1953/4 Maserati A6GCM

This is a photograph that I took at McLeans Corner during the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's David Bennett's 1953/4  Maserati A6GCM. The car is finished in the Siamese colours of Prince Bira who competed in a Maserati A6GCM in the 1954 season. This is a car that that started off life in 1953 as a Maserati A6GCM, chassis number 2044 with a 6-cylinder inline 1,979cc engine, but was converted to a 250F in 1954 with a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine and given the chassis number 2504. Later that year after an accident the chassis 2504 was switched with that of 2509.  Though it's shown in the programme of the event as a Maserati A6GCM it also says that it had a 2,493cc engine, so I suppose it should really have been called a 250F.

1954 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2002.

It's the 1954 Maserati 250F of Dieter Streve-Mülhens, chassis 2501/2523 (they had a habit of swapping the Maserati 250F chassis numbers about). Behind that car is the number 27 1954 Maserati A6GCM of David Bennett which is chassis 2044, and the number 5 sports car is Mark Clubb's 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco, chassis CM/6/59. The number 61 on the left of the photograph is the 1969 Lotus 61 of Dieter Streve-Mülhens.

Three Maseratis

Three Maseratis spotted in the paddock at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

On the left is the 1955 Maserati 300S of Michael Hinderer which was powered by a 2,991cc 6-cylinder engine that was based on the 2½ litre unit of the 250F Grand Prix car with a longer stroke. The Maserati 300S took part in the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1957 and this car is chassis #3057 that was originally owned by Swiss driver Benoit Musy. The middle car is Alan Minshaw's 1959 Maserati T61, chassis #2453, and is a car that was almost completely destroyed in an accident at Daytona in 1959. The parts that could be salvaged were used to reconstruct the car in the UK in the early 1990s. The car on the right is the 1953 Maserati A6GCM of David Bennett, chassis #2044 that was at one time owned by Prince Bira, and has the blue and yellow Siamese racing colours.

1959 Lister Jaguar Knobbly

I took this photograph of two cars leaving the paddock for the qualifying session for the Louis Vuitton '50s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

Number 33 is the 1959 Lister Jaguar Knobbly of renowned Mexican collector Eduardo Baptista, though listed in the programme of the event as his 1955 Aston Martin DB3S. The following car is the 1955 Aston Martin DB3S of David Bennett.

Maserati A6GCM

On 15 January 2018 I showed a photograph of a Maserati A6GCM in a pit garage at the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004. Here's a photograph of the car during the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at that meeting.

This photograph was taken at McLeans Corner and David Bennett in the 1953/4 Maserati A6GCM is leading the 1927 Bugatti Type 35B of Ian Landy ahead of the 1946 Cisitalia D46 of Richard Pilkington with Dick Smith's 1932 Frazer Nash Nürburg bringing up the rear.

Aston Martin DB3S

This car competed in the Historic Motor Racing News Gentlemen Drivers GT and Sports Endurance Race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.

It's a 1956 Aston Martin DB3S, driven in the 90 minute long race by David Bennett and Ted Rollason. It's the last of the works cars, chassis #DB3S/10, and has the usual 2,992cc straight-six Lagonda engine. After being raced by the Aston Martin Team in 1956 and 1957 it passed into the hands of John Dalton for two years, then had various owners including Tony Smith, manager of Pink Floyd and other bands.

Maserati A6GCM

I photographed this car in the pit garage at the HGPCA,s International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004 where it took part in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars.

It's David Bennett's 1953/4 Straight-six 2,493cc Maserati A6GCM. The car is finished in the Siamese colours of Prince Bira who competed in a Maserati A6GCM in the 1954 season, and if it is that car it's chassis #2044.

On 8 September 2015 I showed photographs of this car at Oulton Park in 2006.

Aston Martin DB3S

Here's a scene in the pit lane during practice for the 2¼ hour long Gentleman Drivers GT and Sports Endurance Race at the HGPCA's Donington International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's the 1956 Aston Martin DB3S shared in the race by David Bennett & Ted Rollason, and behind it are the 1964 MGB of Brian & Mark Lambert and the 1958 Elva MK IV of Simon Peach & Shaun Bromley. The DB3S is chassis DB3S/10 and I showed a photograph of it on 19 December 2012 at a race in 1993 at Oulton Park, when it was owned by Tony Smith, and on 21 January 2015 I showed a photograph of the Elva at this meeting. DB3S/10 wasn't one of the Aston Martin team which I pictured on 9 February 2015 at the Daily Herald International Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in 1956.

Maserati A6GCM

A few days ago I showed some photographs of the Maserati 250F V12 which I had taken at Donington Park in 2005. Here are some photographs of its predecessor which I took at the VSCC Boulogne and Hawthorn Trophies Race Meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

It's a 1953 Maserati A6GCM, a development of the original A6GCM which was introduced in 1951 to compete in Formula 2 races. When Alfa Romeo pulled out of racing after the 1951 season leaving Ferrari as the only credible Formula 1 team the FIA decided to abandon the 4½ litre Formula 1 for the 1952 World Championship for Drivers in favour of the 2 litre Formula 2 cars, and Maserati produced this uprated version of the A6GCM to compete in the 1953 season's races. The car made its debut at the non-championship Naples Grand Prix in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and José Froilán Gonzáles.

This car is finished in the Siamese racing colours of Prince Bira who had owned A6GCM serial number 2044, which was apparently converted to a 250F in 1954. This is possibly that car as it is shown in the programme of the Oulton Park meeting as having a 2½ litre engine, although it's listed as an A6GCM.

Here's the owner, David Bennett, at Britten's chicane during the race leading Richard Last in a 1933/38 MG Parnell K3, Harvey Sykes in a 1957 Cooper T43 and Peter Mann in a 1952 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica.