Officine
Alfieri Maserati SA ceased to be in the ownership of the family of that name in
1937. From that date the Marque belonged
to Adolfo Orsi. After WWII the Maserati
brothers set up a new business, Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili,
‘OSCA.’
During
the late 1940s and 1950s, OSCA was focused on the production of cars for
competition use. From its initial model,
the MT4 (1948), through to the SF 372 and 750 S types, (1959-60), OSCAs were
barchettas. In the latter era OSCA
engines were utilised in De Tomaso Formula 1 cars.
With
the new decade, OSCA turned its attention to the fashionable, burgeoning GT
market, making cars of this type from 1960 to 1967 when, by then owned by Domenico
Augusta, the Marque became defunct. The
1600 (1568 cc) GTs became available in 1961, after some initial 1500s (in both
coupe and spider form) had been introduced in 1959.
OSCA
1600 GTs were available in 5 performance versions – GT (95 bhp), GT2 (105 bhp),
GTS (138 bhp), GTV (125 bhp), and SP (140 bhp), with bodywork by 4 carrozzieri
– Zagato, Fissore, Boneschi and Touring.
With the customary caution advisable regarding the veracity of data from
the era, it is believed that 128 1600s were built, of which, 98 were by Zagato,
24 by Fissore, 4 by Boneschi and 2 by Touring. Michelotti also created 3 proposals on the 1500/1600, and it has been suggested that one of these was an anticipation of the form developed for the Lancia Fulvia Coupe.
1600
GT
#0078. Bodywork is by Zagato featuring the Carrozziere’s
signature dual hump roof with light alloy panels over tubular frame
construction. Characteristically Zagato,
the car was light, at 835 kgs, facilitating a 9.2 secs 0-60 mph time on the
basic engine’s 95 bhp:
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| Courtesy of Ruote da Sogno |
The
chassis plate for this car shows the standard layout and extent of information:
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| Courtesy of Ruote da Sogno |
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OSCA
was able to incorporate its own branded engine as a result of an arrangement
with Fiat. The Maserati brothers had in
1957 been contracted to develop a higher performance power unit for Fiat’s Spider. The resulting bialbero motor was built by
Fiat in Turin, with a proportion subsequently, in very basic form, being
shipped to OSCA. At its San Lazzaro di
Savena base OSCA ‘finished’ these units for use in GTs. The OSCA ‘enhancements’ – examples being
forged reciprocating components, alloy heads/sump and uprated lubrication
circuit - resulted in an engine of better all round quality and capable of
considerably greater power outputs.
The standard rear badge was
mounted on the boot lid, above the number plate panel, and a Zagato ‘Z’ was
applied to the front wings, just forward of the indicator repeater lenses:
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| Courtesy of The Classic Motor Hub |
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Courtesy of The Classic Motor Hub
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On
the Touring version, in addition to the Carrozziere’s Superleggera script,
model badges are mounted on both the upper face and the rear surface of the
back panel, (to the right of the number plate):
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| Courtesy of Ultimatecarpage.com |
#0019
is a Touring model:
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| Courtesy of Ultimatecarpage.com |
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The
Boneschi version is represented by #0072:
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| Courtesy of Carrozzieri-Italiani.com |
Distinctly
angular, this is referred to with the supplementary model designation,
‘Swift.’ It was the work of Rodolfo
Bonetto, a designer of considerable repute and responsible for several
celebrated models of the Maserati and Lancia marques. I believe that #0011 and #0018 also were
Swifts.
1600 GT2
#0097 is the chassis number
assigned to this 1963 GT2 Zagato. It is
powered by the 105 bhp engine version:
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| Courtesy of Supercars.net |
The
car was subject to a thorough body/interior/mechanical restoration just before
the millennium – the results being good enough to secure multiple concours
honours. It made £162,400 when sold by
RM Sotheby’s in 2012.
Detail
aspects of this car in 40 excellent photographs can be seen at https://www.classic-trader.com/uk/cars/listing/o-s-c-a/1600/1600-gt2/1963/286665
There was a variant rear
badge for this model:
A
Fissore example of the GT2 is chassis #0103:
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| Courtesy of Bonham's |
1600
GTS
The GTS designation
indicates an engine initially rated at 138 bhp.
This version featured twin 42DCOE Webers with maximum power generated at
8000 rpm. This example in chassis #0094,
delivered in 1963:
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| Courtesy of Christie's |
Notable
on this car are the faired headlamps, indicative of a competizione variant. Indeed the Christie’s lot notes accompanying
the car’s sale in 1999 include reference to race/hillclimb use by its first
owner, Alberto Luti.
#0036
clearly demonstrates that the GTS was an overtly competizione variant – it was
prepared for the 1962 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. It is featured in a superbly illustrated
article: http://classicmotorhub.com/showroom/osca-1600-gts-zagato-le-mans-car/ Driven by Americans, John Bentley and John
Gordon, the car was retired after only 13 laps with an engine failure. (A sister car, #0007, shared by George Arents
and Jose Behra was also a DNF, though it ran 227 laps before succumbing to
gearbox failure.)
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| Courtesy of Petrolicious.com |
The car benefits from the twin spark head version of the engine:
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| Courtesy of VeloceToday.com |
Also
cited – I believe in error – as a GT2, this car is notable for having a simple
roof line without the characteristic ‘double bubble’ form.
1600
GTV
This Zagato-bodied 1961
example is chassis #006. Weighing 862 kgs, and with 125 bhp on tap, it boasted
an 0-60 mph time of 8.4 secs:
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| Courtesy of Conceptcarz.com |
On
this example of the 1568 cc engine, both cam covers feature the OSCA name
prominently; (whilst those on some engines are plain.):
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| Courtesy of Conceptcarz.com |
Also
seen on some engines is a small plate mounted on the right-hand bank cam cover,
this example being found on #0140:
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| Courtesy of Ultimatecarpage.com |
1600
SP
Unfortunately, OSCA built only
a single example of this model - #0140.
Its introduction in 1963 coincided with the company’s change of
ownership, (to Augusta), and an early decision within the new regime was to can
the Automobili Osca ‘works’ racing programme for which the SP was created. It utilised the GTS engine – with a little
uprating, to 140 bhp – but featured a revised and upgraded chassis and
suspension/braking configuration. As
specified, it clearly had considerable potential to improve on the GTSs’
performance at the previous year’s Le Mans, but the intended entry for the
event was withdrawn. The body was
developed within the OSCA Officine itself, though there was obvious Zagato
influence, notably in the ‘look’ of the Kamm tail as also seen on Alfa Romeo Giulia
TZ. #0140 has survived, having been for
many years within the Maserati family’s ownership.
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Courtesy of Ultimatecarpage.com
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