Book Review 'Birdcage to Supercage' by William Oosthoek

[rshelby]

Book Review 'Birdcage to Supercage' by William Oosthoek
The complete history of the rear-engined Tipo 63, 64, 65 Maseratis

Most people are familiar with Maserati’s front-engined Tipo 60/61 ‘Birdcage’ models of the early ‘60s. Fewer know that model’s successors, multi-tubed sports-racers of infinite complexity that were the Tipos 63 to 65. The ‘64 being known as the ‘Supercage’.

William Oosthoek has produced a book, published by Dalton Watson, on some of the last sports-racing cars produced by Maserati prior to its recent re-involvement in long-distance racing with the controversial MC12. Always ‘on-the-edge’ from a financial point of view, the Maserati company of this time was still passionately interested in racing - if it could sell customer cars to the biggest markets in the world, local Italian ‘Gentleman Racers’, and the SCCA (amateur), and USAC (professional) American road-racing teams.

The front-engined cars were a big success in the US, even though their European forays, via Casner’s Camoradi team, were not always successful. Ferrari may have eight extra cylinders, but they were also built a bullet-proof chassis, were driven by the best drivers in the world and, though sometimes truck-like and lacking the Birdcages raw speed, were very reliable and cleaned up year after year. The result of their successes, and the wilder nature of ‘Prototypes’, meant European CSI (the forerunner to today’s FIA) racing being developing more into a series for GT cars. Across the pond, in the US, unbridled power, via Lister-Chevys, Chaparrals and Scarabs, was king. Enter the very successful Birdcage’s successor, the Tipo 63 rear-engined car, ready to do battle with the British invasion of Lotus 19s and Cooper Monacos that were - prior to V8-powered King Cobras and Lolas - top of the heap.

Oosthoek is slightly scathing of European legislation favouring the GT route - Goodwood TT '61 - '64 anyone? Or the Tour Auto in its heyday? - but there’s no doubt that racing US-style in this time with its mixture of fabulously rich amateurs such as Jim and Bill ‘Kleenex’ Kimberly, Jim Hall and Briggs Cunningham, coming business men like Roger Penske, and hard professionals such as Walt Hansgen, Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby, was a fascinating era.

The story of Maserati’s efforts to beat the often simpler home-grown, or British high-tech, cars is lovingly told from the introduction of the Tipo 63 at Sebring in 1961 to half-hearted attempts right up to 1967 with a 5-litre engined car set against 7-litre Fords and Chaparrals. All the races are covered, sometimes in great depth, with entry lists, starting grids and results aplenty. Its large format (330mm x 240mm) means the photos (and there are plenty of them, many unpublished) and detail more than make up for an occasional lapses in a style.

To summarise it’s a must-read for all Maserati fans, and for those enthusiasts of the early-'60s scene, whether in West Coast USA or on the hillclimbs and road-course of Europe. Recommended.

For further details visit www.daltonwatson.com