SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1960 OSCA 750 S |
| Number Produced: | 17 |
| Original List Price: | $2,720 (L4,000,000) |
| Tune Up Cost: | $450 |
| Distributor Caps: | $35 |
| Chassis Number Location: | Engine compartment on firewall |
| Engine Number Location: | N/A |
| Club Info: | Maserati Club International |
| Website: | http://www.maseratinet.com |
| Investment Grade: | A |
This car, Lot 27, sold for $660,000, including buyer’s premium, at RM Auctions’ sale in Phoenix, AZ, on January 16, 2014.
One has to wonder if the Maserati brothers offended some ancient gods in previous lives. The cars built by the company that bears their name have been highly praised and underappreciated (read: undervalued) for years. If you agree on that point, then the cars they built carrying the OSCA badge following their departure from their eponymous Modenese firm suffer even more so.
Small, fast cars
Once again free from the need to think about road cars, at OSCA the Maserati brothers turned their genius full force onto the circuits and road courses of the world, concentrating on the kind of small-displacement cars they loved best. Almost without exception, OSCAs performed brilliantly in competition, whether driven by the leading professionals or well-to-do amateurs. As a result, they have an enviable record in both international championship events as well as all levels of club racing on three continents.
Most are clothed in attractive bodies, generally built by the unsung carrozzerie of Italy, such as Motto or Morelli. Easy to drive, they flatter the merely adequate driver — such as myself — with their balance of power, chassis and suspension, while allowing the truly talented pilot a great deal of fun along with absolutely crushing the competition. With a few exceptions, these car are also inexpensive to run and maintain, provided you don’t put it dirty-side-up too often and have a bit of respect for rev limits.
Getting tubular
Our subject car was a lovely example of one of the prettiest OSCA 750-cc cars, a small car with a big-car look. This Tipo S-187N — or second series model — has the advantage of the fully hinged hood/fender design, which makes engine maintenance far easier than in the first series (Tipo S-187). When built, the Tipo S-187 earned the nickname “Toothpaste Tube” for the way the front and rear tapered down and inwards, resembling the standard Italian toothpaste container of the time.
Speaking of tubes, the prototype S-187 also had a remarkable chassis structure, consisting of a labyrinth of small-diameter tubes. It was said to be unique in Italian construction, a bit like a cross between the triangulated chassis of the Maserati Birdcage and Carrozzeria Touring’s Superleggera technique. However, it proved too costly to produce, and the remaining cars reverted to a more traditional chassis of large-diameter tubes.
Living provenance
More than with any other type of car, originality and history become of vital importance when it comes to competition cars — especially small-displacement Italian cars. This OSCA had an uninterrupted ownership history, with several of the owners still on the right side of the grass. As such, ownership claims can be fairly easily resolved and historical details confirmed. For a car such as this, knowing its whereabouts from new is more important than a file full of records listing a large number of former owners who are now conveniently deceased.
Because cars such as this are easily reproduced, an expert’s inspection and report are important to a prudent buy. There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling one might get when a letter arrives from the organizers of a major international event that a car with the same chassis number as yours has already been accepted and Sir Stirling Moss or some other luminary is driving it. While it’s certainly not unusual to have engines changed in these cars due to wear, damage or a desire to run in different competition classes, the one slightly odd thing about this OSCA’s description is the story of the engine numbers.
The chassis plate bears the number of the current engine 769N, which according to the catalog description, is the second engine fitted to the car. In most circumstances that would be a red flag of the highest order. It is said that 769N was ordered as a spare from new and installed a year later — enlarged to 850 cc — while engine 774N first ran in the car. It seems more likely that 769N was delivered with the car and removed for the upgrade, with 774N having been ordered as a spare. As 774 and 769 do not appear in lists of engine numbers for any other cars, this is almost certainly the case.
A bargain at this price
This car was very well finished, as befits these cars. Although simpler than many of their contemporaries, the cars produced by Maserati, including their race cars, generally were finished better than their counterparts. While I didn’t go through every inch, the frame welds appeared to be consistent with period work, which is very important for determining both structural condition and originality.
The price achieved for this car doesn’t seem particularly low by absolute dollars for an under-1-liter car, but when you look at the provenance, condition, usability and event eligibility, the value becomes more plainly apparent. That this car was not driven by star drivers makes the price even more impressive. This is a case where the brothers Maserati received their due — but these cars are still bargains. ♦
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Auctions.)
