09. Dec, 2011
MASERATI BIRDCAGE
THE MARVELOUS TIPO 60/61 RACING CARS
<
Click here to see the vehicles official FIA Papers
For pricing information, please contact Ken Dougherty at 713-541-2281 or ken@autocollectorsgarage.com.
Cylinders: 4 in line
Front Track: 1250 mm (50 in)
Rear Track: 1200 mm (48 in)
Bore & Stroke: 93.8 mm x 7 mm (3.7 in x 2.9 in)
Displacement: 1989 cc (119.3 cu in)
Kerb Weight: 585 kg (1287 lb)
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Overall length: 3800mm (152 in)
Overall width: 1500mm (60 in)
Overall height: 900mm (36 in)Maximum RPM: 7800
Wheelbase: 2200 (88 in)
Front Tyre Size: 5.50 x 16
Rear Tyre Size: 6.00 x 16 rear
Maximum BHP: 200
Maximum Speed: 240 kph (144mph)
Fuel Capacity: 120 litres (26.4 gals)
The development of The Tipo 60 started in late 1957. The year that Maserati won the world Championship was with the wonderful 250F Grand Prix car driven by the indomitable Fangio. Maserati’s Chief engineer at the time, Giulio Alfieri, came up with a brilliant idea. Design a smaller, lighter sports car that emphasized handling, braking, and steering as much as power. How would he do it? First, he took the 150S four cylinder racing engine-redesigned it so that the block slants forty-five degrees so it could fit in this new aerodynamic body concept. Second, he designed a chassis that has over 200 small tubes welded together—much smaller tubes than was used on previous race cars. Last, he designed an aluminum body that hugged the frame, chassis, and wheels like no other body had before.
When the redesigned two litre motor was completed in January 1959 it began dyno testing and produced 165hp at 7400rpm. Not good enough for Alfieri. He redesigned the heads, cams, and intake, and retested in February 1959. It now produced 195hp at 7800rpm which met Alfieri’s goal. The engine and chassis were first mated in February. The final body design was agreed on and the contract was given to the Allegreti Brothers for final construction. Body work was completed in March 1959 and returned to Maserati. The first completed prototype left the factory for testing on May 8th, 1959. Final weight: 1100 pounds!!!
Next decision was which driver to use to test the prototype. It came down to one of the most famous racers of all time, Stirling Moss. Moss came to the factory on May 19, 1959 and drove the car four or five laps at the AutoDrome in Modena, Italy. He was particularly impressed—the car was incredibly light, precise steering, neutral handling, and superb brakes. In fact, he said he felt like it was glued to the track. Only minor changes were made and the prototype was ready to race.
The Orsi Family, owners of Maserati at the time, and Alfieri thought they had a 2 litre class winner now called the Tipo 60 and had thought perhaps they should upgrade the engine to 3 litres and it would be a contender for the world championship. The first driving test was held on June 4-6, 1959 at Nurburgring where Moss broke the 2 litre track record. The design, build, and subsequent test cycle had taken only EIGHT months and EVERY goal had been met.
Early on, word got out about this prototype and Maserati started receiving inquiries as early as March 1959. Italian interest was minimal however American interest was numerous. In fact, the first order was from Joe Lubin of Los Angeles on April 27, 1959.
The American interest really wanted a larger engine which challenged Alfieri’s engineering skill. After many attempts, he finally decided to increase the block height which allowed a longer stroke. Early dyno testing of the new engine showed 250hp at 6500rpm! The new engine size was 2.9 litres. After successful tests with the new engine, American customers ordered 6 cars and they renamed the car Tipo 61. And guess how much a Tipo 61 cost in 1960? $10,800.00!!!!!!!
Moss was again hired for the first real race. Formula 2 Grand Prix at Rouen, France on July 12, 1959. It was not much of a race as Moss built a huge lead and won going away. At this event the Tipo 60 got its first nickname-“Spider Web”. It acquired other nicknames such as “Spaghetti Strand”, Soda Straw”, and “Welders Nightmare”. At a race in Nassau a pundit said the frame reminded him of a “Birdcage” with its intricate layout and that is the name that stuck. In fact, has there been a car before or since that was known and became so famous from a nickname? If you say Birdcage today any car enthusiast knows what it is.
The names of the famous Birdcage drivers and race teams reads like a Who’s Who’s of Racing History. Such famous drivers as Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Dan Guerney, Gus Andrey, Lloyd Katskee, Jim Hall, and Walt Hansgen. Racing team greats such as Camaradi, Lucky Casner, and Briggs Cunningham. How did these drivers feel about the Tipo 60/61? Carroll Shelby said it was the best cornering fast car he had ever driven. In fact Shelby said “it is easy to go fast, to stop, to corner, and does not seem to be working hard at top speed”. Then there is Dan Guerney, at the time a member of the Ferrari Racing Team, with the TR59. He was ecstatic about the handling of the Tipo 60 stating “balance, the car is sprung and brakes are just right for its weight and power”. He also said “the combination of huge brakes, light weight, and a DeDion allows me to go deep into a corner without locking everything up. The adhesion is just fabulous”.
The Tipo 60/61 raced at every famous race track in the world. LeMans, Nurburgring-a glorious First Place Win, Nassau, Cuba, and Targo Floris. Racing in the United States is where the Tipo 60/61 had its most success. It participated at Riverside, Daytona, Pensacola, Elkhart Lake, Limerock, Marlboro, Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Cumberland, Bridgehampton, and Montgomery just to name a few. An American recap of 1960 racing shows the five major races Tipo 60/61 had 3-1St Places, 1-2nd Place, and 1-3rd Place. It totally dominated the SCCA National Races. Of the TWELVE major races it won 1st Place NINE times.
Chassis 2459 was build for Briggs Cunningham. Finished on February 27th, 1960 and painted Red. It was sent to Alfred Momo’s shop in Queens, New York where the teams top driver was Walt Hansgen which completed a formable team. The facilities were without equal anywhere in the world. The Momo crew could build, make, or repair anything that raced. Walt Hansgen, their top driver, was one of the great success stories in American Racing. He began his career in 1951. He joined Cunningham and Momo in 1956 and over the next 4 years won 40 races and twice honored as the SCCA Driver Of The Year. After Momo received 2459 from the factory it was sent to Sebring. This was a 12 hour race and since the car had almost no testing it had multiple mechanical problems and did not finish. It did, however, post the second fastest lap time at the race. The fastest lap time was posted by another Tipo 61 driven by Stirling Moss. So, the top two lap speeds were by both Maserati Birdcage. After the car was tested properly, Hansgen was very successful in 2459 Tipo 61. First place at Cumberland, Maryland; Bridgehampton , New York; and Montgomery, New York in 1960. He usually had the fastest car in all his races and unless he had a mechanical failure always won.
At the end of each racing season, Momo’s shop rebuilt 2459 for the next season. On February 11, 1962 August Papst cracked up the car on a practice run. The car was sent back to Momo’s shop where it was dismantled and parts sent to England.
Many years later a famous Maserati collector with help from original drawings from the factory reconstructed the frame. He also rebuilt a correct Tipo 60 2 litre engine with an original cylinder head, lower crankcase, sump, transaxle, cam covers, and carburetors. The frame and engine were delivered to Steve Hart Racing in 2008, the most knowledgeable of all Birdcage mechanics in the world today. He began restoration from original parts which include rear lights, repeater lights, rev counter, ignition switch, light switch, starter button, indicator switch, and front hubs. The rest of the parts were built from original factory drawings or copied from other correct Tipo 60/61 parts. The fuel tank is a new safety cell for obvious reasons. Many factory modifications were done in the 1960’s. Steve Hart Racing has extensive knowledge of these factory modifications and performed them on this car. The vehicle was completed in January 2010 and FIA approval was received in September 2010.
BREAKING: The Maserati Birdcage is being featured at the annual Concours d’Elegance automobile competition in Kuwait. More information can be found at www.autocollectorsgarage.com/archives/4887.
