The History of Maserati 250S #2431

A special thank you to Maserati enthusiast Dr. Wolfi Zweifler for providing me with this history.

All racers thrive for more power. So when the commercially and sportively successful 4-cylinder Maseratis of the 200S variety started to get a bit "long in the tooth", Maserati increased the displacement of the 1994cc engine to 2489cc with a bore of 86mm and a stroke of 96mm.

The first car converted to 2.5 litres was chassis #2409, a car that originally had started its life as a 150S and was then rebuilt to 200S specification. It first turned a wheel in anger in the 1,000km of Buenos Aires in 1957 where Fangio lapped only a little slower than the 450S. According to Maserati expert Walter Bäumer the only other 200S converted to 2.5 litres by the factory was chassis #2411.



 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 


 
 

THE BEAUTY ISN'T JUST SKIN DEEP !!





 
 


 
 

Only two cars started their life as real 250Ss: #2431 and #2432.

Both were ordered by and delivered to Carroll Shelby Sportscar Inc. from Dallas, Texas.

Date ? - Car ordered by Carroll Shelby Sportscar Inc., Dallas, Texas.

31/12/57 Car completed by Maserati as the first official 250S and shipped to Galveston, Texas, together with its sister car, #2432, both being the only cars built as original 250Ss.


Fax from Sig Ermanno Cozza dated 12th February 2007


Reference: "MASERATI - A complete history from 1926 to the present" by Luigi Orsini and Franco Zagari

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
18-19/01/1958 Eagle Mountain
Fort Worth, Texas		 Not known Carroll Shelby DNF Walter Baumer
8-9/03/1958 Mansfield
Louisiana		 #69 Jim Hall 1st Overall race 4
3rd Overall, 1st in Class race 7
( used #2431 and #2432 during the
event, so one race was with #2432 )		 SCCA magazine
John de Boer
Walter Baumer
Willem Oosthoek


 


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
20/04/1958 Galveston
Texas		 #68 Jim Hall 1st Overall
( driven in practice
by Carroll Shelby )		 Walter Baumer
Joel Finn
(The Postwar Sportsracing Cars page 63)
SCCA
John de Boer


 


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
07-08/06/1958 Eagle Mountain
Fort Worth, Texas		 #67 Jim Hall 4th Overall ( preliminary race )
3rd Overall ( feature race )		 Walter Baumer
Joel Finn
(The Postwar Sportsracing Cars page 63)
SCCA magazine
John de Boer
Willem Oosthoek


 


In the summer of 1958, #2431 was sold to Bobby Aylward of Wichita, Kansas, USA
( Reference: e-mail from Jim Hall to WZ dated 10th January 2007 ).



 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
03/08/1958 Midland
Texas		 Not known Bobby Aylward 3rd Overall Willem Oosthoek
30-31/08/1958 Mansfield
Louisiana		 #121 Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall Willem Oosthoek


 


 


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
20-21/09/1958 Galveston, Texas
"Golden Day Races"		 Not known Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall ( race 6)
Crashed into Eb Rose
at the chequered flag
DNF ( race 3 )		 Walter Baumer
John de Boer
Willem Oosthoek


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
01-02/10/1958 Oklahoma
"Petit Grand Prix"		 #21 Bobby Aylward 7th in Class
Crashed into Eb Rose
at the chequered flag
DNF ( race 3 )		 SCCA magazine
Walter Baumer
John de Boer


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
11-12/10/1958 Eagle Mountain
"Fall Roundup Race"		 #121 Bobby Aylward Not Known Willem Oosthoek


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
18-19/04/1959 Stuttgart Inaugural Race
Arkansas		 #121 Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall ( 4th race )
1st Overall (6th race )		 SCCA magazine
John de Boer
Walter Baumer
Willem Oosthoek


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
23-24/05/1959 Vichy – St-Louis
Region SCCA
(Rolla National Airport)		 #91 Bobby Aylward Not known John de Boer
Jack Reuter
etceterini.com


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
04-05/07/1959 Lake Garnett Inaugural
Kansas		 #121 Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall Willem Oosthoek
SCCA magazine


 


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
11-12/07/1959 Buckley Field Races
Colorado		 #112 Bobby Aylward 5th Overall ( race 7 ) SCCA magazine
Walter Baumer
John de Boer


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
03-04/10/1959 Kansas City
Independent Races		 Not known Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall SCCA magazine
Walter Baumer
John de Boer
07-08/11/1959 Oklahoma
"Petit Grand Prix"		 Not known Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall Willem Oosthoek


 

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
03-04/07/1960 Lake Garnett GP
Kansas		 #121 Bobby Aylward 2nd Overall SCCA magazine
Willem Oosthoek


 
 


In July of 1958, #2431 was advertised for sale in Road & Track magazine.



#2431 being advertised for sale in Road & Track magazine

DATE RACE RACE # DRIVER RESULT REFERENCE
07-08/07/1962 Lake Garnett GP
Kansas		 #121 Bobby Aylward
"Maserati-Corvette"		 DNF Walter Baumer
John de Boer


 


 


In 1966 Bobby Aylward became the Midwest Division National Champion with Maserati-Ford (sic!) in C Sports Racing.

The car was then sold to Arizona ( Reference: statement by Chuck Bellman, and by Aylward´s mechanic to Walter Baumer ).

In 1977 the car underwent restoration in Peter Magnusson´s shop, Lime Rock.



 


 


In January and September of 1978 the #2431 was advertised for sale in Classic and Sports Cars Magazine by Rudy Pas.



Rudy Pas advert with a mouth-watering selection of Maseratis and OSCAs


Rudy Pas advert in the January 1978 issue
of Classic and Sportscar magazine
Rudy Pas advert in the September 1978 issue
of Classic and Sportscar magazine


In 1978 the car sold to the Peter Kaus collection and displayed in the Rosso Bianco Museum at Aschaffenburg in Germany.



#2431 on display at the Rosso Bianco Museum


 


03/2006: Sold to Ewert Lowmann, NL.

02/2007: Sold to Dr. Wolf Zweifler, GE. Total restoration started by GPS Classic, ITA.

08/2007: Sold to Anton Bilton, UK. Complete body-off restoration by GPS Classic, ITA.

04/2008: Invited to and shown at the Villa d´Este Concours.

05/2008: Mille Miglia 2009 ( Bilton/Bilton ).

07/2008: Le Mans Classic ( Bilton/Gelmini ).

05/2009: Mille Miglia 2009 ( Bilton/Bilton ).

07/2009: Sold to Dr Darius Ahrabian, ITAL.

10/2010: Ferrari Historic Challenge Finals, Valencia, Spain. Drum Brake Race Pole Position: Ahrabian, 2nd Overall.

05/2010: Mille Miglia 2010 ( Ahrabian/Ahrabian ).

07/2010: Le Mans Classic ( Ahrabian ).

10/2010: Reunited with its original engine.

Engine #2431 was found to be in #1674, a Maserati 150S. This engine shows two numbers: # 2409, a number belonging to a 200S which was converted to 2,489 cc specification and used as a test bed for the 2.5-litre engine and #2431.

Car #2409 subsequently received a 2-litre engine and was sold in 1957, while engine #2409 was overstamped with #2431 and put into the car bearing the same chassis number, this being the standard procedure of Maserati in those days: refreshing used parts (or even cars) and selling them as new to the colonies.


 


The originality and the described succession of the stamping was confirmed by noted Maserati expert Dr. Adolfo Orsi, son of the former owner of Maserati: According to Dr Orsi, "2.5-litre engine #2409 with internal number "2" (punched on the crankcase and punched on the cylinder head)"..."was removed from car #2409 at the end of March/early April 1957 (after the 12 Hours Sebring and before the Giro di Sicilia) and fitted in December 1957 after overhaul, into car #2431, shipped to Shelby, head repunched #2431“.



 


 


The built sheet of #2409 says in an addendum 2*:

Motori N°1 e N°2 sarebbero quelli rimessi a nuovo ed inviati a Shelby nel 58.

Translated: Engines No 1 and No 2 would be those refurbished as new and shipped to Shelby in 1958.


 


REFERENCES:

SCCA Magazine

Road & Track Magazine

Classic & Sportscar Magazine

Vintage Racecar Journal ( 11/2009 )

Ermanno Cozza - Consulenza Storica, Maserati

Dott. Adolfo Orsi - Automobile historian and Maserati expert

John de Boer - Automobile historian

Walter Bäumer- Author and automobile historian

Willem Oosthoek - Author, automobile historian and Maserati expert

Ferrari historians - A research group

Maserati. A complete history from 1926 to the present. by Luigi Orsini/Franco Zagari - 1980

Maserati Tipo 60 and 61. The Magnificent Front-engined Birdcage by Willem Oosthoek and Michel Bollée - 2009

Maserati: The Postwar Sportsracing Cars by Joel E. Finn - 1977

Rosso Bianco Collection: The Biggest Private Collection of Sports Cars in the World by Mike Riedner - 1991

Tam's Old Race Car Site

BARCBOYS.COM - Dave Nicholas

Lake Garnett Cruisers




To enter Enrico's Maserati Pages CLICK HERE!

 Copyright: Enrico's Maserati Pages - © 2011. All rights reserved.