THE MASERATI FOR LEARNER DRIVERS

This remarkably well-preserved 1956 Maserati 200 S starred with Toulo de Graffenried on the track before a career at Scuderia Centro Sud's racing school. Massimo Delbò charts its extraordinary history

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Would you buy a classic racer if it wasn’t perfect, maybe missing a few parts, with a body sporting the odd light dent, looking a bit grimy here and there? If your answer is no, well, you just missed the opportunity to buy one of the most original racing Maseratis in history, the 1956 200 S, chassis number 2403.

The fact that it has been hidden away from public view for nearly 30 years simply adds to the mystical status of this car. But don’t think of it as some kind of suspect barn-find, or a pile of pieces in some remote outpost. This car spent its days in a dry, dark, protected environment on the outskirts of Turin, garaged with other cars, all owned by the same passionate guy who was too busy at work and raising a family to spend time with his beloved collection.

But now we must take a step back to the 1950s, when Maserati, owned by the Orsi family, was one of the world’s most exclusive sporting marques. It introduced the 150 S in 1955, equipped with a four-cylinder 1.5-litre engine. From January 1956, a new streamlined barchetta body, nicknamed ‘codine’ (‘fintail’), was introduced with 150 S chassis numbers beginning with 1651, while the 2.0-litre 200 S version began with 2401. Some of the early 2.0-litres were equipped with a rear solid axle, before moving to a de Dion set-up. Among the latter was chassis number 2403, completed on 21 June 1956, paired with engine 2403 and a four-speed gearbox, on a type 150 S chassis manufactured by Gilco in Milan, and equipped with a Sport body, built by Fiandri & Malagoli and painted in Rosso Corsa.