1950 OSCA MT4-2AD 1100

TGR Staff - 10/26/2021 | Photos via RM Sotheby's

After the Maserati brothers sold off the family car company to Adolfo Oris in 1947, the three brothers Bindo, Ernesto, and Ettore wanted to get back into the racing world and founded "Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili—Fratelli Maserati S.p.A." better know as OSCA.

The new enterprise was founded near Bologna, Italy,m not far from the original Maserati factory, the first OSCA would be built to compete in the 1,100-cc class and was called the MT4, short for Maserati Tipo 4. Powered by a Fiat-derived four-cylinder the MT4 engine would eventually be outfitted with a new twin-cam cylinder head that produced 99 hp at 6,300 rpm, cars with the twin-cam were designated MT4-2AD.

Like most OSCA models, chassis 1112, just the second MT4-2AD built was sold as a rolling chassis to be bodied by the buyer's coachbuilder. Chassis number 1112 started its racing career in Italy, in one of its first recorded competitive events, the car finished in second place overall at the Grand Prix de Modena in 1950, piloted by Francesco Nissotti. In 1951, Nissotti would return with chassis 1112 to Modena and win outright. More podium finishes came with Nissotti behind the wheel, finishing third in class at the Circuit de Gardia and second overall at the Grand Prix in Monza.

From 1952 to 1955, the MT4-2AD went global competing and winning at the hands of Rees T. Makins and Frank Bott, in the United States. Bott took first in class at the 1952 Mecox Trophy in Bridgehampton, NY, then alongside Makins took first in class at the SCCA National at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL. An appearance at the 1953 12 Hours of Sebring resulted in the pair taking the OSCA to sixth in its class, followed by entries to a succession of SCCA races across the USA that propelled Makins and Bolt to many more podium finishes across Grand Prix events at locations including Jonesville, Lockbourne, and Tampa.

The car is documented to have been raced by another competitor from the USA in the late-1950s before moving back to Europe, driven to first in its class at the 1961 Trofeo Nicangeli by Francesco Maria Battibocca before a handful more race appearances, then being retired from competitive events.

Between 2002 to 2014, the OSCA was entered by its incumbent owner into collector car driving events across Europe. These include Goodwood Revival, Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, and Mille Miglia. The car is eligible for future entries into Mille Miglia and other esteemed collector car events around the world such as Modena Cento Ore, Tour Auto, and Le Mans Classic.

The period looks of this highly coveted OSCA combined with its highly respectable race provenance and its rarity, for what is believed to be one of only 72 MT4-based models, to represent one of the most appealing hand-made Italian racing cars of the 1950s for any prospective collector.