<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Three cars were completed just in time for the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans with two (151.004 and 151.006) allocated to Briggs Cunningham's team and one (151.002) to Colonel Simone's Maserati France team. Despite barely having been tested, the Cunningham 151s were right on the pace finishing the final practice in third and fourth right behind the Ferraris. In the opening laps of the race, the three cars held position 3 to 5, and one of the Cunningham cars briefly led the race during the pit stops. This was also the first car to retire after wrongly installed fresh brake pads caused it to roll on its side and back on its wheels, damaging the oil coolers in the process. Suspension failure and mechanical problems also ended the race for the other two prematurely.
After the race the three cars were repaired by the factory. The two Cunningham cars were shipped to the United States where they were briefly and unsuccessfully raced. One of them (151.004) was destroyed early in February of 1963 at Daytona. The Maserati France car remained in Europe and was prepared for the 1963 Le Mans race. The displacement limit of four litres was lifted and Alfieri replaced the original engine with a fuel-injected five litre unit, producing around 430 bhp. Renamed the 151/2 and driven by Andre Simon and Lloyd 'Lucky' Cassner, the car was eclipsed by the mid-engined prototype Ferraris and was retired after just four hours with gearbox problems.
Still convinced the Tipo 151 could be turned into a successful racer, Alfieri continued to develop the Maserati France car. The chassis was stretched by 10 cm for additional high-speed stability and the body was replaced by a more elegant and efficient design. The engine also grew slightly in size and now produced a staggering 450 bhp. There was drama for the 'new' 151/3 even before the 1964 Le Mans had started when an accelerator cable snapped. Maurice Trintignant was forced to start from the pits, but quickly fought his way up to grid and got by 38 cars in the first hour. Sadly it was not third time lucky for the car as after 99 laps and nine hours, the 151/3 was out of the race with electrical issues.
The car was slightly updated once more and entered in the 1965 Le Mans test session. The now not so lucky Lloyd Cassner had a terrible crash on a wet track, which proved fatal for him and the car. This was a very sad end to the promising but ultimately unsuccessful Tipo 151 program, and also to Maserati's sports car program. Today only the third and final car constructed still exists in original condition; a replica of the Tipo 151/3 was constructed in 1980 for German collector Peter Kaus, who later also acquired the sole surviving example. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Three cars were completed just in time for the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans with two (151.004 and 151.006) allocated to Briggs Cunningham's team and one (151.002) to Colonel Simone's Maserati France team. Despite barely having been tested, the Cunningham 151s were right on the pace finishing the final practice in third and fourth right behind the Ferraris. In the opening laps of the race, the three cars held position 3 to 5, and one of the Cunningham cars briefly led the race during the pit stops. This was also the first car to retire after wrongly installed fresh brake pads caused it to roll on its side and back on its wheels, damaging the oil coolers in the process. Suspension failure and mechanical problems also ended the race for the other two prematurely.