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Fangio's racing machine - Maserati 300 S

Name: Maserati 300S 1956
Brand: Maserati

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Created on August 17, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Bernhard Brägger

Archiv - Courtesy Bonhams

Fotorissima

Balz Schreier

FabPetersson Fotografie

Emanuel Zifreund

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Bernhard Brägger

Archiv - Courtesy Bonhams

Fotorissima

Balz Schreier

FabPetersson Fotografie

Emanuel Zifreund

Archiv

Maserati 300 S (1956) - light, sporty, reliable

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - with the trident in the radiator grille

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - when racing cars were still elegant and shapely

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - right-hand drive

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - one of the best racing cars of the fifties

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - beautiful curves

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - Bodywork by Fantuzzi

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - elegant and efficient

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - 260 hp at over 6300 rpm

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - View into the cockpit

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - at full speed - what a view

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - in-line six-cylinder engine with three Weber carburetors

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - Safety tank in the rear

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Maserati 1500 (1955) - Chassis 1500 Sport, chassis of the 3000 was constructed analogously

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - an early variant

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Maserati 300 S (1957) - exhibited at the 1956 Paris Motor Show

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Maserati 300 S (1957) - unloading on the occasion of the 1000 km Nürburgring

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Maserati 300 S (1957) - an elegant sports car

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Maserati 300 S (1958) - the last iteration

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1957 Portuguese GP

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - racing around 1958

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - racing in the sixties

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Musy Benoit on the Maserati 300S at the race in Oulton Park (England) in 1955

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Musy Benoit on his Maserati 300S at the 1956 race in Portugal

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Maserati 300S (1955) - AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix 2010

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Maserati 300S (1955) - at the Goodwood Revival 2011

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - probably the last unrestored 300 S at the Maserati special show - at Retro Classics Stuttgart 2012

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - in Plateau 2 (1949-1956) at the Le Mans Classic 2012

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - in the race for the Sussex Trophy at the Goodwood Revival 2012

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Maserati 300 S (1958) - at the Solitude Revival 2013

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - at the Techno Classica 2014

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Maserati 300S (1957) - at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique 1997

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Maserati 300S (1955) - Series C - Grand Prix Historique de Monaco 2014

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - Le Mans Classic 2014 - Plateau 2

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Maserati 300 S (1957) - Le Mans Classic 2014 - Plateau 3

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Maserati 300S (1955) at the Spa Classic 2015 in the Trofeo Nastro Rosso

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - at the Kerenzerberg Revival 2015

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Maserati 300S (1957) - on the Maserati stand - the car comes from the Schlumpf Museum - Rétromobile Paris 2016

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Maserati 300 S (1955) - Mille Miglia 1955 special exhibition on the SIHA stand - Techno Classica 2016

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Maserati 300S (1955) - Field "C" - Monaco Grand Prix Historique 2016

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Maserati 300 S (1956) - driven by Stirling Moss and Piero Taruffi - victorious at the 1000 km Nürburgring, 2nd place at the Targa Florio (Techno Classica 2017), among others

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Maserati 300 S Fantuzzi (1958) - H-94 - Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2017

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Maserati 300S (1955) at the 2017 Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or in Dijon - Trofeo Nastro Rosso

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Summary

Around two dozen Maserati 300 S cars were built, making them some of the best racing cars of the late 1950s. Stirling Moss drove it to many a racing success, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Portuguese Grand Prix with it. 260 hp, 740 kg weight and a low barchetta body - it still gives you goose bumps today. This vehicle report describes the history of the Type 300 S and chassis 3069 and shows it in current and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Presentation in February 1955
One of the best sports cars ever
Teething troubles
Fangio's Maserati 300 S
Restored twice
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Maserati was one of the most successful racing car designers in the 1950s. Engineer Vittorio Bellentani had already developed a very competitive chassis with the two-liter A6GCS, which stood out in the two-liter class with good handling and high reliability, but above all was able to achieve many victories. But they wanted to go higher and commissioned Bellentani to develop a three-liter version. The engineer skillfully combined parts of the successful two-litre sports cars and the Formula 1 monoposto Maserati 250 F during development between 1954 and 1955. The Automobil Revue announced the new Maserati 300 S as early as February 1955:

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