In the second half of the 1950s, Maserati switched from producing mainly racing cars to the much more lucrative road car market. Competition cars were still produced but only for customers as the works team had been disbanded after the disastrous end of the 1957 season. These customers included prominent privateers like Scuderia Serenissima, Camoradi and Briggs Cunningham. For 1961 they commissioned the construction of the Tipo 63 Birdcage; Maserati's first ever mid-engined racing cars. While it shared many components with the earlier, front-engined Birdcages, the new racer did not inherit the fine handling characteristics of the original space-framed Maseratis. While the first cars were fitted with four cylinder engines, a V12 was readied to power the mid-engined racers. This was completed in time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the sole surviving example finished fourth, which to date is Maserati's best ever result in the legendary endurance race. Later in the year the cars were raced with some success in the United States but handling and reliability issues resulted in an early retirement for most of the seven cars built. Revised Tipo 64s and a sole V8-engined Tipo 65 followed but they also failed to impress. Although not particularly successful in period the Tipo 63 Birdcage V12 is one of the most spectacular Maserati racing cars ever constructed. Over the years we have been fortunate to capture three examples on 'film' and the resulting 24-shot gallery serves to illustrate a detailed article on these fine machines.
One of the Tipo 63s is part of the Panini Maserati Collection and on permanent display in the purpose-built museum on the grounds of the 'Hombre' farm just south of Modena. Established by Umberto Panini, the collection is based on the cars that were on display in the factory museum for many years. When former Maserati owner, Alejandro DeTomaso decided to sell the collection at auction, Umberto Panini stepped in and bought all 20 cars. Over the years several examples have been added to the collection, making the museum a must-visit for all Maserati aficionados. We visited the Panini Collection last year as can been seen in our concise report complete with 40-shot gallery.

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1961 Maserati Tipo 63 Birdcage V12 - Images, Specifications and Information

Panini Maserati Collection - Ultimatecarpage.com - Powered by knowledge, driven by passion