...a real classic Maserati!

I had a chance to scan the article about the restoration of 2031. Unfortunately it is Japanese, but I can tell you the story in English if anyone is interested. I wasn't able to attach the pdf of the scanned article because the file was too big.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/2809385320_fddd8e6348.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2808536801_7b83359615.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2808536853_5ed2e6b830.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2809385366_1a0e10164d.jpg

 

I have seen that photo of the car in the TdF before. It was wrecked early in its life (possibly in that event?) and sent back to the factory to be completely rebuilt; the work cost almost as much as it did to build the car the first time. An initial owner of the car in the US was Bob Estes. It received an early 260 ci (4.3L) Shelby Ford V8 and running gear. The car was later involved in another accident and sat in an insurance yard in east Los Angeles.

Paul Merrigan found the car in the late 60s/ early 70s. He bought it from the insurance company, and after a few hours of body work and mechanical work, drove it off the lot. Over the subsequent 20+ years, he managed to unearth the original engine from a wrecking yard in LA before it was bulldozed for a new construction project. The transmission was located at a repair shop, a previous owner had sent it back to the factory to have it rebuilt in '57 and for some reason had never had it picked up. The car won its class at Pebble Beach in 1998 and I believe it went to Japan a few years later.

Here are some larger versions of those two photos that show the car when it was found.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2809246225_bed062680b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2809246235_d611be989d.jpg

 

Is it really a friend or still a custom?

 

Not a bad Rally. I'll take anyone of the three. Thanks for the photo.

David

 

My father was the first owner of this car . He took delivery of this car in 1957 in San francisco. The car was originally blue with ivory stripe. No synchros in first or 2nd gears. A difficult car to drive in San francisco given the hilly terrain. Nemori Barbieri was his mechanic. Nemori went on to work for Lamborghini . My father sold the car sometime in the 60's.

 

Great post. thank you for sharing that

 

Pictures taken from "Stefano Ricci heritage trophy" website.
Zagato bodied car looks like s/n 2124.
Another one is Allemano - s/n unknown.
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Hi Maseratisti,

Recently John de Boer has published on another forum that the car that Fornasari drove at the 1956 Mille Miglia with race no. 311 was in fact s/n 2150.
What does this group think?

Could this be possible?

The interesting thing is that the car was a double bubble.

Regards.
Cris.-

 

So, which car is Fornasari´s? 2123?

At the Mille Miglia Fornasari was with a double bubble car which was not 2121.
Regards.
Cris.-

 

Well, that answers which car it wasn´t, not which car was Fornasari´s, but that´s a start!
Thanks!
Regards.
Cris.-

 

Photo of chassis 2020 according to my records, taken in about 1966, I have some more someplace. Then it had Borranis, was dark blue which looked a lot better than this red. This car looks different! Supposed imported to UK in 1960 by The Chequered Flag, London. In their advert it was yet different colours so maybe not same car. The grill had a large centre bar and spot light, indicators and sides stacked below headlights.
Engine rebuilt with all sorts! I think maybe sleeved, new pistons, bearings, valves, from whatever was close, I think Peugeot!
Tan interior, Nardi type wheel, nicely built as was the Aurelia we had. But Jaguars were quicker, cheaper and kept going!
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Do you have some history about this car Walter?

Magnus

 

Hi,
I will look for the advert and more photos,- they are mine by the way, on 35mm slides which are discoloured! copywrite JC eh?
1966-7, Car was owned by Stan Darbyshire in Ollerton, Knutsford. Cheshire.
He was a great enthusiast for oddball or comic motors as we called them, and had the engine rebuilt which probably saved the car, as at one time he would have broken it and offered me just the engine.
Stuff like this was not worth much then. I think he wanted about £450 for it.
I wanted a later A6G2000 with Frua body.
An aquaintence had had the Turin Show car,2103, then it was red with black or blue interior, tinted glass, so low, what a car that was in 1962 to my eyes as a 15 year old! I'll try and find the photo. But that is another story, - not JK's car, it was the other one - TDB572 if I remember correctly. Interestingly in looking for that one and talking to it's owners in the 1960's I found XEV601 the ex Salvadori A6GCS at the rear of an Alfa dealer in Longton Stoke on Trent, fitted with a 2.4 Jaguar engine. A while later I mentioned it to Brian Classic who ended up with it.Yet another story!
Back to Stan...........
Around the rear of the barn was a 212 Ferrari s/no 0165EL, this had been the Motor Show car as a chassis I think, it had been bodied by Abbotts of Farnham on the instruction of Mike Hawthorn's father. It was not very attractive, a horror! I think now it is a Barchetta ala "Touring". Engineless ---- it was "offer around £300 as someone took the engine" another story.........
The A6G -- That is about all I know of the car, it was in quite nice condition, looked better than it does now.
I'd already searched the adverts in Motor Sport for any Maserati A6G's and remembered the Chequered Flag advert, but their
single cam A6G was painted in different colours and I did wonder at the time if there had been two different cars!
Some of the 1950's racers used to bring cars in to help pay their racing, this one could have been brought in by someone like Brian Naylor who had a garage near Manchester. I have just read in Motor Sport that David Piper used to import the same, mainly Lancias, Aprilias and Aurelias.
Other history? Who knows, probably the rest is lost in time.
regards, John C.