1955 OSCA Mt4 Spider Morelli

The little jewels from Bologna won everywhere—from the small regional Italian events to major international venues like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Le Mans and Sebring

A tiny bantam of a racing car, the OSCA Mt4 was ahead of its time, winning overall at Sebring in 1954 with Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd behind the wheel. Its 1.45-liter, dual-overhead-cam four cylinder was fed by two Weber carburetors, and produced 120 horsepower at 6,300 rpm. With a curb weight of just 1,573 pounds and a short wheelbase, the diminutive Mt4 was as fast as it was nimble. This impeccably restored Morelli Spider was one of the five delivered to Chicago’s Harry Chapman in 1955. Although the track record of the individual cars in unclear, it is certain that these OSCAs were campaigned during the 1955 and 1956 seasons by Chapman and William “Bumpy” Bell at many early U.S. sports car races, including Torrey Pines, Pomona and Santa Barbara. Its original engine, #1523, suffered a rod failure that left a hole in the block, necessitating the installation of engine #1404. It has since completed five Rome-Brescia-Rome runnings of the Mille Miglia, the...