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.

1951 Maserati A6GCM

This car competed in the Maserati UK Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's John May's 1951 Maserati A6GCM, a car designed by Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani with a 6-cylinder in line 2-litre engine for Formula 2 racing. According to the programme of the event John May's car had an engine capacity of 1,985cc, and  it is chassis 2033.

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

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.

1952/54 Maserati A6GCM/250F

This car took part in the Allcomers Scratch Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1973.

It's Ray Fielding's Maserati, 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 Marguiles, then to Ray Fielding before ending up in a private Swiss collection.

Maserati A6GCM

This car took part in two races in the Shell Ferrari Maserati Challenge series at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's John May's 1951 Maserati A6GCM, with a 6-cylinder inline 1,985cc engine, developed by Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani as a Formula 2 car but eligible to run in World Championship events in 1952 and 1953 when the races were run to Formula 2 specifications. In 1953 the A6GCM was extensively modified by Gioacchino Colombo and given a body closely resembling that of the later Maserati 250F. John May's car was originally built for the Brazilian Escuderia Bandeirantes team and is chassis #2033. On 16 June 2018 I showed a photograph of it in the pit lane at this meeting.

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.

Maserati A6GCM

This car competed in two rounds of the Shell Historic Ferrari Maserati Challenge series at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's John May's 1951 6-cylinder inline 1,985cc Maserati A6GCM, a car created for Formula 2 racing, but which competed in World Drivers Championship races in 1952 and 1953 when these were run to Formula 2 regulations. Only 12 examples of this model were built, several of which were later converted to Maserati 250F specifications, and this one is chassis #2033. On 18 July 2017 I showed a photograph of this car that I'd taken at Silverstone in July 2000.

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.

Maserati A6GCM

This car competed in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1952 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's John May's 1951 Maserati A6GCM, a car designed by Alberto Massimino and Vittorio Bellentani with a 6-cylinder in line 2-litre engine for Formula 2 racing. According to the programme of the event John May's car had an engine capacity of 1,985cc, and it looks as if it is chassis 2033.

Friday's Ferrari

This car participated in a round of the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge series at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

The blue car is Stephen Dudley's 1950 Ferrari 166/195, which I've featured before, on 6 September 2013, at Silverstone. The car was originally a 166, but was converted to 195 specifications in 1951 and is chassis #071S. The car behind it is the 1951 Maserati A6GCM of Julia de Baldanza (#2033) and in front is the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdF of Conrad Ulrich (#1141GT). The photograph was taken at Redgate corner.

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.