This 1955 OSCA Mt4 Spider Morelli sold for $429,000 at the Gooding Monterey auction, held Aug. 15, 2004.
The quintessential Italian race car of the late ’40s and early ’50s was not made by Ferrari or Maserati, but by the small company called OSCA, or Officine Specializzate per la Construzione di Automobili Fratelli Maserati. It was formed by the Maserati brothers in Bologna, Italy, after they had sold the firm that carried their own name in 1939.
At its inception, OSCA’s sports cars were built for the type of racing prevalent in Italy at the time. The two main classes were “formula libre” and a class for two-seat sports cars. Designs were intended to be used for either sort of racing, with a main body that was cigar-shaped and four removable cycle fenders. That way the car would be a proper monoposto one weekend, and a proper two-seat barchetta the next. The transformation from one to the other required a few minutes and a screwdriver. (There were, in fact, two “seats,” though it would have been a tight fit for two contemporary Italians. I pity today’s six-foot, 200-pound American drivers, trying to do three days on a vintage tour in such a car. Fortunately for them, most of the early cars were rebodied with larger cockpits in the early ’50s.)
By 1950 racing had evolved and these dual-spec race cars were no longer in vogue. The new body style, called carrozzeria integrale or siluro, added four simple clamshell-like covers to the wheels that could be called fenders. But this style was soon replaced by coachbuilt bodies with integrated fenders, the traditional barchetta style we are all familiar with.
By my count a bit more then 100 Mt4s were built. Of that number, no more than six were berlinettas and the rest were barchettas. The berlinettas were the work of Michelotti and Frua, with one or two by Vignale. The barchettas can be divided in two categories. About 46 or so were made by almost anybody banging panels in Italy at the time: Motto, Zampieri, Colli, Frua and others. Another 30 or so were produced by the fratelli Morelli. (These are my subjective, unofficial interpretation of incomplete records, as the blossoming number of coachbuilders in Italy at the time make anything other than an approximation impossible.) It should also be noted that in period, race cars were often wrecked and then rebodied, or built for a special event (i.e. a Bonneville record car or Cabianca’s monoposto) only to be brought back to a more “conventional” style a year or so later.
The OSCA engine evolved too. At first it displaced 1100 cc, with an alloy block and head and four main bearings. (A few of the early engines had the head cast with the block, eliminating the need for a head gasket, but this practice was abandoned early.) Soon the wet sleeves were enlarged, giving 1350 cc. Then the block was recast to allow more room between the cylinders, and by 1950 the Mt4-2AD type was born, available in both 1100- and 1350-cc sizes. By 1953, only one 1450-cc version was available.
The Mt4 was OSCA’s most prolific model, but the company also produced a variety of models in both single- and two-seat configuration, fitted with four-, six-, and even twelve-cylinder engines from 750 cc to 4500 cc in displacement. The Maserati brothers built their race cars not to get rich, but to satisfy their passion, a business plan not conducive for accumulating large amounts of money. Funds for development or fielding factory cars were modest to say the least, yet the roster of drivers that drove these little rockets from Bologna reads like a who’s who of the era: Chiron, Moss, Scarfiotti, Viloresi, Cabianca, Bonetto, Sommer. OSCA won everywhere-from the small regional Italian events to major international venues like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Le Mans and Sebring.
The little jewel-like Mt4 pictured here was dear to my heart, restored perfectly but certainly free of the silliness that we sometimes see in restorations. It was not “better then new,” just authentic and nearly perfect.
For the record, its engine (#1404) is a factory replacement engine sold new to OSCA importer Edgar Fronteras in 1956. This is not an issue in terms of originality, and no one should make the foolish mistake of considering this a non-numbers matching car. Such a thing does not exist in this realm, as on some race cars, a set of tires might last longer than an engine. If the car was actively campaigned, the only thing that matters is that the engine is of the correct type, which this one is.
This Mt4 Spider Morelli combines almost all the attributes important to a noble race car: A continuous chain of ownership, a known competition history (though one difficult to document), impeccable restoration, vintage event experience, and plenty of paperwork. While the price was a lot of money, I’ll offer my wholehearted congratulations to the smart buyer. This is a magnificent milestone car, and this example was worth every penny.
(Historical and descriptive information courtesy of the auction company.)
