The 300S is one of the best looking race cars ever made! Fantuzzi was a Genius and this makes it very, very difficult to replicate a new body to 100% matching the original. Shirley`s car is #3072, a very good car! Unfortunately some significant historic details with this 300S are gone since the resto in the USA. Ciao! Walter
Correct! Moss was very hard to any car. Behra was constantly in the Factory to talk and chat with the mechanics and they met after dinner to play poole! But Moss was the "Numero Uno"-driver and Bertocchi gave him always the better car. Moss also had 1st choice in that position and if he liked a car - he got it! No matter what the mechanics thought. Also Moss was more successfull! Behra was a very ambivalent, passionate character. Rather different than the analytic Brit! Ciao! Walter
Thanks for answering. I've got some more for you if you don't mind, what exactly was changed from the original to now, after the restoration? Did Mr. Shirley do it, or did he buy it like that? thanks again
The car wrecked in Caracas in 1957. Photos of this incident, taken by Tom Burnside, are in my book about the 300S. The car was repaired. When a member of this forum purchased the car in the UK in the late 90ies, traces of this crash were found on its chassis. The owner kept those as they were part of the history of this 300S. #3072 was later sold to the UK and restored in Italy where the nose section was replaced. Little later the car was aquired by Shirley. I heared that this traces of the crash that ended all hopes for the 1957 World-Chamionship for Maserati, are not visible anymore. Not sure if this was taken away in Italy or in the US. However - its a pitty and somewhat a shame! Ciao! Walter
No, unfortunately! But google the 300S and you find them. The car is quite easy to identify. Ciao! Walter
I am pretty sure Joe has them as he had the car on display in his "Belle d`Macchine"-event in Pocono in the past. Ciao! Walter
main reason i understand is his mechanic whom had worked on most of the Maserati race cars in Australia was too old or had died. At the same time he sold off his Lago talbot T26 and one of the worlds great collections of WO Bentley cars,including a 8 litre car once owned by Whitney Straight.
Great book,went over it again last night.All day long my favourite car of all time apart from the Jaguar E-type LWTs.To think I could have bought in about 1980 Bob Janes LWT for 80k Aus and or his 300S for 130k Aus.
Yep, in the late 60ies/early 70ies those cars were crap! You could have get it for little cash. But - the times, they are a changin`.....! Ciao! Walter
....Walter! I know nothing!" (Goodwood, Oct. 4th, 2009) Ciao! Walter :) Image Unavailable, Please Login
I owned that car back in the late seventies. Due to being overseas most of the time I let a friend talk me out of it. That is the one regret that I have in my life. It isn't the money. Its the fact that I can never ever have that beautiful machine again. It was 3077 with a 3056 stamp on a frame member. Raced as the "Barbers Bomb." Miss that machine. Diverdan
Upon purchase of 3077 in the early to mid seventies I wanted to do the job right so I contacted Sid Simpson in texas and he was kind enough to sell me a missing casting for the transaxel at a good price. I tried pretty hard to find an original engine but all trails ended dry, Simpson, Parvano etc. So I thought a 3500 GT engine would be a good answer, so I proceeded to make the second biggest mistake of myu life. I put the car on my elva Mk IX trailer behind my 68 Blazer and towed to the Van Nuys Airport to strip the horrible paint and cracked bondo down to bare aluminum. What a mess the nose was in. The rest of the car wasn't too bad. But to fix the nose correctly was way beyond my ability or finances. Had I just taken the battered car to my friend Manuel's body shop and rebondoed and sprayed her like an old race car I wouldn't have been so overwhelmed. Number 2 mistake was not trying to find the 4 2 barrel Weber set up and rebuilding the dry sump Chevy small block. I would have enjoyed driving the machine and enjoyed looking at those gorgeous curves for all these years. I might even have corrupted the car with Quatroporte V-8 after a few years. I got myself in over my head when I stripped it and made the biggest mistake when I sold it to my friend Len Renick. Now I'm driving a 4200 Spyder that I wish had a manuel. but its a very useable machine. Dang I miss that 300S. diverdan
Dan if it makes you feel any better #3077 has been restored with the correct engine and is now in the great collection and care of the Simeone Foundation Automotive museum see www.simeonefoundation.org for pictures of the car currently. Erik
Dan, #3077 is in great patinated condition today. Not that notorious Pebble-Beach-Drag-Queen-stuff! I inspekted the car at Joe`s event in June and took many phozos of it. With Fred Simeone its in perfect hands although I would prefer to see it more used. Ciao! Walter
+1 Could not agree with you more Walter but in Dr. Simeone's case when you have 75+ cars to handle it is a little tough to use them all....When are you ever going to post some pics of 3077 from June at pocono ? Did you read "The Spirit of Competition" yet? Erik
No, not yet! OK, Fred can`t drive all of his cars. But it would be nice if he would let experianced drivers get them on the road or races! A race car is like a race horse - if you don`t "ride" them they are fading away! This is #3077 next to the over-restored #3062 at Skylodge this June. Was great to talk to Fred there! Ciao! Walter Image Unavailable, Please Login
