As one of only 22 OSCA cars bodied by Carrozzeria Fissore, this pretty little twin-cam-powered GT2 coupe comes from a classic period of Italian-designed sports cars. While Ferrari and Maserati were ruling the roost with their muscular road-going racers, this OSCA was aimed at the middle ground, a sector of the market that craved a small-displacement, touring GT with a racing pedigree. And what better pedigree than the final design from the talented hands of the Maserati Brothers?
The Maserati Link
The Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, Mario and Ernesto all began their association with the motor industry from the early days of the last century. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto constructed two-liter Grand Prix cars for Diatto, but this came to an end in 1926 when Diatto ceased its racing involvement. This cessation of production enabled the brothers to develop the Diatto into the first Maserati.
Success for the new brand came quickly when, with Alfieri at the wheel, a Tipo 26 triumphed in the 1926 Targa Florio. Following this success, a steady stream of new racecars followed, including 4-, 6-, 8- and even 16-cylinder cars. This unique Maserati 16-cylinder being essentially two of their straight-8 power plants mated to a common crankcase, side-by-side.
In these early days, inspiration for the marque’s famous Trident logo came from the
“Fountain of Neptune” located in Bologna’s Piazza del Nettuno. It was Mario Maserati—an artist and the only Maserati brother not involved in the automotive trade—who incorporated Neptune’s three-barbed Trident into the company’s logo, after encouragement from family friend Marquis Diego de Sterlich. Diego de Sterlich suggested that Neptune would represent not only their hometown, but the attributes of strength and vitality as well. Good traits to have associated with the production of cars and racing machines.
With Mario focused on his art, it was his four remaining brothers who were immersed in the engineering of Maserati cars. However, with the untimely death of Alfieri in 1932, it was left to Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore to continue their race-winning ways and to keep the sometimes struggling firm alive.
By 1937, however, the brothers had had their fill of constant financial struggles, and so sold the company to the Orsi Group. After satisfying their agreement to continue on with Orsi as engineering consultants for a 10-year period, on December 1, 1947 the brothers returned to Bologna to found Officine Specializzate per la Costruzione Automobili Fratelli Maserati (OSCA), with the intent of returning to the construction of small-volume competition cars. This suited the Maserati brothers to a tee, as racing was in their blood and they came to loathe the necessity of constructing road-going examples to fund their racing endeavors.
OSCA quickly established itself on the racing landscape and, as documented in the June issue of Vintage Roadcar, the marque scored considerable success on track. In the 1954 Sebring 12 Hours, a round of the World Sports Car Championship, OSCAs performed magnificently to finish 1st, 4th and 5th. The winning Briggs Cunningham-entered car was driven by no less than Stirling Moss. This victory goes down as one of the great upsets in Sebring history, as it was completely unexpected that such a small-displacement car could win overall. The skills of Moss, who partnered Bill Lloyd, obviously played their part, but to win the car has to be good! OSCA also enjoyed success in the Mille Miglia on 10 occasions, and won the Index of Performance at Le Mans around the Circuit de la Sarthe.
OSCA, despite its success, always remained a small company, never constructing more than 30 cars in a single year—all of which were intended for competition. The first car of the range, the MT4 (Maserati Tipo 4), was introduced in 1948 as a small capacity machine with a 1,092-cc, overhead-camshaft engine. Almost instant success was gained with Luigi Villoresi behind the wheel. During the subsequent decade, OSCA cars (or OSCA engines) also appeared in numerous open-wheeled categories, including F1, F2 and Formula Junior. In the world’s most popular junior racing category of the time, OSCA scored notable success with Colin Davis and Berardo Taraschi—a driver who had started his racing exploits in a Fiat Topolino.
OSCA’s racing successes, with its small 4-cylinder engines in particular, eventually caught the eye of Fiat, which was looking to upgrade the performance of its small sports car, the 1200. Using the MT-4 power plant as a basis, the Maserati brothers developed an evolution of this engine for Fiat that would increase the displacement to 1,491-cc, with a twin-cam cylinder head. Under this new partnership arrangement, the Maserati brothers handed over the new 1500-cc design to Fiat, where former Ferrari engine designer Aurelio Lampredi set about adapting it for mass production. As part of the arrangement, Fiat would cast a separate line of blocks, to OSCA’s specifications, as well as select other parts, which would then be shipped to OSCA for final machining and assembly. In the end Fiat got a well-engineered, race-proven 1500-cc engine for its range-topping sports car, and OSCA got a much more economically viable small-displacement engine that could now be manufactured in significant enough quantities that it could potentially be incorporated into a road car and homologated for GT racing. The result would be the creation of the OSCA 1600 GT—a somewhat ironic about-face on the brother’s “race-only” policy that had been their reason for leaving Maserati in the first place!
The 1600GT was built around a tubular steel space frame chassis with boxed-in sections for added structural rigidity. Hanging off of the frame was an independent suspension system at all four corners, though a few examples were built with a live rear axle. With OSCA’s special 1568-cc version of the DOHC engine pushing power through a Fiat-sourced, 4-speed transmission, the package was rounded out with Girling disc brakes all the way around. Clothed in a body penned by Ercole Spada and constructed by Zagato, the 1600GT made its debut at the 1960 Turin Auto Show. While OSCA had intentions of producing 128 examples, over the next few years somewhere between 43 and 70 examples were constructed, depending on which source one believes. Of those, the lion’s share were bodied by Zagato, while 22 were bodied by Fissore and two by Boneschi.
Why didn’t OSCA construct all of the planned 128 examples? By 1963, the Maserati brothers again came to the conclusion that they disliked the “business side” of the business, and so the decision was made to sell OSCA to Count Domenico Agusta, owner of the iconic MV Agusta brand, although they stayed on to do design work for Agusta until 1966. However, by 1967, Agusta also lost interest in OSCA and the doors were shuttered for the final time.
Built with Style
The Fissore coachbuilding firm was founded in 1919, when brothers Antonio, Bernardo, Giovanni and Contanzo Fissore started constructing horse carts near their home in Savigliano, near Turin. A natural progression to the repairing of cars followed and, in 1936, Bernardo began to create special bodies for a number of vehicles such as mail cars, funeral vehicles and small buses.
When war broke out in 1939, Fissore stepped into the manufacture of military vehicles and this carried on until the end of Italy’s wartime involvement. After the war, construction of private vehicles once again became the center of attention, and in 1947 the coachbuilders released a Fiat 1100-based Estate car called the “Giardinietta.” In 1953, Fissore continued with flair to produce the Fiat 1100-TV, a unique coupe designed by Mario Revelli. Further Fiat-based cars followed, which allowed the coachbuilders to build staff levels to an impressive 200 workers.
Soon, other companies became interested in Fissore, with DKW, TVR and De Tomaso all becoming clients. Although not as well-known as Pininfarina or Bertone, the Fissore brand was at the time highly respected. The Fissore-bodied OSCA, as profiled here, was one such example of their early 1960s work. Unlike the Zagato example examined in June’s Vintage Roadcar, the Fissore-bodied cars came in both a coupe and convertible form.
After the demise of OSCA, Fissore went on to design the De Tomaso Vallelunga, and prior to securing a contract to body many of Peter Monteverdi’s cars, a wedge-shaped design was created for TVR by Fissore designer Trevor Fiore. The two-seat coupe was produced for Blackpool-based TVR, and first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1965. However, before it could be produced, TVR went bankrupt and the concept was duly sold to an ex-TVR dealer who proceeded to take the car to sale as the Trident. Fiore further developed the concept for Alpine as the successor to its A110. This new Fissore-designed model eventually came to carry the A310 name. The Monteverdi Hai was a very similar creation, although this car was mainly designed by Peter Monteverdi himself with some Fissore input in the closing stages of the drawing board process.
The main Fissore work for Monteverdi came via the members of the “High-Speed” series—these kept the company busy for a good number of years, although sales were not as high as originally anticipated. The introduction of the Monteverdi Safari off-roader did raise volume, however. With all the work coming from Monteverde, Fissore had to adapt from its original coachbuilding methods to a more modern, automated approach. Monteverdi supplied much of the money for Fissore to invest in infrastructure, in return for a piece of the company. By the late 1970s, Monteverde increased his stake and had assimilated all of Fissore.
With competition high, Monteverdi eventually shut down its car manufacturing operations in 1984, and only a few days later Fissore was also closed and liquidated. A separate company, founded by Bernardo Fissore’s daughter, Fernanda, and her husband Giulio Malvino—called Rayton Fissore—opened in 1976, and the company is probably best known for its Magnum, an off-roader based on an Iveco that was first presented in 1985 and sold as the Laforza in the United States market.
On the Road
Upon hearing that I was going to be asked to drive this little OSCA, I will admit that I was quite keen to get my hands on it. I have long admired Italian cars of the 1950s and 1960s, Maseratis in particular, and so to be offered the chance to drive a car that was the final automotive design of the Maserati brothers themselves was an intriguing proposition.
Our good friends at Hall & Hall were very keen for Vintage Roadcar to have the opportunity to profile this car as a way of honoring the centenary anniversary of Maserati and the Maserati Brothers. Long known for their exacting restoration and preparation of significant racecars—in particular BRMs—Hall & Hall are, in fact, much more diverse. This car is one such example that the company currently holds in stock for a client, and with the car currently offered for sale, the UK staff of Vintage Roadcar was determined to take up the offer of driving it before the inevitable sale takes it out of reach.
Upon arrival in Bourne, and after the traditional look around the workshop, I was handed the keys to the car and allowed to head out for a road test. The main drive, and photographic element of this profile, was set to take place at the stunning Grimsthorpe Castle—a beautiful country house that was once visited by King Henry VIII of England back in 1541. The castle’s estate boasts a lovely section of roads that would hand me the opportunity to stretch the OSCA’s legs fully, but before reaching the sprawling Grimsthorpe Castle I had the chance to sample the little Italian stallion on the public highway.
The left-hand drive car has a good seating position, and I felt well-settled in the cockpit—sitting low, with a well-located gear lever. Firing the engine up, it gave a typical Twin-Cam bark and as I pulled away from Hall & Hall, to drive through Bourne, I caught the occasional looks of passers-by who gave an admiring glance toward the mellow yellow-colored, little GT.
Accelerating hard past the 30 mph signs, the car was keen to go faster, but it felt like rather heavy going. The car had to be chased hard to gain speed and momentum, and while I wanted to push on, for a profile such as this I was uncertain how hard I should do so. In the end, I decided to drive with a level of caution.
On the way to Grimsthorpe, the Lincolnshire roads sweep through a selection of undulating adverse-cambered corners, and I thought this would be a good time to check out the handling characteristics of the little car. Turning in hard, the car planted itself well and as I squeezed the throttle to add more power it didn’t squirrel at all. It was very neutral, and as a result instilled in me a good deal of confidence. It felt very similar to the handling of an MGB or a Porsche 924—both cars I have raced—and I believe that if this car were fitted with a roll cage and mandatory safety modifications, it would make a great little machine for some period historic racing or rallying.
The brakes were good, no drag, and the steering did not pull to the left or right under heavy braking. Such was the weak acceleration, however, that after heavy braking, several gear changes were then needed to come down the box to chase the power, if it can be described as that, to head the speedometer in the upward direction again. The car did not feel like it had bundles of power.
My overall impressions of the car were good. The Italian-style, leatherette-clad dash, the pretty switch gear and the lovely steering wheel set the car off well. Well-armed with a pair of tortoise shell-rimmed glasses, an Italian tailored suit and a pair of finest Italian shoes, and you could feel right at home for a trip across the Alps or a drive round Milan or Rome.
I liked the car, and it has enhanced my love affair with all things Italian. This car is not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, but it is a great small displacement GT car with scads of pedigree and history. If nothing else, it is the final chapter to the saga of the Brothers Maserati.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Rick Hall and the staff at Hall & Hall for allowing us access to this car to complete its profile. Hall & Hall’s help and support, and a willingness to provide access to special cars, is a real bonus for Vintage Roadcar and is much appreciated. Thank you also goes to the staff at Grimsthorpe Castle, near Bourne (www.grimsthorpe.co.uk), for allowing us to use the grounds of this stunning country estate to
conduct the driving and photographic element of this profile.
Specifications
Engine: 1600cc four-cylinder Twin-Cam
Wheelbase: 2250mm
Track: Front – 1270mm; Rear – 1218mm
Suspension: Independent with transverse triangulation, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, stabilizer bar
Wheels: Disc-type wheels 4.5Jx15
Tires: 155-15
Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes on all four wheels, with Girling calipers
Steering: Fiat Screw and Roller
