ferrari's first Formula One car. It shared its engine with the 125 S sports racer which preceded it by a year, but was developed at the same time by Enzo Ferrari, Valerio Colotti and designer, Gioacchino Colombo. Initially the racer was called 125 GPC for Gran Premio Città or Grand Prix Compressore before the Formula One era.
The Maserati 6CM is an Italian single-seater racing car, made by Maserati of Modena from 1936 to 1940 for the Voiturette racing class. Twenty-seven were built on the Maserati 4CM frame, with front suspension as on the Maserati V8RI, and had a successful racing career from 1936 to 1939. The 6CM was introduced to the world at the 1936 Milan Motor Show. Maserati spent much of its early years manufacturing cars for privateers in the racing field. The Maserati 6CM is no exception.
The Alfa Romeo 158/159, also known as the Alfetta, is a Grand Prix racing car produced by Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It is one of the most successful racing cars ever; the 158 and its derivative, the 159, took 47 wins from 54 Grands Prix entered. It was originally developed for the pre-World War II voiturette formula (1937) and has a 1.5-litre straight-8 supercharged engine. Following World War II, the car was eligible for the new Formula One introduced in 1947. In the hands of drivers such as Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli, it dominated the first two seasons of the World Championship of Drivers.
The Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 or 8C-308 is a Grand Prix racing car made for the 3 litre class in 1938. Only four cars were produced, actually modified from Tipo C with the engine mounted lower into the chassis and a slimmer body. The chassis was derived from the Tipo C and the engine from the 8C 2900. The 308 was engineered by Gioacchino Colombo under the control of Enzo Ferrari who was then in charge of Alfa's racing team, Alfa Corse. The car debuted at the Pau Grand Prix in 1938, where two cars were entered to race, one for Tazio Nuvolari and the other for Luigi Villoresi. Both drivers had to withdraw from competition, however Nuvolari had by then set a lap record. The next race was the Tripoli Grand Prix. The new 312 and 316 were entered, but they had engine trouble during practice and Clemente Biondetti took the start at the wheel of the 308 held in reserve. He failed to finish, while Hermann Lang, driving a Mercedes-Benz W154, was the winner. In this race, Eugenio Siena, driving a 312, was killed after hitting a wall.
Enrico Platé was a motor racing driver and team manager. Although born in Italy, Platé raced, and latterly ran his racing team Scuderia Enrico Platé, under Swiss nationality. He began his career as a mechanic, but swiftly took to racing cars in addition to repairing them. His best result as a driver was fourth place in the 1938 Modena Autodrome. Although he did not achieve any notable success in the pre-World War II voiturette class, Enrico Platé became a significant and influential figure in post-war grand prix and early Formula One racing as a team owner. During his brief career in this role, Platé ran Maseratis for notable drivers such as Prince Bira, Harry Schell and fellow Swiss Toulo de Graffenried.
The Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix was a motor race held on 2 October 1948, at Silverstone Airfield, Northamptonshire, UK. It is commonly cited as the first British Grand Prix of the modern era.
Scuderia Milano was an Italian Formula One motor racing team founded in Milan by Arialdo and Emilio Ruggeri, two brothers who had raced Maseratis in the early post-war period. The team scored two World Championship points on its debut, when Felice Bonetto finished fifth at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix.
Throughout its history, the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants. Maserati currently competes in Formula E in partnership with the Monaco Sports Group (MSG) as Maserati MSG Racing.
The Circuito di Ospedaletti commonly known as the Ospedaletti Circuit was a motor racing road course in the north-western coastal town of Ospedaletti, active from 1947 to 1972.
The 1948 San Remo Grand Prix was a non-Championship Voiturette motor race held on 27 June 1948 at the Autodromo di Ospedaletti, in Sanremo, Liguria, Italy. It was the 8th race of the 1948 Grand Prix season. The race, contested over 85 laps, was won by Alberto Ascari in a Maserati 4CLT/48, starting from pole position. Luigi Villoresi finished second also in a Maserati 4CLT/48 and Clemar Bucci third, driving a Maserati 4CL 1502.