While browsing through VSCC Bulletins in connection with the thread on the Monaco-Sunbeam I came across an article by Denis Jenkinson on the 250Fs numbered 2508 and 2513. I don't think it adds anything to what we already know about the cars but I found it a rather interesting story.
2508 was the car bought for Stirling Moss in 1954. He raced it and entered it for others through to 1956 then sold it. to quote David McKinney: "Rebodied for 1956 and returned later that year to factory where stored until renumbered 2513 late 1957 and sold to Ross Jensen in NZ. Raced by him 1958, Johnny Mansel 1959-60, bob Eade 1961-63. To Alan Bateman UK 1964 then Alan McKechnie as 2508..." etc. 2513 was sold to Vandervell Engineering as a rolling chassis and not built into a complete car until 1976.
Jenks story started with an advertisement in M.... S.... which said "Maserati for sale, ex-Moss, chassis number 2513". This obviously did not tally with his records and he checked the Maserati data sheet which confirmed that 2513 had been supplied as a rolling chassis to Vandervell but Somebody had written 1957 S Moss - Ross JensenMotors (Auckland). He asked Moss about it; he said that he would not have touched 2513 for superstitious reasons.
Some time later he was told that "Alan Mckechnie had just bought a 250F which was reputed to be the ex-Moss car, could I tell them any way of identifying it. I told him that on the front chassis cross member there would be stamped the number and it should be 2508. He later phoned me to say the number was 2513!".
A week later, by chance he metros Jensen and discussed the matter with him. "He had owned two Maseratis, the first was the ex-Moss car and the second was the ex-bira car; he did not remember the number 2508 but he did remember 2513 and 2504". Jenks then described the complicated deal by which Jensen acquired the Moss car, the wheels and brakes fitted by Moss having to be removed as they belonged to Dunlop.
He continued "the more I thought about it the more convinced I was that there had been some chassis number changing along the line, so I got in touch with McKechnie and Mansel and suggested that they look very closely at the number stamped on the chassis. It was on a little strip of metal welded on top of the tubular cross member, in normal Maserati fashion for a lot of their cars, though others had it actually stamped on the chassis tube itself. Bob Mansell phone back to say, 'We have done better than you suggested, we prised the plate off, it was only brazed on.' Underneath, looking all embarrassed, was the number 2508 clearly stamped on the chassis tube!"
There then followed some inflammatory remarks about one of the individuals involved (not mentioned in this post) which led to legal proceedings, an apology in the next edition and the payment of damages and legal costs. Even after over 50 years, I don't think I should repeat what was said without taking legal advice.
