Osca MT4

This car was on display (I think by the Maserati Club) in the paddock at The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's an Osca MT4 2AD and behind it is a Maserati motorcycle. When the Maserati brothers Ernesto, Ettore and Bindo sold their shares in the Maserati company to Adolfo Orsi in 1937 they agreed a contract to stay with the company for 10 years, and in 1947 when the contract terminated they formed a new company, Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobile (O.S.C.A.) - more usually known as Osca. Their initial aim was to build a car for the 1100cc class of sports car racing, and their first car was the 1,092cc MT4 with the engine based on a 4-cylinder Fiat unit. The MT4 was produced until 1953 with the engine being enlarged to 1,453 cc for the later cars.

1954 Osca MT4 2AD

I came across this car in the paddock at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It's a 1954 Osca MT4 2AD and didn't take any part in the meeting. O.S.C.A. (Officine Specializate Costruzione Automobili—Fratelli Maserati S.p.A.) was an Italian manufacturer of racing and sports cars established in San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna, by Ernesto and Bindo Maserati after the Maserati brand was sold to the Orsi family in 1948. OSCA was active from 1949 until it closed down in 1967. Its name is usually abbreviated to OSCA or Osca. Their first car was the MT4, for Maserati Tipo 4 cilindri. The 1092 cc engine (71 bhp at 6000 rpm) had a FIAT-derived block with an alloy head and in 1950 a new DOHC head (MT4-2AD) raised power (to a maximum of 100 bhp) at 6300 rpm

1953 Osca MT4

This car took part in the Italy v Rest of the World race for Pre 1959 Drum Brake Sports Cars at the Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 2001.

When the Maserati brothers Ernesto, Ettore and Bindo sold their shares in the Maserati company to Adolfo Orsi in 1937 they agreed a contract to stay with the company for 10 years, and in 1947 when the contract terminated they formed a new company, Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobile (O.S.C.A.) - more usually known as Osca. Their initial aim was to build a car for the 1100cc class of sports car racing, and their first car was the 1,092cc MT4 with the engine based on a 4-cylinder Fiat unit. The MT4 was produced until 1953 with the engine being enlarged to 1,453 cc for the later cars. The car above is chassis #1129, a 1953 car, and was driven in the race at Silverstone by Gavin Pickering.

OSCA MT4

This car took part in the Drum Braked Cars class of the 1950s Sports Racing Cars race at the VSCC's Boulogne and Hawthorn Trophies Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 2005.

It's the 1953/58 OSCA MT4 of Tony Bailey, chassis #1126, and was built in 1953 with removable cycle wings so it could be used in both Formula 2 and Sportscar racing. It was rebuilt in its current form in 1959 and apparently had a 1,600cc Alfa Romeo engine fitted, which Historics Auctioneers said was still in the vehicle when it was put up for auction in 2014. The programme for this Oulton Park event, however, says that it has a 1,498cc engine.

Here's Tony Bailey at Britten's Chicane during the race leading the 1954 Frazer Nash Sebring of William Ainscough and the 1957 Lotus Eleven of John Gray.

OSCA MT4

This car competed in the 1950s Drum-Braked Sports Racing Cars race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005.

It's Tony Pickering's 1953 1,495cc straight-4 OSCA MT4, built by the Maserati brothers' new company set up after their split from Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati company.

OSCA

In 1955 a 2½ litre engine capacity limit was introduced for Formula One racing and 2 years later, in 1957 Formula Two with a 1½ litre limit officially started. In 1956, however, some races were run to this new Formula and because few single seat Formula Two cars had by then been produced sports cars of up to 1½ litres were also allowed to compete. One such race was a support event at the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone in July of 1956 and below are two cars that took part in that race - photographed by my brother as I didn't attend that meeting.

They're two OSCA MT4s, but other than that I've no information. My brother tells me neither car was listed in the programme and the first car here was in the blue and yellow colours of Sweden, the other Italian red.

The Maserati Club

At many historic car race meetings there are areas set aside for various car clubs to gather and put on a display of their members' cars. Here are some photographs of one such display, by the Maserati Club, at the Silverstone Classic meeting of July 2010.

1974 Maserati Quattroporte MkII Prototype

1954 OSCA MT4 - built by the Maserati brothers who had started the OSCA company in 1947 after fulfilling their contract with Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati company.

1963 Maserati 5000 GT

1964 Cooper T61 Maserati - a Cooper Monaco T61 with a 4.9 litre Maserati V8 engine which was driven in the 1-hour Italian Historic Car Cup race at this meeting by the owner, Michael O'Shea, partnered by Roberto Giordanelli.