Gregor Wenner
Specialist Consultant
LOT 147
1933 Maserati Tipo 8C-3000 Biposto Engine no. 3004
Estimate: €900,000 - €1,200,000
Lot 147
1933 Maserati Tipo 8C-3000 Biposto
1933 Maserati Tipo 8C-3000 Biposto
Engine no. 3004
Engine no. 3004
• Formerly part of the Willem van Huystee Collection
• Awesome, supercharged road-going Grand Prix car
• Proven in road tours and competitions
• Mechanically sorted by expert Chris Leydon
• Road registered in the Netherlands
The Maserati brothers had developed their powerful new Tipo 8C 3.0-litre straight-eight supercharged engine in 1932. It powered low-slung offset two-seater cars before chassis '3005' became the first pure central-seat monoposto, founding the long line of customer Grand Prix production cars which cemented Maserati's reputation through the mid-1930s and culminated in their great post-war classic: the highly-prized Maserati 250F.
What survivors there were of the 1933 Maserati 8Cs seem to have ended up in the USA after WW2. As far as can been ascertained, the first two 3-litre cars, '3001' and '3002', were in the USA by the early 1960s, where they were discovered by long time car sleuth, collector and historian Richard 'Dick' Merritt in two separate finds, together with numerous Maserati components, which included crankcase '3004'.
These would eventually pass to noted British Maserati enthusiast Cameron Miller, who sold one to the late Bob Sutherland, founder of the Colorado Grand, and elected to keep the ex-Birkin car, '3002'. At this point, all were sent to expert Maserati restorer Peter Shaw to return them to the road. The surviving chassis '3001' and '3002' took priority, while Shaw himself negotiated the purchase of the crankcase '3004'.
While Shaw was busy restoring those cars, a chance offering of a Maserati rear axle from John Hewitt began the revival of this car. The axle had been retrieved from the garages of Roland Dutt, a noted former owner of '3001', and was numbered '3004'. Over the course of the ensuing years, Shaw was also able to source a period, though slightly earlier, gearbox (number '26') and the project began to take shape. Since the British Vintage Sports Car Club's racing regulations at this time stipulated a minimum 'three of five' major component rule, this would provide him with a car that he could campaign/race.
With his unique experience and supreme craftsmanship, Peter Shaw was able accurately to make a new chassis and front axle. Similarly, while he crafted bodies for the Sutherland and Birkin cars from the surviving bodywork panels, he also built a new two-seater body for this car. Using his contacts in the pre-war community and knowledge of the Maserati marque, he found numerous other detail features: such remarkable finds as an original aero screen, original oil tank, and the exquisitely designed water filler cap, all of which have ensured that the finished car was as true to form as it could be.
Once completed, Shaw registered his car for the road and would campaign it for many years, proudly using it on the Mille Miglia in 1987. In 1999 he elected to sell it to the previous owner, Willem van Huystee. As with all of Mr van Huystee's cars, using the Maserati was his highest priority. Not satisfied with the car's performance as acquired, he sent it to legendary mechanical engineer Chris Leydon. Mr Leydon carried out a total rebuild of the engine while adhering to the owner's clear directive that all of its original components should be preserved and restored. This task proved to be a huge undertaking, but nevertheless the engine with its numbered crankcase was restored and returned to working order, as was the gearbox and rear axle, thus preserving the car's drive train. Following this work's completion, the Maserati was enthusiastically campaigned by Mr van Huystee, becoming a common sight at events ranging from road tours to concours, including the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix at Lime Rock, Pocono; the Grand Ascent Hill Climb at Hershey; the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance; Meadowbrook Hall Concours; and at Radnor Hunt. Over the years, its regular use has given the car an appealing patina, which seems appropriate for a historic Grand Prix car. It is currently kitted out with full road equipment, including cycle mudguards and headlamps.
Throughout his ownership, Shaw researched the 3-Litre cars extensively, a particular anomaly being that Maserati's own records did not specifically reference a car number '3004'. At this point, based on current research, it seems likely that the crankcase '3004' was fitted to car '3001' by 1938 when the car began its spell in the UK, but its earlier history is unknown at this point in time.
Its past owners believed that the origins of '3004' are one particular 8C that is visually documented in period but unaccounted for in history/number terms, this being a wide-chassis single-seater, identifiable by its body's higher tail. Importantly, that car still had mechanical brakes in its later guise, whereas the others were converted to hydraulics and their chassis drilled accordingly.
in March 2016 the car was bought by the current vendor, the Maserati has been used only sparingly. The car starts and runs instantly and performed very well during the recent photo shoot where it was taken out on the road. It is currently registered in the Netherlands.
Many of these important Maserati Grand Prix cars are now in long-term private or museum ownership, seldom seen or offered on the open market. Here we present a remarkable and rare opportunity to experience all the drama and excitement of owning and driving one of the earliest Maseratis, painstakingly restored by the finest marque expert with an exceptional eye for detail, and painstakingly maintained since. It is a car that can be raced, road-toured or simply taken out for the sheer thrill of it!
• Awesome, supercharged road-going Grand Prix car
• Proven in road tours and competitions
• Mechanically sorted by expert Chris Leydon
• Road registered in the Netherlands
The Maserati brothers had developed their powerful new Tipo 8C 3.0-litre straight-eight supercharged engine in 1932. It powered low-slung offset two-seater cars before chassis '3005' became the first pure central-seat monoposto, founding the long line of customer Grand Prix production cars which cemented Maserati's reputation through the mid-1930s and culminated in their great post-war classic: the highly-prized Maserati 250F.
What survivors there were of the 1933 Maserati 8Cs seem to have ended up in the USA after WW2. As far as can been ascertained, the first two 3-litre cars, '3001' and '3002', were in the USA by the early 1960s, where they were discovered by long time car sleuth, collector and historian Richard 'Dick' Merritt in two separate finds, together with numerous Maserati components, which included crankcase '3004'.
These would eventually pass to noted British Maserati enthusiast Cameron Miller, who sold one to the late Bob Sutherland, founder of the Colorado Grand, and elected to keep the ex-Birkin car, '3002'. At this point, all were sent to expert Maserati restorer Peter Shaw to return them to the road. The surviving chassis '3001' and '3002' took priority, while Shaw himself negotiated the purchase of the crankcase '3004'.
While Shaw was busy restoring those cars, a chance offering of a Maserati rear axle from John Hewitt began the revival of this car. The axle had been retrieved from the garages of Roland Dutt, a noted former owner of '3001', and was numbered '3004'. Over the course of the ensuing years, Shaw was also able to source a period, though slightly earlier, gearbox (number '26') and the project began to take shape. Since the British Vintage Sports Car Club's racing regulations at this time stipulated a minimum 'three of five' major component rule, this would provide him with a car that he could campaign/race.
With his unique experience and supreme craftsmanship, Peter Shaw was able accurately to make a new chassis and front axle. Similarly, while he crafted bodies for the Sutherland and Birkin cars from the surviving bodywork panels, he also built a new two-seater body for this car. Using his contacts in the pre-war community and knowledge of the Maserati marque, he found numerous other detail features: such remarkable finds as an original aero screen, original oil tank, and the exquisitely designed water filler cap, all of which have ensured that the finished car was as true to form as it could be.
Once completed, Shaw registered his car for the road and would campaign it for many years, proudly using it on the Mille Miglia in 1987. In 1999 he elected to sell it to the previous owner, Willem van Huystee. As with all of Mr van Huystee's cars, using the Maserati was his highest priority. Not satisfied with the car's performance as acquired, he sent it to legendary mechanical engineer Chris Leydon. Mr Leydon carried out a total rebuild of the engine while adhering to the owner's clear directive that all of its original components should be preserved and restored. This task proved to be a huge undertaking, but nevertheless the engine with its numbered crankcase was restored and returned to working order, as was the gearbox and rear axle, thus preserving the car's drive train. Following this work's completion, the Maserati was enthusiastically campaigned by Mr van Huystee, becoming a common sight at events ranging from road tours to concours, including the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix at Lime Rock, Pocono; the Grand Ascent Hill Climb at Hershey; the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance; Meadowbrook Hall Concours; and at Radnor Hunt. Over the years, its regular use has given the car an appealing patina, which seems appropriate for a historic Grand Prix car. It is currently kitted out with full road equipment, including cycle mudguards and headlamps.
Throughout his ownership, Shaw researched the 3-Litre cars extensively, a particular anomaly being that Maserati's own records did not specifically reference a car number '3004'. At this point, based on current research, it seems likely that the crankcase '3004' was fitted to car '3001' by 1938 when the car began its spell in the UK, but its earlier history is unknown at this point in time.
Its past owners believed that the origins of '3004' are one particular 8C that is visually documented in period but unaccounted for in history/number terms, this being a wide-chassis single-seater, identifiable by its body's higher tail. Importantly, that car still had mechanical brakes in its later guise, whereas the others were converted to hydraulics and their chassis drilled accordingly.
in March 2016 the car was bought by the current vendor, the Maserati has been used only sparingly. The car starts and runs instantly and performed very well during the recent photo shoot where it was taken out on the road. It is currently registered in the Netherlands.
Many of these important Maserati Grand Prix cars are now in long-term private or museum ownership, seldom seen or offered on the open market. Here we present a remarkable and rare opportunity to experience all the drama and excitement of owning and driving one of the earliest Maseratis, painstakingly restored by the finest marque expert with an exceptional eye for detail, and painstakingly maintained since. It is a car that can be raced, road-toured or simply taken out for the sheer thrill of it!
Footnotes
1933 Maserati Tipo 8C-3000 biposto
Moteur n° 3004
• A appartenu à la Collection Willem van Huystee
• Incroyable voiture de Grand Prix à compresseur transformée pour la route
• A fait ses preuves sur route et en compétition
• Mécanique remise au point par le spécialiste Chris Leydon
• Immatriculée pour la route en Hollande
Les frères Maserati avaient mis au point leur nouveau et puissant moteur Tipo 8C à 8 cylindres en ligne compressé de 3 litres en 1932. Il propulsait une voiture à deux places décalées, sur châssis surbaissé, avant que le châssis 3005 ne devienne la première monoplace à siège central, initiant la longue lignée de voitures de Grand Prix pour des clients privés qui forgea la réputation de Maserati au milieu des années 1930 et culmina avec leur grande classique d'après-guerre, la Maserati 250F.
Quel qu'ait pu être le nombre de survivantes, les Maserati 8C de1933 semblent toutes être parties aux États-Unis après la seconde guerre mondiale. Autant qu'on puisse savoir, les deux premières 3 litres, 3001 et 3002, s'y trouvait déjà au début des années 1960, découvertes par le dénicheur de voitures, collectionneur et historien Richard « Dick » Merritt à deux occasions différentes, avec de nombreuses pièces Maserati, parmi lesquelles le vilebrequin numéro 3004.
Ces voitures allaient par la suite se retrouver chez le Britannique passionné de Maserati Cameron Miller, qui en vendit une, l'ancienne voiture de Birkin 3002, à feu Bob Sutherland, fondateur du Colorado Grand. À l'époque, elles furent toutes expédiées chez l'expert en Maserati et restaurateur Peter Shaw pour être remises en route. Les châssis 3001 et 3002 survivants étaient la priorité, tandis que Shaw négociait l'achat du vilebrequin numéro 3004.
Tandis que Shaw était occupé à restaurer les deux voitures, l'achat providentiel d'un essieu arrière de Maserati chez John Hewitt lui permit de commencer la résurrection de la sienne. L'essieu, numéroté 3004, provenait du garage de Roland Dutt, qui avait été propriétaire de 3001. Au cours des années qui suivirent, Shaw dégotta également une boîte de vitesses d'époque, bien que légèrement antérieure, (numéro 26) et le projet commença à prendre forme. La réglementation du British Vintage Sports Car Club stipulant un minimum de trois des composants majeurs pour authentifier un modèle, il pouvait désormais engager sa voiture en compétition.
Avec son expérience et sa grande habileté professionnelle, Peter Shaw était parfaitement capable de refaire un nouveau châssis et un essieu avant. De même, alors qu'il refaisait les carrosseries des voitures de Sutherland et Birkin avec les panneaux existants, il construisait une carrosserie deux places pour sa propre voiture. Grâce à ses contacts dans le milieu des avant-guerre et sa connaissance de la marque Maserati, il retrouva de nombreuses autres pièces, telles qu'un saute-vent original, un réservoir d'huile original et le bouchon de radiateur au dessin raffiné, toutes ces pièces lui permettant d'achever la voiture au plus près de sa forme originale.
Une fois terminée, Shaw immatricula sa voiture pour la route et l'engagea en compétition pendant plusieurs années, l'utilisant avec fierté aux Mille Miglia en 1987. En 1999, il choisit de la revendre à son premier propriétaire, Willem van Huystee. Comme avec toutes ses voitures, la priorité la plus urgente de M. van Huystee fut d'utiliser la Maserati. Déçu par les performances de la voiture, il l'expédia chez le fameux mécanicien Chris Leydon. M. Leydon refit entièrement le moteur, respectant le souhait du propriétaire de conserver et de restaurer toutes les pièces d'origine. Cette tâche s'avéra être une grosse entreprise, mais le moteur avec son vilebrequin au bon numéro fut restauré et remis en marche, de même que la boîte de vitesses et l'essieu arrière, préservant ainsi tout le train roulant de la voiture. Après l'achèvement de ce travail, la Maserati fut engagée avec bonheur par M. van Huystee, devenant une habituée des manifestations historiques, des sorties sur route au concours, parmi lesquels le Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix de Lime Rock, Pocono, le Grand Ascent Hill Climb de Hershey, les concours d'élégance d'Amelia Island, de Meadowbrook Hall et de Radnor Hunt. Au fil des ans, son utilisation a donné à la voiture une agréable patine, tout à fait appropriée pour une voiture de Grand Prix historique. Elle est équipée de tous ses gréements pour la route, notamment ses garde-boue moto et ses phares.
Pendant qu'elle était en sa possession, Shaw fit des recherches approfondies sur les modèles 3 litres, une des anomalies étant que les registre Maserati ne font jamais spécifiquement référence à une voiture numérotée 3004. À ce stade des recherches, il semblerait que le vilebrequin 3004 ait été monté sur la voiture numéro 3001 en 1938, lorsqu'elle se trouvait au Royaume-Uni, mais son historique antérieur n'est pas connu à ce jour.
Les précédents propriétaires pensent que les origines de 3004 remontent à une 8C non répertoriée historiquement par son numéro de châssis, mais connue visuellement à l'époque, sous la forme d'une monoplace à châssis large, reconnaissable à sa carrosserie plus haute à l'arrière. Il est important de noter que la voiture avait encore des freins mécaniques sous cette forme, alors que les autres avaient été converties aux freins hydrauliques et leur châssis perforé en conséquence.
La voiture a été achetée par le vendeur en mars, la Maserati ayant été depuis lors utilisée avec parcimonie. La voiture a parfaitement bien démarré et a très bien marché durant une récente séance photo pour laquelle elle a été amenée sur route. Elle est immatriculée en Hollande.
La plupart de ces importantes Maserati de Grand Prix sont désormais dans des collections privées ou dans des musées, rarement offertes à la vente. Nous offrons donc une remarquable et rare opportunité de connaitre l'expérience unique et l'excitation de posséder et de piloter une des premières Maserati, minutieusement restaurée par le meilleur expert de la marque, attentif au moindre détail, et rigoureusement entretenue depuis. C'est une voiture qui peut faire de la compétition, du tourisme ou simplement être appréciée pour ce qu'elle est !
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