Maserati 350S

The Maserati 350S was a sports racing car developed by Maserati under Giulio Alfieri and produced between 1956 and 1957. Three examples were built, with aluminium barchetta bodywork by Medardo Fantuzzi. The model followed the A6GCS and 300S programmes and was developed while Maserati was preparing both the 450S racing car and the 3500 GT road car. The 350S used a tubular chassis with a wheelbase of 2,325 mm. Overall dimensions were 4,200 mm in length, 1,500 mm in width and 980 mm in height, with a quoted weight of approximately 780 kg. Front suspension used coil springs and double hydraulic dampers, while the rear employed a De Dion axle with a transverse leaf spring and double hydraulic dampers. A five-speed gearbox was fitted. The three cars differed mechanically. Chassis 3501 was developed in 1955 with a 3,485 cc DOHC inline-six, an engine related to the unit being developed for the future Maserati 3500 GT. Equipped with Weber 42 DCO3 carburettors, it produced approximately 220 bhp at 5,500 rpm. Stirling Moss drove 3501 in the 1956 Mille Miglia, where the car crashed and was subsequently dismantled. Chassis 3502 was initially similar to 3501 but used a more highly developed engine producing approximately 325 bhp at 6,200 rpm. It was acquired by Italian racing driver Luigi Piotti and subsequently sold to Tony Parravano in 1957. Chassis 3503, completed in early 1957, represented a further stage of development. It initially used an inline-six before being fitted with a 3.5-litre V12, quoted at 335 bhp at 9,000 rpm. An engine failure prevented Hans Herrmann from starting the 1957 Mille Miglia. The car was subsequently associated with Luigi Piotti and Roberto Bonomi and was used in the 1000 km of Buenos Aires. The 350S therefore cannot be described with a single engine specification: chassis 3501, 3502 and 3503 represent different stages of Maserati’s development programme, with the final car eventually receiving the experimental V12.