Birdcage Maserati takes Best of Show at Lime Rock Sunday in the Park Concours

1959 Maserati Tipo 61. Article photos by Casey Keil, courtesy Lime Rock, unless otherwise noted. Gallery photos by David LaChance.

Built between 1959 and 1961, the Maserati Tipo 61 sports racer was better known by its “Birdcage” nickname, given for the intricacy of its delicate space frame, made of welded steel tubing. Powered by a 2.9-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 250 horsepower, the 1,300 pound car seemed to dominate nearly every series it contested, and chassis 2452 was no exception to this rule. Last Sunday, this 1959 Maserati Tipo 61, now owned by Tony Wang of Lloyd Harbor, New York, continued its winning ways in a slightly different field of battle, earning Best of Show honors at Lime Rock’s Sunday in the Park Concours.

1912 Thomas Flyer 6-40, People’s Choice Award winner.

Purchased new by Joe Lubin in September of 1959, chassis 2452 was said to be the first Birdcage Maserati on the West Coast. In the hands of driver Bob Drake, the Tipo 61 proved competitive right out of the gate, earning a pair of victories and five additional podium finishes in its first seven races. A pair of DNFs followed, showing that while fast, the Tipo 61s could also be fragile if pushed too hard.

The Paddock Award-winning Lancia D50 recreation. Photo by Greg Clark, courtesy Lime Rock Park

Drake returned to his winning ways in May 1960, capturing victories in his next three events, followed by his only non-podium finish (excluding DNFs) behind the wheel of chassis 2452. He followed up with a win and a second place finish, but by late June of 1960 it was Jim Connor driving the Maserati for new owner Stan Sugarman. Like Drake, Connor was fast, producing a string of wins and podium finishes (punctuated by a single DNF) that lasted into October 1960. For the final three races of the season, Texan Jim Hall took the reins, producing a pair of podium finishes and a seventh place, all at the three-heat USAC Laguna Seca Pacific Grand Prix.

1938 Marchese Special Indy Roadster, which earned the John Morton Award.

In 1961, the Maserati was purchased by dealer Harry Finer, who later sold the car to Steve Diulo. The next driver of record was Bill Krause, who pushed the aging race car to a string of victories and podiums throughout California during the 1962 season, prompting an engine replacement (from chassis 2454) during the 1963 season.

By the end of the decade, chassis 2452 had crossed the pond, purchased by Nigel Moores in the United Kingdom. It returned to the United States with new owner Joel Finn in the early 1970s, but in 1976 was acquired by collector Steve Earle (no relation to musician Steve Earle), who ran the car at the Monterey Historics in 1979 and 1980. Sold to Bill Ziering in 1981, the car returned to the Monterey Historics from 1981-’83, before being restored.

1910 Rover, the Just As We Found It Award winner.

From 1986 through 1998, chassis 2452 made two more appearances at the annual Monterey celebration of vintage racing, under two different owners. Purchased by Tony Wang in 1998, the car now resides on the East Coast, where it’s participated in the Lime Rock Vintage Festival in 2010 and 2012.

Other key winners of note included a 1910 Rover 8 h.p., owned by Dirk Burrowes of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, which took home the Just As We Found It Award; a 1954 Lancia D50 Recreation, owned by Miles Collier and The Revs Institute in Naples, Florida, which took home the Pick of the Paddock Award; a 1912 Thomas Flyer 6-40, owned by John F. and Carol A. Jones of Prospect, Connecticut, which took home the People’s Choice Award; a 1968 Fiat 850 Spider owned by Jane and Jerome Roth of West Cornwall, Connecticut, which took home the Peter Brock Award (as the car the Honored Guest would most like to own); a 1938 Marchese Special Indy Roadster owned by Jerry Lettieri of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, which took home the John Morton Award (as the car the Honored Guest would most like to own); and a 1967 BMW R27 motorcycle owned by Rick Bell of Salisbury, Connecticut, which took home the Up on Two Wheels award for the nicest motorcycle.

1967 BMW R27, the Up on Two Wheels Award winner.

For more on the 2016 Lime Rock Sunday in the Park Concours, visit LimeRock.com. If you couldn’t attend this year’s event, enjoy the photos below from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car editor David La Chance.

See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/09/08/birdcage-maserati-takes-best-of-show-at-lime-rock-sunday-in-the-park-concours/