24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – MAKES, MARQUES and IMPRINTS ⎮ While the 1950s and early 1960s were an era of clear domination by Ferrari, another Italian constructor marked the race with the originality of its cars: Maserati and namely its model known as the Birdcage.
In the decade following World War II, Maserati was best known for single-seaters, earning Juan Manuel Fangio his fifth world title in Formula 1 in 1957 at the wheel of the 250 F. The Italian marque's legacy at the race between 1954 and 1965 was punctuated by three major chapters.
In 1954 and 1955, Maserati officially fielded three cars, but none crossed the finish line.
Maserati's first top 10 was achieved by a private 150S entered by Claude Bourillot who finished ninth along with Henri Perroud. The following year, another French competitor, Georges Guyot, fielded an A6G CS shared with Michel Parsy, finishing 12th.
The car that put Maserati on the map at the 24 Hours was constructed in the early 1960s. In addition to their lines, the Tipo 60, 61 and rear-engined Tipo 63 were highly original for their chassis, visible under the profiled windscreen, a structure based on tubes welded together, earning it the nickname "Birdcage."
Two American teams entered the Tipo 63 in the 1960 24 Hours. A variation on Casner Motor Racing Division, the Camoradi team was born from American driver Lloyd Casner's desire to race the "Birdcage" at Le Mans, but none of his three cars made it to the chequered flag.
After fielding Cadillacs, Jaguars, Corvettes and cars bearing his name, Briggs Cunningham gave the "Birdcage" its best result ever at the 1961 24 Hours, with fourth place for Augie Pabst/Dick Thompson (Tipo 63), while Cunnigham himself and teammate William Kimberley finished eighth (Tipo 60).
The Tipo 151 made its first appearance in 1962, a closed-body coupé whose lines were just as original as those of the "Birdcage." The initiator of the official 24 Hours of Le Mans yearbook, and a seasoned model builder, Jean-Marc Teissèdre describes the car that marked his first memories as a teenaged spectator at the race: "The 24 Hours makes me think of Maserati, not Ferrari who was winning everything at that time. The extraordinary architecture of the Birdcage surprised me, but I found the lines of the Tipo 151 very aggressive and I love that car despite its lack of results at Le Mans."
The two entered by Cunningham were indeed forced to retire in 1962, just like those fielded by Maserati France in the next two runnings.
The Tipo 65, the last Maserati to compete in the 24 Hours (1965), was driven by Jo Siffert, one of the future great endurance drivers of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Twenty-four Maseratis competed at Le Mans between 1954 and 1965. Among their drivers were six race winners: Masten Gregory, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Nino Vaccarella, Maurice Trintignant, Lucien Bianchi and Bruce McLaren.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1956-1965 24 HOURS OF LE MANS & 2016 LE MANS CLASSIC. From top to bottom: the first version of the Birdcage on the track at the 2016 Le Mans Classic (#18); the #30 150S that clinched Maserati's top 10 stood out for its third headlight located in the center of the grille; two rear-engined Birdcages were entered in 1961 by Briggs Cunningham, pictured here the #6 shared by Bruce McLaren/Walt Hansgen that was forced to retire; in 1962, the duo at the wheel of the #2 Tipo 151 of Briggs Cunningham; in 1965, Jo Siffert took his rookie start with the last Maserati seen at the race with German teammate Jochen Neerpasch.
