Created by genius engineer Giulio Alfieri in 1958, the “Birdcage” chassis was created from 200 10 & 15-mm thick tubes welded together to create a super rigid and light structure.
According to our friends at Mecum who will be featuring this unique 1960 Birdcage sports racer, above, in their Monterey auction on August 18-20, this stunning Maser had been originally built for legendary sportsman/car-builder/racer Briggs Cunningham. Fitted with chassis #2459, it is powered by a 2.0-Liter DOHC Four, below, featuring an aluminum alloy block and a pair of Weber 45DC03 carburetors. Running gear includes five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes.
Restored and prepared by Steve Hart Racing, Norfolk, UK, #2459 comes with photo documentation of the restoration and FIA papers. Birdcages are iconic sports racers of the 1960s and the American Camoradi Team raced a Birdcage to victory in the 1960 and 1961 Nurburgring 1000 races that were dominated by factory teams.
For more information about the Mecum Monterey Auction, please visit, www.Mecum.com
For historical Birdcage Maserati information, check out,
http://www.supercars.net/cars/2404.html
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/295/Maserati-Tipo-61-Birdcage.html