Maserati A6GCS

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maserati A6GCS, built in 1947
Maserati A6GCS, built in 1954
Maserati A6GCS Berlinetta

The Maserati A6GCS , also Maserati 2000 Sport , was a sports car prototype that was first developed by Maserati in 1947 .

Development history and technology

The original version

The long construction time of the A6GCS meant that vehicles with different body shapes were built under this model name, which were more or less based on the same chassis concept. The cars were technically related to the A6 road sports car and its successor, the A6G . A6G.CS was the original internal product name and was based on A for Alfieri - although it did not come to Maserati until 1953 - 6 for six-cylinder , G for cast iron , C for Corsa and S for sport. The models were marketed as 2000 Sport at the time of construction. In the results lists of the various sports car races, the chassis are referred to as A6GCS. In 1953 the point between A6G and CS also disappeared. Internally, the A6GCS / 53 referred to changes in the chassis, engine and body.

Maserati had already had good experiences with the single-camshaft engine before the Second World War . This concept was pursued even after the war. This engine variant was one of the reasons for the sales success of the A6GCS. In many workshops in Italy , these engines were easy to maintain, which would not have been possible with a more complex engine. For this type of vehicle, the six-cylinder in- line engine was given larger dimensions for bore and stroke (72 × 81 mm) in order to be brought to a displacement of 2 liters. In 1953 this ratio changed to 76.5 × 72 mm. The crankcase was made of cast iron; Cylinder head and oil pan made of light metal alloy. The mixture was prepared by three Weber twin gasifiers. The engine was operated with an alcohol mixture, as the gasoline commercially available at the time was not of sufficient quality for the compression ratio of 11: 1.

The chassis were all designed for two-seaters, consisted of round tubes and were manufactured by Gilco Design in Milan . The wheels were individually suspended at the front on double wishbones with coil springs, at the rear there was a rigid axle on cantilever leaf springs and Houdaille shock absorbers. In order to achieve a low seating position for the driver, the engine was installed at a slight angle to the side. The passenger seat was small and cramped. At the time of racing in the 1940s and 1950s, this was not a problem, as the drivers were usually on their own. Only with the historical racing events of the present did this become more problematic, so that some cockpits were rebuilt. Originally, the A6GCS was supposed to have Berlinetta bodies. The car of the first generation in 1947, however, was given a body shape similar to that of a monoposto with free-standing wheels, which, however, were covered with fenders. These were easy to remove and the passenger seat could be removed, giving the car an empty weight of only 580 kg.

In 1948 Alberto Massimino took over the project, which aerodynamically improved the bodies. Now the fenders were only attached to a rod with clamps and could be removed even more easily. In 1949, some models received an aluminum engine block and dry sump lubrication . The bodies were built at Fantuzzi in Modena .

Changes to the engine and chassis

At the beginning of 1953, Gioacchino Colombo had switched from Alfa Romeo to Maserati after the end of racing activities . As early as 1950 there were first attempts with a double camshaft engine, which was later revised and used in the A6GCM . Conversely, from 1953, technology from the Formula 2 racing car was adopted in the new models. In the sports car world championship , which was held from 1953 , commercially available gasoline was mandatory, which is why the compression was reduced to 9: 1. Most of the cars received dual ignition and had a battery and two distributors. The chassis has also been improved: To make the rear more stable, the rear rigid axle was now guided on trailing arms.

The new bodies had nothing in common with the previous shape. Fantuzzi and Pininfarina built two-seater, fully faired Spider bodies, which Colombo himself drew. Berlinettas followed them in 1954. Maserati publications show a total of 67 A6GCS built between 1947 and 1955, 17 of which corresponded to the original version and 52 to the models from 1953.

Racing history

The A6GCS was one of the most successful two-seater sports cars in automotive history. The unusually high number of units built was a sign of the model's popularity with private drivers. The model is also considered the most successful Maserati racing car, with a total of 40 overall victories.

The phase of the original versions from 1947 to 1952

An A6GCS was driven for the first time at the Mille Miglia 1957 with Luigi Villoresi . The race actually came too early, but Maserati did n't want to miss the first Mille Miglia after the war. There was a prompt failure. Things got really serious on September 28, 1947 at the sports car race at the Circuito di Modena . This time Maserati reported two vehicles for Villoresi and Alberto Ascari . Ferrari had developed the 159S parallel to the A6GCS . With the successor of the Ferrari 125 , Franco Cortese had achieved second place for the Scuderia at the Coppa Acerbo . The two types of vehicle met for the first time in Modena. When the starting flag fell, Villoresi took the lead. The Ferraris fell victim to the fast pace he set; both failed. Villoresi later had to let Ascari pass due to poor performance. The race was overshadowed by a serious accident that not only led to its being abandoned, but also to the end of this racing event. Giovanni Bracco had lost control of his Delage and drove into the audience. Five people were killed and many injured. Bracco then retired from racing for three years. Ascari's victory counted little.

After total failures at the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia , Bracco won the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti in 1948 . At a sports car race in Pescara , Bracco had given up after two laps because the spectators were too close to the track and memories of the accident from the previous year were awakened. He handed the car over to Ascari, who won the race.

New versions, new successes

The successful series of the new models began in 1953. At the 1953 Targa Florio , Emilio Giletti and the Sergio Mantovani / Juan Manuel Fangio team were only beaten by Umberto Maglioli's Lancia D20 . This was followed by victories in the Caserta (Mantovani) sports car race, the Bressuire ( Musso ) sports car race and many other races over the next few years.

From 1947 to 1961 A6GCS were entered in a total of 279 races, in detail there were 516 race starts. This Maserati model was last registered at the Targa Florio in 1961 .

literature

  • Maurizio Tabucchi: Maserati, All Grand Prix, Sports and GT vehicles from 1926 until today . Heel, Königswinter 2004, ISBN 3-89880-211-6
  • Anthony Pritchard: Maserati - the racing history . Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-2513-9

Web links

Commons : Maserati A6GCS  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mille Miglia 1947
  2. ^ Coppa Acerbo 1947
  3. ^ Sports car race Modena 1947
  4. ↑ Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti 1948
  5. ^ Sports car race Pescara 1948