7 replies to this topic

[PRUNET]

Erwin Sommerhalder of Spiez, Switzerland got a Maserati 2.5 singleseater in 1957 and raced it until 1959

Car was known as a 250F but no book ever mentions it.

Any idea?

[HP]

Here a hand signed card from him,

 

http://www.autotechn...og/12L/M608.jpg

 

found here. It says handwritten,best time of the day, Kandersteg (the text on the website says Skandensteg, but I never heard of that location, but Kandersteg is a village in Switzerland not too far from Spiez) 1958, and his signature.

 

http://www.autotechn...=1211&start=141

 

And there is a 72 year old taxi driver with the same name that lives in that little town of Spiez (next to the village my mother grew up). Dunno if that's him though.

 

You might get more info if you trace the owner of the website I gave you above, since they have other interesting racing related images.

Edited by HP, 09 June 2016 - 13:59.

[The Mountaineer]

And that taxi driver from Spiez actually was Erwin Sommerhalder. But sadly, he is not with us anymore.

[Tim Murray]

Here's what Barrie Hobkirk said about the car in 2003:
 

Dear Macca,
In late 1956 the Interim 250F numbered 2510 (a 1953 A6GCM fitted with a 1954 250F motor) was taken in by the Factory and refurbished. It was fitted with one of the engines used in the 'cast-asside' "Streamliner" 2518. When sold to Swiss Hervin Sommerhalder in November 1956, it carried the paperwork identifying it as 2518. No connection what-so-ever to 2512.
An all to typical Maserat story.
Cheers,
Barrie

Edited by Tim Murray, 11 June 2016 - 18:29.

[robjohn]

If that was Volonterio's 1955-56 car, then it was previously de Graffenreid's A6GCM, apparently chassis 2038. De G raced it in 1953, with a 4th and two 5th places in championship GPs.
For the 1954 Argentine GP, it's sometimes identified as an A6GCM/250F, but in Maserati 250F, p36-37, Dave McK said it was given the 250F engine and the new number 2510 after Argentina.
As a youngster, I saw it at Dundrod in the 1953 Ulster Trophy meeting, though it lasted only one lap and I wouldn't remember it except that I have a (very poor) photo I took behind the pits.
With the 2.5-litre engine, it apparently raced in just one more championship GP in 1954. De G and Volontario shared it in the Spanish GP, though the Baron also drove it as a camera car in Belgium. As owner, Volontario ran it in one 1956 championship GP, the German.  
Rob B

Edited by robjohn, 13 June 2016 - 00:20.

[Barrie Hobkirk]

Hello robjohn,

 

The 2038 A6GCM that de Graffenried raced in 1953 did not transcend into the "interim" 250F that he raced in 1954.

 

Such were the apparent "ownership" arrangements with Maserati. Just because someone ran the same car all season did not necessarily mean he "owned" it. Typical Maserati stuff here.

 

Come 1954 and de Graffenried did race 2038 (interimized to 2503) in the South American races, but following that the car was taken over to Harry Schell. Who, by the way raced the car solely for most of 1954.

 

The Interim car 2502, with which Musso was suppose to start the 1954 Argentine GP but was taken over by Marimon, became the car that de Graffenried eventually came to "possess". He did not appear with this car until the 1954 Belgium GP where the car was labelled as "interim" 2510.

At this point, there was some involvement by the Fox Film Company for the movie "The Racers". The "arrangement" between Fox, de Graffenried and Maserati have never been made public.

 

And then on to becoming "interim" 2518 in late 1956 and Sommerhalder, as per my previous story above.

You will note that I used the term "taken in". That was as written by Denis Jenkinson and best describes the situation. No where is it written that de Graffenried sold the car back to Maserati or Sommerhalder, so did he ever "own" an interim?

 

Hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

Barrie

[D-Type]

Are you saying that some Maseratis were leased rather than sold to private "owners"?  

 

On the other hand, on occasions cars that are generally accepted as privately owned ere entered by the factory for their regular drivers.  I'm thinking particular of Monza where the organisers appear to have only accepted "works" entries.  Stirling Moss in the Cooper-Alta Special that neversaw the inside of the Feltham factory being entered by The Cooper Car Company is another example.

[robjohn]

Thanks, Barrie. Even murkier than I thought.
So it was the car raced by de Graffenreid in mid-1954 (but not 1953), and then by Volonterio in 1955-56?
And the 2038 I saw in 1953 became Schell's 2503 in 1954.
Rob B