Maserati 300s

When the World Sportscar Championship is created in 1953, including races such as Le Mans and the Mille Miglia, Maserati decides to take part.

When the World Sportscar Championship is created in 1953, including races such as Le Mans and the Mille Miglia, Maserati decides to take part. The brand, however, has too little experience with larger engines; in the sports car class it has at most a two-liter available, and the Maserati Formula 1 racer, the 250F, uses a 2.5-liter six-cylinder. From the latter an entirely new engine is now derived, a 3.0-liter with double overhead camshafts that delivers 280 hp. This engine is mounted in an equally new chassis with a De Dion rear axle. The roadster body is made of aluminum and is designed by Fantuzzi. Although racing cars have to be functional and are not by definition "beautiful," this Maserati 300S is very much an exception. Thanks to its simple, flowing shape, the car is a true beauty. The debut of the Maserati 300S in 1955 is not a success because of all kinds of teething troubles, but a heavily revised model for the following year wins both the 1,000 km of Buenos Aires with Stirling Moss and Carlos Menditeguy and the 1,000-kilometer race at the Nurburgring, with Stirling Moss, Jean Behra, Piero Taruffi and Harry Schell at the wheel. That year Maserati, thanks to the 300S, takes second place in the championship, behind Ferrari.