Maserati 300S

Last updated
Maserati 300S
Maserati 300 S.jpg
1955 Maserati 300S (serial no. 3051) at the Bugatti Circuit in 2007
Overview
Manufacturer Maserati
Production1955-1958
Designer Medardo Fantuzzi
Body and chassis
Body style 2-door, convertible
Layout front engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine 6 cyl., 3.0 litre (2992cc) in-line engine
Transmission transverse four-speed gearbox
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,310 mm (90.9 in)
Length4,150 mm (163.4 in)
Width1,450 mm (57.1 in)
Height980 mm (38.6 in)
Curb weight 780 kg (1,720 lb) [1]
Chronology
Predecessor Maserati 250F
Successor Maserati 450S

The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955 and 1958 to compete in the FIA's World Sportscar Championship. Twenty-six examples were produced.

Background

The 3.0-litre (approx 245 bhp (183 kW) at 6200 rpm)[ citation needed ] engine was based on the Straight-6 design of the Maserati 250F and incorporated a lengthened stroke developed by Vittorio Bellentani to increase the capacity from the original 2.5-litres. The compression ratio was reduced from 12:1 to 9.5:1, partly due to the FIA regulations requiring the engine to be run on road car fuel. It used three Weber carburettors, initially 42DCO3, later 45DCO3. A trellis structure was used instead of the tubular one of the 250F, and the aluminium body was by Medardo Fantuzzi. The brakes were the same as the 250F, precisely machined alloy drums with extensive finning. The suspension was also of the same design as the 250F but with some strengthening to cope with the rougher tracks and road surfaces encountered in WSC racing. New features for the 300S included the incorporation of a De Dion type rear axle, a transverse four-speed gearbox and two chain driven camshafts. [1] [2]

After a poor showing in the first season (1955) mainly due to mechanical malfunctions and development problems, the 300S won at the Nürburgring in 1956 and finished second overall. It was second to the Maserati 450S, and was followed by the Maserati 350S. After the major accident at Guidizzolo in the 1957 Mille Miglia, the last few examples of the 300S were sold to customers in the USA. [3] Giulio Alfieri gave up an attempt to fit it with fuel injection. One 300S was developed with the new V12 engine, becoming the Maserati 350S. [1] [2]

Mark Knopfler, originally of Dire Straits, is a long term owner of a 300S and has raced the car in historic competitions. [4] [5] Additionally he featured the lines "If I was a Maserati, A red 300s, I'd ride around to your house, baby, Give you a driving test." in the song Red Staggerwing on his 2006 album All the Roadrunning . [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati</span> Italian luxury car manufacturer

Maserati S.p.A. is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari. In May 2014, due to ambitious plans and product launches, Maserati sold a record of over 3,000 cars in one month. This caused them to increase production of the Quattroporte and Ghibli models. In addition to the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati offers the Maserati GranTurismo and the Maserati Levante. Maserati has placed a production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand tourer</span> High-performance luxury car

A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. Grand tourers are most often the coupé derivative of luxury saloons or sedans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Sportscar Championship</span> Defunct auto racing series

The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W196</span> Racing automobile

The Mercedes-Benz W196 was a Formula One racing car produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 F1 seasons. Successor to the W194, in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the only two world championships in which it competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 3500 GT</span> Motor vehicle

The Maserati 3500 GT and the Maserati 3500 GT Convertibile are 2-door coupé and convertible grand tourers made by Italian car manufacturer Maserati between 1957 and 1964. It was a seminal vehicle for Maserati as the company's first successful attempt at the Gran Turismo market and series production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 350S</span> Motor vehicle

Maserati 350S is a series of three racing cars made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati, built by Giulio Alfieri, with aluminum body design by Medardo Fantuzzi, both Maserati engineers. The 350S was built to experiment with a new straight-six engine while a V8 engine was being developed in the factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 250F</span> Formula One car (1954–1960)

The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 450S</span> Motor vehicle

The Maserati 450S is a racing car made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for participating in FIA's endurance World Sportscar Championship racing. A total of nine were made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati A6</span> Motor vehicle

Maserati A6 were a series of grand tourers, racing sports cars and single seaters made by Maserati of Italy between 1947 and 1956. They were named for Alfieri Maserati and for their straight-six engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari Tipo 500</span>

The Ferrari 500 was a Formula 2 racing car designed by Aurelio Lampredi and used by Ferrari in 1952 and 1953, when the World Championship was run to F2 regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 200S</span> Motor vehicle

The Maserati 200S is a racing car made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati as a successor to the Maserati A6GCS. 28 cars were made in total. The development of the 200S, codenamed Tipo 52 started in 1952, led by Giulio Alfieri. In response to Ferrari's 500 Mondial racing car which featured a 4 cylinder engine and was quite successful in sports car racing. The car had a 1,994.3 cc (2.0 L) inline-four light-alloy engine, featuring dual Overhead valves per cylinder and DOHC camshafts, double Weber 50DCO3 or 45DCO3 carburetors. The engine was rated at 190 PS at 7,500 rpm. Many chassis components were identical to the Maserati 150S in order to speed up development, except the rigid rear axle inherited from the Maserati A6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari Monza</span> Motor vehicle

The Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. In the early 1950s, Ferrari shifted from using the compact Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to a line of four-cylinder engines designed by Aurelio Lampredi. Inspired by the success of the light and reliable 2.5 L 553 F1 car, the four-cylinder sports racers competed successfully through the late 1950s, culminating with the famed 500 Mondial and 750 Monza.

The 1958 World Sportscar Championship was a motor racing series for sportscars which ran from 26 January to 13 September 1958 and comprised six races in six countries. It was the sixth World Sportscar Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati Tipo 61</span> Motor vehicle

The Maserati Tipo 60/61 are a series of sports racing cars produced between 1959 and 1961 by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for privateers racing in sports car events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 2-litre and 3-litre racing category. It used an intricate tubular space frame chassis, containing about 200 chro-moly steel tubes welded together, arranged triangular formation at high stress areas of the chassis, hence the nickname "Birdcage". This method of construction provided a more rigid and, at the same time, lighter chassis than other racing cars of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper T51</span>

The Cooper T51 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed by Owen Maddock and built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1959 Formula One season. The T51 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Jack Brabham drove the car to become the first driver to win the World Championship of Drivers with an engine mounted behind them, in 1959. The T51 was raced in several configurations by various entrants until 1963 and in all no less than 38 drivers were entered to drive T51s in Grand Prix races.

Throughout its history, the Italian auto manufacturer Maserati has participated in various forms of motorsports including Formula One, sportscar racing and touring car racing, both as a works team and through private entrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 250S</span> Italian race car

The Maserati 250S, and its derivative and version, the 250 Sport, are sports racing cars, designed, developed and built by Italian car manufacturer Maserati, between 1954 and 1957. Only two models were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maserati 420M/58</span>

The Maserati 420M/58Eldorado was a single-seater manufactured by Maserati in 1958. It was a one-off race car purpose-built for the second edition of the 500 Miles of Monza. It was the first single-seater in Europe to be sponsored by a brand not attached to an automobile industry. The internal Maserati classification was the Tipo 4, behind the 250F variants, and also referred to as the 420/M/58 for 4.2-litre displacement, Monoposto or a single-seater in Italian and 1958 year, or simply as the "Eldorado".

Maserati made two naturally-aspirated, straight-6, racing engines, designed for Formula One; between 1952 and 1960. The first engine was the 2.0-liter A6G; in accordance with the engine regulations imposed by the FIA. Their second and last engine was the 250 F1; in accordance with the engine regulations imposed by the FIA for 1954. Several of these engines, or derivatives of these engines, were also used in various Maserati sports cars.

Maserati made four naturally-aspirated, V12 racing engines, designed for Formula One; between 1951 and 1969. The first was an experimental O.S.C.A. engine; in accordance with the 4.5 L engine regulations imposed by the FIA for 1951. Their second engine was 250 F1 V12; in accordance with the 2.5 L engine regulations set by the FIA. Their last two V12 engines were customer engines supplied to Cooper; between 1966 and 1969. The Tipo 9 / F1 and Tipo 10 /F1, which were both manufactured to the FIA's 3.0 L engine regulations for 1966. One sports car, a modified version of the Maserati 350S, also used V12 engine, with a 3.5 L (210 cu in) displacement, and produced 335 hp (250 kW).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Maserati 300S". Ultimatecarpage.com. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "1955-1959 Maserati 300S". Supercars.
  3. "1956 - 1958 Maserati 300s @ Top Speed". Top Speed. 2006-03-06. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  4. "Star Cars and Drivers Line Up For Festival". Donington Historic. April 23, 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014.
  5. "The Maserati 300S and Mark Knopfler's Fender". Italian Ways. August 13, 2014.
  6. Lyrics for "Red Staggerwing" by Mark Knopfler