The Glorious Maserati Tipo Birdcage

There is something about a smooth flowing curve, creating an unbroken line and wrapping a car in what almost seems like molten liquid which captures my attention every time.  In this case it was a 1959 Maserati Tip 60/61 Birdcage at the Gooding and Company auction this past August at Pebble Beach.

Why is it called a “birdcage“?  It looks nothing like a birdcage.  But it does.  Underneath the rapture of this aluminum body is a several hundred small-bore steel tubes welded together in an innovative way to evenly distribute weight across all the stress points.  This innovative design allowed Maserati to achieve a frame which weighed only 66 lbs.

Racecars are a passionate dance between power and weight.  In the hands of a skilled driver this dance comes alive.Who better to test the very first prototype in 1959 than Sir Stirling Moss at the Modena Autodrome.  The performance was impressive.  When tested at the Nurburgring, Moss broke the two-liter track record.  Moss sprinted way ahead of the competition in the Tipo 60‘s first race and demand poured in for this victorious new Maserati.   His suggestion for a three-liter version was realized in the Tipo 61.

The highly successful Maserati Tipo is considered to be one of the best-handling racecars ever built.  However, less than 20 60 and 61’s were ever produced making it a very rare bird.  This particular car from the auction, with an impressive racing history, achieved a $3,520,000.00, only $20,000.00 above the low end of the estimate.  A worthy investment.This is another Birdcage which frequents my lens at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.Credits: Only photo not mine is the second pic which is from UltimateCarPage.com