From Italy to Indy to a Place in Sports Car History September 3, 2006
Though it was a reunion of cars, not people, the event had a few things in common with a gathering of human relatives: the group was large, close-knit and rich with fascinating history.
FAMILY reunions need not be limited to endless exchanges of hugs, sharing of reminiscences and snapping of photographs. At the recent gathering of a large Italian family in Pennsylvania, for instance, chrome was polished, exotic engines revved up and yes, photos were snapped.
Though it was a reunion of cars, not of people, the event had a few things in common with a gathering of human relatives: the group was large, close-knit and rich with fascinating history.
In attendance were the only Maserati 8CTF grand prix racecars built ? a set of triplets from 1938 that included the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940. Also at the Skytop Lodge in the Poconos were the swoopy 450S Costin Coupe, a veteran of the Le Mans 24-hour race, and one of the oldest Maserati grand prix cars, a 26-B from 1928.
It was not all Maseratis or all racecars, though. Scores of old and new Ferraris, Lamborghinis, DeTomasos, Lancias, Alfas, more common Maseratis and lesser-known marques joined the activities at the 2006 Le Belle Macchine d?Italia, whose name translates to ?the beautiful cars of Italy.?
While it is not on the scale of the events held each August in Monterey, Calif., this three-day reunion, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in June, serves as the gathering point for most of the East Coast branches of Italian-car owner clubs. Catering to the participants and their guests, rather than to the public ? as is often the case at high-profile auto events ? it has the feeling of a big (and somewhat loud) family gathering.
The three 8CTF racecars, which had not been displayed together since 1948, were the stars of the show this year. Though built for the grand prix circuit in Europe, these Maseratis achieved their greatest success here in America.
Maserati?s rise as a carmaker began with the efforts of a large family ? there were seven Maserati brothers ? that started the company bearing the family name in 1926. The brothers soon found success on the racetrack and were recognized as creative and talented engineers ? but their racing always depended on the sale of one car to finance the development of the next.
That situation severely limited Maserati?s chances. In Germany, the Nazi government had decided to publicize German industrial might by providing financial backing for the race teams of two automakers, Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz. The results were overwhelming; with almost unlimited budgets, the German teams dominated races in the second half of the 1930?s.
One of the 8CTF?s, purchased by Count Felice Trossi, did achieve some success. Like a number of drivers in an era when earnings were sparse and racing was considered a gentleman?s sport, Trossi was a wealthy nobleman who indulged his passion for speed while supporting struggling car builders like Maserati. In 1938, Trossi?s car, now owned by Joel Finn of Roxbury, Conn., either led or set the fastest lap in every event in which it competed.
Unfortunately, the rules in Europe stipulated that all components in a car had to be from the same country as the car itself; the spark plugs, made by Maserati, proved to be the weak link, with the car often failing to finish races.
In the United States, the main sanctioning bodies ? the Automobile Association of America and the United States Auto Club ? had decided that costs needed to be controlled. Under the new rules, cars built to run in their events had to use engines based on production cylinder blocks rather than racing-only engines. This so-called ?junk formula? effectively froze technical development in American racing for almost a decade.
Officials of the Indianapolis 500 adopted European grand prix rules for the 1938 race, clearing the way for an interesting cross-cultural exchange. For one driver, Wilbur Shaw, the potential was apparent. Having driven an older Maserati in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup race on Long Island, Shaw decided that a new Maserati would be just the thing for the Indy 500.
Shaw ordered one from the factory, and after some negotiation it arrived in his Indianapolis shop in 1939. Unfortunately, a mechanic at the factory had neglected to drain the engine before the car was loaded onto the ship; the water inside froze and the block cracked. A new block was shipped, and Shaw?s crew rebuilt the engine in a week using the original internal parts.
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- Author : arnold
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