Page 1 of 2 Next >> With sales of the once very successful OSCA sports racers dwindling, the Maserati brothers were forced to look for other sources of income towards the end of the 1950s. The first fundamental change was an engine partnership with Fiat, who were looking to expand their range with a new high performance model. In this arrangement, Fiat would manufacture a sophisticated twin-cam, four cylinder engine following an OSCA design.
In return, the Maserati brothers would also receive complete engines at but a fraction of the cost compared to one built in-house. It is unknown if OSCA received a substantial licensing fee but at least the arrangement opened new doors for the small company. The foremost was the possibility to produce a brand new production car that could be offered for a relatively competitive price. Known as the 1600 GT this duly appeared at the 1960 Turin Motor Show.
Aiming at the widest possible market, the new OSCA 1600 GT was available with two different chassis configuration and no fewer than four engine specifications. All versions used the same and relatively light steel tubular chassis. The double wishbone suspension at the front and the disc brakes built in Italy under Dunlop license were also common components. At the rear, the basic version featured a live axle, while the more expensive, competition oriented models used fully independent double wishbones.
The 1600 GT's four cylinder engine was a further development of the existing design that had been successfully used in OSCA's sports racers for a decade. It combined a cast-iron block with an aluminium, twin-cam cylinder head. In basic trim, fitted with a single Weber carburettor, it produced around 95 bhp. Three twin-carburettor versions were also available with power ranging from 105 bhp to 140 bhp for the twin-spark variant. The 1.6 litre engine was mated to a proprietary four-speed gearbox. Page 1 of 2 Next >>