Fuel Injection system for 450/S racing engine.

That is an extremely random and cool thing to have, how did you end up with that?

 

There are several people that still race cars and use the Lucas FI system on Chev V8 .Kinsler still services these units and has a great knowledge of them

 

That is not a factory unit. It is a modified Hilborn Injection unit. Most probably done on the West Coast in late 1950s/early 1960s.

 

wow. Love it. I too am a Maserati nerd. I bet this works far better than the Lucas unit. I know more than one 5000gt have been modified so the original Lucas intakes have EFI injectors, worked a treat, and all hidden under the air box. I want to say that engine made some 416hp or so after doing so.

 

3500GT: I suspected it was for Parravano based upon the photos. Your story makes perfect sense as to having Hilborn custom make a system for him and the Indy project. Since, by then, Hilborn was the induction of choice for most Indy Offenhauser's, people in that arena would want to dispose of the Weber carburetors and go with something they were familiar with. I have built 450S engines and currently care for two of the cars. To add support to your story, we found on the dyno, the factory chokes and jetting actually caused the motors to be under carbureted. I made up a set of 40 mm chokes to replace the factory 37 mm units and the engines jumped over 30 bhp without any torque loss. This experience makes it all the more likely, the Hilborn system would also have significant power benefits.

 

The photo shows Californean Tony Parravano when he visited the factory in 1956. He had very deep pockets and ordered one 350D, one 300S, one 250F and a 450S.
Little later, the IRS hunted him and also the Mafia. The Mafio won......