Finally, after over 40 years, a Maserati Tipo 151 has returned to the track. I have been following the history of these cars for many years and noticed that in almost all accounts, the serial numbers have been mixed up in these stories.
After a conversation with Maserati historian Willem Oosthoek, I have been told that the Maserati Factory occasionally changed chassis numbers of cars that left the factory. This might be the reason that most of the stories that I have read are calling the newly restored car chassis 151.006. I believe that the chassis number .006 was destroyed at Daytona in 1963. .006, owned by Briggs Cunningham, first raced at Le Mans in 1962. So did its sister car 151.004. .006 wore a red band on the tip of its nose to distinguish it from .004 on the track. The cars were not exactly alike. .004 had a hole cut on its hood for easy access to the radiator cap. This hole was cut directly between the 2 blue racing stripes. .006 did not originally have such a hole when delivered to the track, but it was cut out prior to the race. The hole was cut off-centered. After Le Mans, the cars raced in the U.S. In photos, humps are seen in the front air intakes, probably a result of the extra headlamps for Le Mans. The car with the centered radiator cap hole had one of these humps. This car was .004. The other car, with the red band at Le Mans, and off-centered radiator cap had 2 of these humps.
The car with the 2 humps and off-centered cap raced in only 4 races: Le Mans, Bridgehampton (it ran as high as second place. I was there) and Daytona where it was destroyed in a fiery crash. Cunningham sold the remains, and it was buried in a landfill in California. The other car still exists.
I just read a nice post on this site about the remaining car, which was beautifully restored, although it has the wrong nose. The photos are great! The car has a red band on its nose. The car that had the red nose band no longer exists. So I am ASSuming that the Factory changed or mixed up the chassis numbers at some time when the cars were returned for service.
I have spent a lot of time confirming this post and have attached a pdf file that shows some of the history of the 2 cars. The photographic evidence is solid. There is no question that the car (with the 2 humps and off-centered cap) is the same car that raced at Bridgehampton and was destroyed at Daytona. The present day car might have a red band on its nose, but it is not the car that had the red band at Le Mans in 1962. The photos clearly prove it.
I am sorry if the pdf is not clear when enlarged. This site has a size limit.
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