Osca 20
The Osca 20 , also OSCA 20 , or OSCA 20 was a Formula 2 racing car that was designed and built in 1952 by Officine Specializzata Costruzioni Automobili .
Development history
Officine Specializzata Costruzioni Automobili was founded in 1947 by the three Maserati brothers Ernesto, Ettore and Bindo after they had sold Maserati. The three brothers were primarily interested in the development and production of sports cars and racing cars, the construction of monoposto vehicles remained sparse. One of the exceptions was the Osca 20, which was designed in 1952.
The Osca 20 was based on the Osca 4500G , the Formula 1 racing car of 1951 . Since the drivers' world championship in 1952 was run according to the technical regulations of Formula 2, so much had to be adapted to the vehicle that it was tantamount to a completely new construction. The 4500G had a 4.5 liter V12 engine that could not be used in this way in the Formula 2 car. The new 2-liter V6 engine forced the Osca engineers to convert the chassis. The new engine was shorter and lighter, which significantly shortened the wheelbase of the previous chassis. The front section was also narrower than on the previous model. A striking feature of the car were the two deeply mounted fuel tanks on the side, which should give the car more stability.
Racing history
Two chassis of the Osca 20 were made and since OSCA was not interested in using the racing vehicles themselves, they were sold. He bought one from French racing driver Élie Bayol , the second from Monegasse Louis Chiron . Bayol made his debut with the car in 1952 at the Grand Prix du Comminges , a run for the French Formula 2 championship, where he was disqualified in the race after finishing sixth in practice. It quickly became apparent that the car was clearly inferior to the competition. Only when top vehicles like the Ferrari 500 were not registered at an event were there acceptable results. In 1952 Bayol contested the Italian Grand Prix , a run for the drivers' world championship, but had to give up in the race after a technical defect. When the drivers drove the Osca 20 to the finish line, the races usually ended several laps behind the respective winner. Bayol and Chrion also contested the French and Italian Grand Prix in 1953 with no countable success.
Bayol achieved the only race win with the Osca 20 in 1953 with his success at the Grand Prix du Lac at the Circuit du Lac .
literature
- David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Osca 20 at Histomobile ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Osca 20 with the distinctive fuel tanks
