<< Prev Page 2 of 2 These first five cars were originally bodied by Celestino Fiandri, who was subsequently replaced by Medardo Fantuzzi. He introduced a more efficient shape courtesy of a much longer nose. With the final specification established, Maserati outsourced the production of the chassis to expert company Gilco, who also built the 150S frames. After the disappointments early in its career, the 200S finally began to show signs of greatness. At the Bari GP late in 1957 Jean Behra managed to lap as fast as the three litre engined machines in his DeDion axle equipped 200S.
For the 1957 season, the sport's governing body added the 'Appendix C' to the regulations. In attempt to bring the closer to road cars, the prototype racers now need a full width windscreen with wipers, two doors, a spare tire and open cars needed a cloth roof. The two litre cars built to comply with the stricter regulations were known as the 200SI for Sport International. After just eight cars were built in 1955 and 1956, production finally got under way and an estimated twenty examples of the 200SI were built. Unfortunately they were not nearly as successful as the smaller 150S and the larger 300S.
At the 1957 Buenos Aires Grand Prix a larger engined version was introduced, appropriately dubbed the 250S. The engine was enlarged to 2.5 litre by fitting a new crankshaft and boring the cylinders. Power was up by only 6 bhp, but low-end torque was increased considerably, which helped especially at the stop-go tracks in North America. At least three and possibly four cars were built to 250S specification for the likes of Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby. Several additional engines were built for a variety of uses including the Centro Sud Cooper F1 cars.
Even though the Maserati 200S was aimed at amateur drivers, its peculiar handling characteristics could only be tamed by professional drivers. That is why the car seemed to excel at one point and then disappoint at another. In comparison with the other Maserati racing cars developed at the same time and its predecessor, the 200S was not nearly as successful on the track. With 32 complete cars built, it was a commercial success. Today the handling quirks are long forgotten and many of the surviving examples are raced at historic events where they often out pace the larger engined competition. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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These first five cars were originally bodied by Celestino Fiandri, who was subsequently replaced by Medardo Fantuzzi. He introduced a more efficient shape courtesy of a much longer nose. With the final specification established, Maserati outsourced the production of the chassis to expert company Gilco, who also built the 150S frames. After the disappointments early in its career, the 200S finally began to show signs of greatness. At the Bari GP late in 1957 Jean Behra managed to lap as fast as the three litre engined machines in his DeDion axle equipped 200S.