1956 Maserati 250F

This car competed in a Twelve Lap Scratch Race for Post War Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.

It’s David Pennell’s 1956 Maserati 250F which has the 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati engine. It is chassis #2524 which was sold new to Francisco Godia-Sales and with which he competed in the F1 World Championship races in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 it was sold to Joakim Bonnier who raced it during the 1958 season with Phil Hill taking the wheel at the French Grand Prix and Troy Ruttmann taking over for the German Grand Prix, although engine problems meant that he did not start the race. Scuderia Centro Sud entered the car in the 1958 Italian and Moroccan Grands Prix, driven by Giulio Cabianca and Hans Herrmann respectively.

1957 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1972.

It’s Neil Corner’s 1957 Maserati 250F which has a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine. The car is chassis #2528 and was campaigned mainly by Jean Behra in the 1957 season, but also driven that year by Juan Fangio and Harry Schell. It has been owned and raced by the Corner family, Neil and his son Nigel, since 1972.

1955 Maserati 250F

This car was owned by Pete Waterman and was driven by Willie Green in the HGPCA Pre’65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's the first of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and has the chassis number CM1. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing events.

1956 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph that I took at Lodge Corner during the Twelve Lap Scratch Race for Post War Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.

It’s David Pennell in his 1956 Maserati 250F which has the 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati engine. It is chassis #2524 which was sold new to Francisco Godia-Sales and with which he competed in the F1 World Championship races in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 it was sold to Joakim Bonnier who raced it during the 1958 season with Phil Hill taking the wheel at the French Grand Prix and Troy Ruttmann taking over for the German Grand Prix, although engine problems meant that he did not start the race. Scuderia Centro Sud entered the car in the 1958 Italian and Moroccan Grands Prix, driven by Giulio Cabianca and Hans Herrmann respectively.

Maseratis

The featured marque at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 was Maserati with particular emphasis on the 250F and twelve of these cars are listed in the Celebration Maserati Invitation Race with a further four being shown as static display or track demonstration cars. This is a photograph that I took at McLean’s corner during that race.

Leading is Klaus Edel in the ex-Gilby Engineering Company's Maserati 250F, with the replacement chassis #2507/2 given to the car after an accident at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in 1954. Behind it is the 1934 Maserati 8CM, chassis #3009, of Sean Danaher and the car in the background seems to be Stefan Rettenmaier's 1956 Maserati 250F, chassis #2520.

1954 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph that I took at the Aston Martin Owners Club’s Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's one of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and this one has the chassis number CM8. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing event. It was driven in the Historic Car Championship Race at this meeting by the owner Robin Lodge.

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.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph I took at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

The  two cars took part in the Magneti Marelli UK Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars and are setting out from the pit lane during a practice session. Leading is the 1954 Maserati 250F of Dieter Streve-Mülhens which has a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine. It was originally chassis 2501 but with the Maserati team's habit of swapping chassis numbers around it was later 2526, then 2523, 2504 and back to 2523 again. Following it is the1960 Neil Corner’s Ferrari Dino 246 F1 car which escaped Ferrari's annual demolition of obsolete Grand Prix cars at the end of that season and was sold to New Zealander Pat Hoare. It's the car with which Phil Hill won the 1960 Italian Grand Prix but was modified for Tasman Series racing with the 2,417cc F1 engine replaced by a 2,953cc engine as used in the Ferrari 250 TR sports cars. The chassis number was changed from #0007 to #0788.

1955 Maserati 250F

This car was driven by Peter Hannen in the HGPCA Pre’65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's one of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and this one has the chassis number CM8. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing events. At the time of this Silverstone event CM8 was owned by Robin Lodge.

 

The number 12 car in the background is another of Cameron Millar’s Maserati 250F replicas, CM1, which was owned by Peter Waterman and was driven by Willie Green in this race.

1954 Maserati 250F

I never thought I'd call a Maserati 250F ugly, but the anti-roll hoop on Dieter Streve-Mülhens' 1954 car is a bit of a monstrosity.

The car was a contestant in the HGPCA Pre-1960 Grand Prix Cars race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 and has a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine. It was originally chassis 2501 but with the Maserati team's habit of swapping chassis numbers around it was later 2526, then 2523, 2504 and back to 2523 again.

1957 Maserati 250F

The SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 produced probably the largest gathering of Maserati 250Fs that has ever been seen in this country - I understand that there were 24 in all. This is one of those cars, photographed at McLean's Corner during a track demonstration by a number of Italian cars.

It's Nigel Corner in the car that was campaigned mainly by Jean Behra in the 1957 season, but also driven that year by Juan Fangio and Harry Schell, and is chassis #2528. This car has been owned and raced by the Corner family, Nigel and his father Neil, since 1972.

Maserati 250F

This is a photograph I took in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's a Maserati 250F but isn't listed in the programme of the event. I've seen photographs showing that Stirling Moss drove it in the HGPCA Pre-1960 Grand Prix Cars Race but I've not been able to find out the owner or chassis number.

1956 Maserati 250F

This car competed in the Pre ’61 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International  Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It’s the 1956 Maserati 250F of David Pennell and it has the 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati engine. It is chassis #2524 which was sold new to Francisco Godia-Sales and with which he competed in the F1 World Championship races in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 it was sold to Joakim Bonnier who raced it during the 1958 season with Phil Hill taking the wheel at the French Grand Prix and Troy Ruttmann taking over for the German Grand Prix, although engine problems meant that he did not start the race. Scuderia Centro Sud entered the car in the 1958 Italian and Moroccan Grands Prix, driven by Giulio Cabianca and Hans Herrmann respectively.

Historic Grand Prix Racing at Silverstone

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield Corner during the Chopard Grand Prix Cars Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

The blurred car at the front is the 1958 Maserati 250F of Lindsay Owen Jones, and he is followed by the 1958 Vanwall of Vijay Mallya driven by John Harper and David Duffy's 1955 Connaught B-Type which was driven by Martin Stretton.

1956 Maserati 250F

The featured marque at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 was Maserati with particular emphasis on the 250F and twelve of these cars are listed in the Celebration Maserati Invitation Race with a further four being shown as static display or track demonstration cars. This is a photograph that I took at McLean’s corner during that race.

It's Stefan Rettenmaier's in his 1956 Maserati 250F, chassis 2520 which was driven for the Maserati team by José Froilán Gonzales in the Argentine Grand Prix in January of 1956 and by Pablo Gulle in the Buenos Aires City Grand Prix two weeks later. It was then sold to Australian Stan Jones (father of later World Drivers' Champion Alan Jones) who raced the car 'down under' with considerable success during the rest of the 1950s. In 1963 it was brought to the UK by Colin Crabbe and it passed through various other hands before spending some time in the private collection of Giulio Dubbini in Padova until it was acquired by Stefan Rettenmaier.

1958 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Luffield corner during the Corporate Jets Historic Grand Prix Car race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

Leading is Lindsay Owen-Jones in his 1958 Maserati 250F #2534 followed by Martin Stretton in David Duffy's 1955 Connaught B-Type and what looks like Nigel Corner's 1957 Maserati 250F. In the background is Robin Lodge in the ex-Gilby Engineering Company's 1954 Maserati 250F.

1954 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Luffield corner during the Corporate Jets Historic Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Robin Lodge in the ex-Gilby Engineering Company's 1954 Maserati 250F, with the replacement chassis #2507/2 given to the car after an accident at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in 1954, and it has the 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati engine.

1954 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Luffield corner during the Corporate Jets Historic Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie’s International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It’s the 1955 Maserati 250F of Jeffrey Pattinson and has a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine. The chassis number is 2508 and it was originally owned and raced by Stirling Moss.

1952/54 Maserati A6GCM/250F

This car took part in the Allcomers Scratch Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1969.

It's the  Maserati of Dan Margulies, originally a 1952 A6GCM serial number 2038 with a 6-cylinder 1,987cc engine that was a works car in 1952 and acquired the following season by Swiss driver Baron Emanuel (better known as 'Toulo') de Graffenried. Early in 1954 the car was given a 6-cylinder 2,490cc Maserati 250F engine and a new identity as chassis 2510. Toulo de Graffenried raced the car in 1954 before selling it to Australian Reg Hunt who took it 'down under' and raced it in Australia and New Zealand before selling it to Kevin Neal when he acquired Maserati 250F chassis 2516. In 1965 2038/2510 went to the UK and was campaigned by Colin Crabbe and Dan Margulies, and later went to Ray Fielding before ending up in a private Swiss collection.

1954 Maserati 250F

Maserati was the featured marque at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005, and in particular the 2½ litre 250F Formula One car. A total of 16 of the 250Fs appeared at the meeting, either competing or being displayed on and off the track, and here is one of them.

This is Josef Rettenmaier at McLean’s Corner during the Celebration Maserati Invitation Race in his 1954 car, chassis #2508, which was once owned by Stirling Moss. There were short notes in the programme of the event giving details for each Maserati 250F chassis number, and this is what it said about Josef Rettenmaier's car:

 

'2508

Ordered by Stirling Moss through the Shell-BP company office in Italy. Raced by Moss until he joined Mercedes-Benz, and later loaned to various drivers including Mike Hawthorn, Bob Gerard and John Fitch. Sold to Ross Jensen in New Zealand and returned to the UK in 1964. Now owned by Josef Rettenmaier in Germany.'