1962
- La Tipo 151/1 in prima uscita su strada con carrozzeria provvisoria.
- The Tipo 151/1 shown here with its interim bodywork during its first road test.
1962
- La Tipo 151, in prima uscita su strada, aveva la carrozzeria provvisoria.
- The Tipo 151/1 shown here with its interim bodywork during its first road test.
1962
- Vista posteriore del prototipo Tipo 151/1 con il profilo posteriore modificato dopo le prove aerodinamiche su strada.
- The Tipo 151/1 viewed from the rear with its redesigned profile following aerodynamic road testing. | |
Maserati Tipo 151 - Part 2
'Briggs Cunningham's chassis 006 at 177mph setting qualifying's highest top speed down the Mulsanne Straight.'
Published with the kind permission of
Ben Tyer - Editor www.QV500.com
With the factory still carrying out their testing and development programme for the Tipo 151 in May 1962, they were unable to attend what would have been a valuable pre-Le Mans sortie at the Nurburgring 1000km. Graham Hill and Masten Gregory had been set to drive the new car which would have been entered under the Scuderia Serenissima banner and provided some useful feedback ahead of the notoriously tough 24 hour race at la Sarthe. Nevertheless, all three cars made it to Le Mans and secured good starting positions, Briggs Cunningham's chassis 006 at 177mph setting qualifyings highest top speed down the Mulsanne Straight. However, driven by Bill Kimberly and Dick Thompson, it didn't fare so well in the race, Thompson crashing out after 62 laps, a suspension failure forcing him off at the Esses before Roy Salvadori got a chance to drive.
In the second Cunningham car (chassis 004), Walt Hansgen and Bruce McLaren went out after 13 hours and 178 laps, a blown engine the cause. Chassis 002 was entered by Maserati France for Lucien Bianchi and Maurice Trintignant, this car (the original Tipo 151 prototype) wearing a new red paintjob for what would be its only competitive outing in 1962. Like the white and blue Briggs Cunningham cars, 002 failed to make the finish, Johnny Simone's team pulling the car out on safety grounds after suspension problems were causing excessive wear to the rear tyres. It had been a fairly inauspicious debut for Maserati's new car and after Le Mans, Cunningham shipped his pair of identical 151's back to the US. On arrival, he had chassis 004 (the undamaged Le Mans entry) equipped with a 5.6-litre Maserati V8. Installed by up-and-coming mechanic, Alfred Momo, Cunningham wisely entered his 151's in events where their weight disadvantage would not be too apparent. The first American race was the Road America 500-miler, Walt Hansgen teaming up with Augie Pabst in 004 which now featured that 5.6-litre engine. However, despite running second to the Chaparral of Jim Hall, 004 was forced to retire with a broken wheel bearing. A couple of weeks later, Pabst switched to 006 for the Bridgehampton 400km race, this car still featuring its original 4-litre engine. But another retirement, the 151's fifth in five races, meant Cunningham was becoming a little exasperated with his expensive white elephants. Both cars were then entered for the LA Times-sponsored Riverside Grand Prix where they managed to go the distance. Augie Pabst had a relatively trouble-free run to seventh in the 4-litre car (004) whilst Chuck Daigh was unfortunate to pick up debris that reaked havoc with his throttle cable - he wound up 11th.
006, 1962 LA Times Riverside Grand Prix Despite what could almost be described as a final flourish, 1962 had been a disappointing year for the 151 and soon after Riverside, Cunningham sold chassis 006 (his 4-litre car) to Bev Spencer, a car dealer from San Francisco. Spencer entered his exotic new mount for a low-key SCCA Dicisional race around the little Vacaville circuit in California and got Stan Peterson to drive. However, Peterson crashed early in the qualifying race, inflicting extensive damage to the bodywork. Spencer had the car rebuilt and sold it in early 1963 to Chuck Joes for Team Meridian. Meanwhile, 004 was sent back to Cunningham's headquarters in New York where Alfred Momo fitted a 7-litre Ford V8...
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