<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Tightly wrapped in an aluminium body created by Medardo Fantuzzi, the Piccolo barely weighed over 550 kg. For testing purposes, an existing T2 was modified to Tipo 3 specification and renumbered 2532. It, or perhaps an all-new car was used in practice at the Belgian and German Grands Prix by Stirling Moss. At the Nürburgring Moss was a full eight seconds faster than Fangio had been before the year before on his way to the legendary victory. The car finally made its belated racing debut at Reims, where it was driven in his first European Grand Prix of the year by Fangio himself. After the clutch failed after just 15 laps, the disappointed World Champion decided to retire on the spot.
Maserati also realised that this represented the end of the road for the 250F and ceased its factory competition effort. The Italian manufacturer nevertheless received a request from American Temple Buell to supply two of the latest 250Fs for his privateer team. Tagged with 2533 and 2534, the pair of T3s were promptly supplied to Buell. They were fitted with a modified twin-nostril nose designed by Hans Tanner and built by Fantuzzi, and also uprated with disc brakes. The pair was raced with limited success for Buell by Masten Gregory and Carroll Shelby before both being sold to New Zeeland in 1959.
During the 1958 season, Giulio Alfieri had designed an even more extreme evolution of the 250F but this was never completed by the factory. The drawings were used by others to create what is now known as the TecMec Maserati. So the Tipo 3 or Piccolo was officially the end of the line of one of the greatest Grand Prix cars ever constructed. Pitched against much more modern rivals, the Piccolo was not surprisingly unable to match the performance of its big brothers. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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Tightly wrapped in an aluminium body created by Medardo Fantuzzi, the Piccolo barely weighed over 550 kg. For testing purposes, an existing T2 was modified to Tipo 3 specification and renumbered 2532. It, or perhaps an all-new car was used in practice at the Belgian and German Grands Prix by Stirling Moss. At the Nürburgring Moss was a full eight seconds faster than Fangio had been before the year before on his way to the legendary victory. The car finally made its belated racing debut at Reims, where it was driven in his first European Grand Prix of the year by Fangio himself. After the clutch failed after just 15 laps, the disappointed World Champion decided to retire on the spot.