- 35,166
- Addison,Texas
- GTP_RACECAR
Among all the great cars created by Giulio Alfieri, the 'Birdcage' Maserati is considered one of the very best. Introduced in 1959 with a 2.0-litre (Tipo 60) or 2.8-litre (Tipo 61) engine, it featured a very sophisticated tubular spaceframe chassis that gave the car its nickname. At this time, Maserati had already discontinued its factory racing efforts so fielding the car was strictly left to privateers, who did so remarkably well. Much like a birdcage, the entire chassis was constructed by welding together short, narrow gauge, tubular steel sections with a diameter of 10 or 15 mm. The result was an elaborate but very strong and lightweight chassis. While it still sat ahead of the driver, the engine was mounted well behind the front axle at a 45° angle to reduce the frontal area as well as the centre of gravity. Derived from the 200S unit, the four-cylinder engine featured a redesigned head in which the exhaust and intake ports had swapped sides. An all-new triangular sump was created to allow for the angled installation. In Tipo 60 trim, it was good for around 200 bhp while in Tipo 61, it produced around 250 bhp. A double-wishbone suspension with coil springs was used at the front, The rear-end used the familiar DeDion setup with a transverse leaf spring. The five-speed gearbox was mounted in-unit with the differential to shed some more weight from the front wheels while Disc brakes were fitted on all four corners. A lightweight aluminium body was tightly wrapped over the chassis with the tall front fender accentuating just how low the car was. Equipped with a two-litre engine, the prototype Birdcage scored a debut victory at Rouen in the hands of Stirling Moss. This success had not gone unnoticed and for the 1960 season, the orders quickly piled up. The single biggest customer was Lloyd 'Lucky' Casner's Camoradi team, who eventually bought no fewer than five Birdcages. Particularly popular in the United States, other customers included the likes of Briggs Cunningham and Jim Hall. Down on power compared to the largest engined rivals, the Maserati Birdcage excelled on tighter tracks where its superior handling could be used to great effect. This was underlined by its back-to-back victories in the 1960 and 1961 Nürburgring 1000 km. It is also the reason why it was so popular and successful in the United States. Among the many successful Birdcage racers were Jim Hall, Carroll Shelby, Walt Hansgen, Dan Gurney, Masten Gregory and of course Stirling Moss.
This car's inclusion would bring one of the greatest racing Maseratis in history to GT as well as add to an already diverse collection of classic racing cars.
Engine: Tipo 61 Naturally Aspirated Straight 4
Horsepower: 250 BHP
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
Weight: 600 KG
Drivetrain: RWD
