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8CM maserati

Uhle’s 8C Maserati

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From the VeloceToday Archives, November 2017

Story by Pete Vack

It was not unlikely that Henry W. Uhle II should have decided to own a Grand Prix Maserati. He was, after all, an engineer and a yacht designer whose career spanned 48 years. From 1945 until retiring in 1987, he was a project engineer for Sparkman & Stephens Inc., New York City and before that, from 1941 until 1945, he was a naval architect for various shipyards. Born in 1920, Henry was also one of the breed of postwar U. S. foreign car enthusiasts and had the kind of mentality that could appreciate what the Maserati brothers were doing in Italy.

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Maserati 8CM 3000 S/N 3002

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Story by Pete Vack

It was not unlikely that Henry W. Uhle II should have decided to own a Grand Prix Maserati. He was, after all, an engineer and a yacht designer whose career spanned 48 years. From 1945 until retiring in 1987, he was a project engineer for Sparkman & Stephens Inc., New York City and before that, from 1941 until 1945, he was a naval architect for various shipyards. Born in 1920, Henry was also one of the breed of postwar U. S. foreign car enthusiasts and had the kind of mentality that could appreciate what the Maserati brothers were doing in Italy. [Read more…] about Maserati 8CM 3000 S/N 3002

Maserati 8CM: A Portfolio

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Story by Pete Vack
Photos of 8CM Maseratis by Hugues Vanhoolandt
From the archives April 25 2013

The Maserati 8CM
The Maserati brothers built race cars with four, six, V16 and V8 configurations, but began in 1926 with the 1500 cc straight eight Type 26. The eights evolved, the 26B was a 2 liter, the Tipo 8C-1100 of 1929 were linered down Type 26 2 liters and was followed by the more refined 8C1500 and the 8C2500 and the hybrid 8C 3000.This wealth of experience culminated in the 8CM, first produced in 1933. It was Maserati’s first true Grand Prix car, designed with the new 750 kg formula in mind. A 69 mm x 100mm bore and stroke, 2992cc displacement, 260 hp at 5800 rpm via a supercharger produced a maximum speed of about 144 mph. [Read more…] about Maserati 8CM: A Portfolio

Selected Maserati 8CMs

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Maserati 8CM

Maserati 8CM 3013 at Monaco.

Story by Pete Vack
Photos of Selected 8CM Maseratis by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Ernesto, Bindo and Ettore were only half of a remarkable set of six sons born to Rudolfo and Carolina Maserati in Voghera, a small town outside of Piacenza. A seventh son, named Alfieri, was also born but died shortly after birth. The remaining six were all gifted, intelligent and industrious.

Mario Maserati was born in 1890, but unlike his brothers, was never interested in automobiles, and eventually became a painter. Carlo, born in 1881, was fascinated by the new internal combustion engine, and set the stage for his younger brothers. As a young man, Carlo worked for both Fiat and Isotta Fraschini. Carlo died when only thirty, but his interest in things mechanical had passed on to Alfieri, (who was given the same name as the baby who had died earlier). Bindo was born in 1883, Ettore came along in 1894 and Ernesto in 1898.

Maserati supported their racing by producing spark plugs and contact points.

Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore established the Societa Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati in 1914, and although the initial intent was to prepare Isotta Fraschinis for racing, the timing dictated that they make spark plugs for the war effort. After the hostilities, the brothers returned to the modification of Isottas, which eventually led to the manufacture of a car of their own design and construction. By 1926, the first Maserati, the Tipo 26, was ready for the track. Alfieri, the mainstay and inspiration, died in 1932, and Bindo stepped in to assist his brothers in running the business.

Pre War Racing Cars
The Tipo 26 was followed by a series of cars with a variety of cylinders and displacements. The 8C 1100, 1500, 2500, and 3000 were similar cars with different displacements. The 4CM (4 cylinders, Monoposto), was built in small numbers with 1100, 1500, and 2500 cc. The Tipo V4 was a four liter 16 cylinder and the Tipo V-5 was a supercharged V-16, of 5 liters. A six cylinder engine, (6CM) was used in 1934. Four V-8 cars were built for the 1935 season.
[Read more…] about Selected Maserati 8CMs

Hugues Vanhoolandt at the Louwman Museum

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Hugues Vanhoolandt takes us on tour of the Louwman Museum, also known as the Dutch National Motor Museum.

The Dutch National Motor Museum is also called the Louwman Museum, due to the name of its founder, P.W. Louwman, who began to show his collection of cars in a museum in 1934. Mr. Louwman was Dodge and Chrysler importer in the Netherlands and his son, Evert, is now the Toyota and Lexus importer.

The Louwman collection is the oldest private collection of motor cars in the world.
At the time of our visit, the museum housed a special exhibition of pre-war Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows, on loan from the Stuttgart Museum, but Italian and French cars are always well represented in the collection.

Louwman’s will send the famous Roland Garros Black Bess Bugatti to the Paris Retromobile show in February. Read about Garros and the Black Bess Bugatti in VeloceToday this month.

This 1933 Maserati 8CM saw three of the greatest drivers of the time behind the wheel; Raymond Sommer, Tazio Nuvolari and Piero Taruffi.

1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans Touring was driven at Le Mans by Louis Chiron and Franco Cortese.

1941 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Spider Corsa ‘Balena’ was an experimental car in which the engine and the body were developed by Gioacchino Colombo, who later designed the 125 Ferrari V12.

[Read more…] about Hugues Vanhoolandt at the Louwman Museum

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