OSCA MT4

In 1937, five years after Alfieri's death, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati were forced to sell Maserati after financial turmoil. However, the contract with the new Maserati owner Adolfo Orsi meant that the brothers had to remain with their former company for a ten-year term. In 1947 they were finally free to go their own way; Officine Specializzata Costruzioni Automobili Fratelli Maserati was founded and the first vehicle type, the MT4, was built. In its original form, the chassis and engine were based on the Maserati Tipo 4CL single-seater racing car, first built in 1939. Development of the MT4 began immediately, using plans and parts from the Maserati 4CL. In all, OSCA built 77 chassis between 1949 and 1956 (some sources state 72, some 78). ==Design==

OSCA's first automobile was the MT4, for Maserati Tipo 4 cilindri. The initial cars used a Fiat 1100 block and the engine developed . OSCA soon developed a new 1,092 cc engine, which produced at 6,000 rpm, had a in-house designed aluminium block and alloy head. Some sources state that 9 cars were built with 1.1-liter engines. OSCA only supplied the chassis; the bodies were manufactured by Italian bodywork companies (or in some cases, by the buyers themselves ==Changes==

In 1949 the engine was enlarged to 1,342 cc, with power increasing to at 5,500 rpm depending on the tune specified. In 1950, the new DOHC (MT4-2AD) raised power to a maximum of at 6,300 rpm for the 1350 engine, and in 1953 the engine was enlarged to 1,453 cc to compete in the 1500 cc class, producing at 6,200 rpm. In 1954, this was bored out to a square for 1,491 cc and fitted with twin sparkplugs. This "proper" 1500 engine produced at 6,300 rpm and was aimed directly at the Porsche 550. The bore and stroke of the 1500 engine are the same as those of the Maserati 4CL, also developed by the Maserati brothers. In a period road test, Road & Track got a MT4-2AD 1500 (chassis number 1148) to reach in spite of having been fitted with the lowest gearing, while doing the sprint in 7.0 seconds. The listed price was $10,000, enough to buy three V8-engined Ford Thunderbirds with a good margin, but on the other Road & Track stated that the OSCA had outperformed every lower-priced car ever tested by them. The reviewers also remarked on the rarity of an Italian-made car matching the manufacturer's claimed top speed, acceleration, and weight figures. The trunk on this example did meet the requirements for competition but mainly housed a spare tire and a fuel tank. as part of the Briggs Cunningham Team. In the April 6, 1992 issue of AutoWeek, Cunningham stated that, of all the automobiles he built, owned, and raced, the OSCA was his favorite racecar. ==FS 372==

After the MT4, the all new tipo 372 DS engine with desmodromic valves (hence "DS"; 372 represents the individual displacement of each cylinder) was developed for the 1957 Formula 2 season. F2 racing cars are called OSCA F2/S while the sports version, which succeeded the MT4/TN, was called the FS 372. Five FS 372 were built from 1957 until 1959; all were bodied by Morelli. The new engine produces in sports racing (FS) trim; the new design meant that unlike on earlier OSCAs, the exhaust exited on the right hand side of the car. One of these belonged to Sir Stirling Moss, who raced his car in historic races across the globe until his retirement in 2011. Derivatives of this engine went on to be used in coupé and convertible models of regular Fiats from 1959 to 1966. 1959OSCA-FS372.jpg|1959 OSCA FS 372 (#1196) OSCA FS372 Moss in Bahamas.jpg|Moss in his FS 372 (#1191) in the Bahamas ==Racing history==

The starts and racing successes of the MT4 are extensive and go beyond the usual framework of sports car models: 449 entries, 939 race starts, 81 overall, and 98 class victories. The first use of an MT4 was in 1948 in the Coppa Acerbo sports car race at Pescara. Driving chassis 1101 was Franco Cornacchia, who failed to finish the race. The MT4's first success came later that year, at the Grand Prix of Naples, where it was driven to a win by Luigi Villoresi. In 1949, Giulio Cabianca won a sports car race in Ferrara and three weeks later a race in Tigullio. The Giro delle Calabria was won by Dorino Serafini and Alberico Cacciari ahead of Luigi Fagioli, who also drove an MT4. From 1950 onwards, the MT4 established itself as a fast racing car that was not prone to defects and was hard to beat in the racing classes with displacements of less than 2 liters. At the Mille Miglia in 1951, Luigi Fagioli won the class for sports cars with displacements of up to 1.1 liters. In the overall standings, he finished eighth, just under an hour behind the winner Villoresi in the Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta Vignale. Cabianca repeated the class win in 1952. In the same year, the model was driven for the first time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mario Damonte and a French racing driver using the pseudonym Martial drove a Vignale-bodied 1.3-liter MT4. Their race ended after 19 hours of driving due to a damaged clutch. With the start of the sports car world championship in 1953, MT4s were also used there. After countless successes at national races in Europe and the United States, 1954 saw the greatest international success for an MT4. At the 12 Hours of Sebring, Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd won the general classification for Briggs Cunningham's team. To date, it is the only overall victory for a sports car with a displacement of less than 1.5 liters in this long-distance race. The light and maneuverable racing cars were often on a par with the high-capacity cars, especially on narrow and winding courses. This was evident, for example, at the 1956 Mille Miglia, where Cabianca and Umberto Maglioli fought for the lead in the early stages of the race with the Ferrari and Maserati works drivers. Gianfranco Stanga celebrated the last race victory with an MT4 at the Campagnana Vallelunga in 1961, ahead of an OSCA S1000 and a number of Etceterini. The last known use outside of historical races was in 1966 in the sports car world championship. Giuseppe Rossi finished 38th overall and won the class for prototypes with a displacement of up to 2 liters at the Mugello 500 km race. ==References==