30 replies to this topic

[JoBo]

https://www.daltonwa...serati-450s.htm

 

 

[Sterzo]

I must have led a sheltered life, because that's the first time I've heard the 450S referred to as a "Bazooka".

[WINO]

Dusseldorf in overdrive? Or smoking stuff again?

[JoBo]

I must have led a sheltered life, because that's the first time I've heard the 450S referred to as a "Bazooka".

After the 1,000 km race in Buenos Aires, Fangio stepped out of the car and was much impressed by its brutish power. He nicknamed it "The Bazooka".

[JoBo]

Dusseldorf in overdrive? Or smoking stuff again?

...????

[DCapps]

Walter,

Given that I almost, sorta, coulda bought one, especially not realizing at the time what it was I was looking at -- not to mention what on earth I was I ever going to do with an old racing car, especially one that in is pieces, I suspect that I will spring for the book, if nothing else to keep Willem's book company.

Don

[D-Type]

I must have led a sheltered life, because that's the first time I've heard the 450S referred to as a "Bazooka".

To quote the 1961 race-by-race history titled "World Sports Car Championship" by Cyril Posthumus: "~ The 450S, now giving 400bhp, proved so explosively fast during practice at Buenos Aires that the Argentinos dubbed it 'the Bazooka' ~"

[rudi]

On the subject by KlemColl.

https://klemcoll.wor...24/the-bazooka/

[WINO]

A review and feedback on today's edition of Velocetoday.com regarding the latest Maserati 450S book.

[FastReader]

A review and feedback on today's edition of Velocetoday.com regarding the latest Maserati 450S book.

Some time ago on the Book Thread I asked if anybody had got hold of a copy of this new book and how it compared to the Bollée/Oosthoek book which I already had. Nobody replied so in the end I bought a copy of the new book and agree with the conclusion of the review in Velocetoday that, given the different appoaches of the two books it's probably best to have a copy of both.

[D-Type]

Some time ago on the Book Thread I asked if anybody had got hold of a copy of this new book and how it compared to the Bollée/Oosthoek book which I already had. Nobody replied so in the end I bought a copy of the new book and agree with the conclusion of the review in Velocetoday that, given the different appoaches of the two books it's probably best to have a copy of both.

For the benefit of those of us who don't subscribe to Velocetoday,  can I ask you to please provide a synopsis of the review?

[WINO]

Just go to Velocetoday.com and you will see its contents for the week, free of charge.

[FastReader]

For the benefit of those of us who don't subscribe to Velocetoday,  can I ask you to please provide a synopsis of the review?

I don't subscribe. It's free to view.

[Andrew Fellowes]

My copy arrived yesterday, lovely, just lovely! 

 

Now I know post race history isn't that important but perhaps some of this is worth mentioning.

 

In a letter dated 28th July 1995 J.Frank Harrison referring to 4510 (not 4509) says "as to the conversion to disk brakes and the transmission this was at my suggestion to make it into a street machine which was a mistake and should never have been done." 

Sorry Walter I don't mean to be pedantic for the record Page 238/9 is captioned 4509 but it's almost certainly 4510. John Fellowes was from Ramsey not Slough and nor was he a member of Parliament. I don't think he ever raced 4509 but I will check! 

 

When the engine in 4510 was rebuilt I was given the task of doing some laps around Upwood Airfield, that didn't start too well as I stalled however Bob Sutherland when he tested 4509 at Silverstone didn't stall but did do bunny hops down the pit lane. 

 

(I've used Postimages many times but today its not cooperating or I'd post J.Frank Harrison's letter as its quite interesting)

[JoBo]

My copy arrived yesterday, lovely, just lovely! 

 

Now I know post race history isn't that important but perhaps some of this is worth mentioning.

 

In a letter dated 28th July 1995 J.Frank Harrison referring to 4510 (not 4509) says "as to the conversion to disk brakes and the transmission this was at my suggestion to make it into a street machine which was a mistake and should never have been done." 

Sorry Walter I don't mean to be pedantic for the record Page 238/9 is captioned 4509 but it's almost certainly 4510. John Fellowes was from Ramsey not Slough and nor was he a member of Parliament. I don't think he ever raced 4509 but I will check! 

 

When the engine in 4510 was rebuilt I was given the task of doing some laps around Upwood Airfield, that didn't start too well as I stalled however Bob Sutherland when he tested 4509 at Silverstone didn't stall but did do bunny hops down the pit lane. 

 

(I've used Postimages many times but today its not cooperating or I'd post J.Frank Harrison's letter as its quite interesting)

"Errare humanum est, sed in errare perseverare diabolicum" (Seneca)

 

I tried to contact you for some questions during writing of the book and send a message via email - but I never got a response...

Edited by JoBo, 27 June 2024 - 08:24.

[WINO]

In the past Dalton Watson asked me to do a peer review a few times, but unfortunately not in this case.

Edited by WINO, 27 June 2024 - 13:02.

[Andrew Fellowes]

[Andrew Fellowes]

Here are a couple more just for fun, John Fellowes in light blue, Trevor Stokes in dark blue

 

Broken brake pedal? Eh?

 

 

both these photos from the Le Mans Historic when Charlie Lucas drove 4510.

Edited by Andrew Fellowes, 28 June 2024 - 07:18.

[JoBo]

In the past Dalton Watson asked me to do a peer review a few times, but unfortunately not in this case.

 

Well, you made a much more important mistake, claiming that one of the cars would not have its original coachwork. The then-time owner went nuts, but I convinced him not to sue you...

 

Anyway, not a single book that comes out -not in the past, in present or in future- about racing cars of the past is without mistakes!

[WINO]

Andrew, many thanks for posting those two Le Mans images in post 18. They look very familiar since I took them myself at the time. Yes, that is SM in the first image as well. And is that David Piper on the left in the second image?

 

Coco/JoBo/Baumer, as I remember I said that later in life one of the cars had a replacement body, while actually only half of it had been replaced. Minor error in its post competition life, but I agree that the owner would object.

 

As for " the much more important mistake ", I would refer to the fact that in the new book you still maintain the crashed 1957 Mille Miglia car of Behra was chassis 4503. Since the factory released the built sheets of the Tipo 54 in 2016, it has been well documented that it was chassis 4501, the Buenos Aires car. At that point the Zagato Coupe, a brand-new chassis, still had 4506 assigned, but the number 4501 was recycled and assigned to the Coupe. They were always two different chassis.

 

So, how could you have been out of the loop all those years?

Edited by WINO, 28 June 2024 - 18:25.

[Andrew Fellowes]

Andrew, many thanks for posting those two Le Mans images in post 18. They look very familiar since I took them myself at the time. Yes, that is SM in the first image as well. And is that David Piper on the left in the second image?

 

 

Oops! I do apologise for not crediting you, I had totally forgotten that! 

 

Yes I agree that's Piper, John was also a serious racer in the 60's so knew everyone, maybe not quite in Piper's league though!

Edited by Andrew Fellowes, 28 June 2024 - 21:08.

[WINO]

That's all right, Andrew. I often forget myself where I got certain images after a number of years. But that year at Le Mans, staying with photographer Henri Beroul's family during the 24 Hours, it finally dawned on me that I was more attracted to the cars of yesterday than the ones that were competed in that year's 24 Hours. I have asked Tim Murray to post some of my other chassis 4510 images, while still owned by Frank Harrison. Harrison was an interesting guy whom I interviewed in Chattanooga at the time. He ran the Coca-Cola bottling business for the South.

Edited by WINO, 29 June 2024 - 13:36.

[Tim Murray]

(posted on behalf of Willem Oosthoek. The following words are his.)

Andrew,

I thought you would like the attached two images of chassis 4510 in its early career, before your family owned it.

They were taken at McGugin Field near Coffeyville, Kansas, in May 1959. Frank Harrison had invited Jim Hall to race it and in Hall's first appearance in the car, he scored a feature victory. [Photos by Bob Jackson, Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem; his words follow)

The Harrison chassis 4510 was probably the only Tipo 54 ever equipped with a hydraulic lift mechanism. It was installed in-house in Chattanooga.

The second photo was taken at Coffeyville in 1959 again and shows Jim Hall with two of Frank Harrison's mechanics: Englishman Bert Kemp and Bill Warren [with cap]. The big semi is Harrison's, the cars are chassis 4510 and the Hall's Lister/Chevy [chassis BHL 108], raced by Bob Schroeder in the feature.

Photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[WINO]

Thanks for posting those pictures on my behalf, Tim.

 

As for the airjacks on the Harrison 450S, Frank told me once he got the idea, as well as the plans, from a friend who entered cars in the Indianapolis 500. The friend's name was Chapman Root, a fellow Coca-Cola bottler. In 1959 Harrison passed the plans on to Reg Parnell of Aston Martin, and the team used them in the 1959 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood.

[Andrew Fellowes]

Tim, ditto!

Thank you Willem, yes the jacks were still there and caused some amusement!

Aston Martin connection, fascinating!

 

 The instruments were a disappointment and I had assumed a later replacement.

Edited by Andrew Fellowes, 30 June 2024 - 06:47.

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem; his words follow)

Another shot of the Frank Harrison chassis 4510, taken at Courtland, Alabama, in August 1958. That weekend the car was raced by Walt Cline, although that is not Cline at the wheel. Posing in the cockpit is Prentice Knapp, a good friend of Harrison and the Chief Steward at Courtland.

Cline won the preliminary race but had to withdraw from entering the feature, after 4510 burst an oil line. Victory went to Savannah car dealer Edmund Rahal and his Jaguar D-type [chassis XKD-553], seen arriving in the background. And look at those cotton fields in full bloom.

Photo by Bob Bellows [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[WINO]

Walt Cline raced the Harrison chassis 4510 one more time, at Dothan, Alabama, in October 1958. He would have liked to continue, but trouble was brewing in his marriage. In an interview with his second wife, Joann Yates in Chattanooga, Joann mentioned that his first wife hated the fact that Walt went racing. So, all weekend trips with the 450S had to be done in the highest secrecy. One time his first wife found out about the nature of one of those weekend outings, and she showed up at the Harrison shop where Bert Kemp and Bill Warren were preparing the car. In a fit of anger, she attacked the car with a hammer, damaging its Webers. Walt never raced again, but the marriage could not be saved.

Edited by WINO, 01 July 2024 - 18:58.

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem; his words follow)

Having lost Walt Cline as his driver, Frank Harrison invited Jim Hall to race the car at Coffeyville in 1959. Then Jim Rathmann crashed Hall's regular car, his Lister/Chevy, at Meadowdale in September 1959, while Hall was in Europe. Jim ended up without a car to race for the rest of the season and he became more steadily involved competing with the Harrison chassis 4510.

His second race in the 450S came at Courtland in October 1959. He arrived late, so Chief Steward Prentice Knapp used 4510 for some warm-up laps. Before Knapp took it out, mechanic Bill Warren can be seen polishing the restored downdraft carburetors.

Photos by Bob Bellows [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem; his words follow)

Following Courtland, Dothan, also in Alabama, in October 1959 became the third appearance of Jim Hall in Frank Harrison's 4510. Here is the start photo of Sunday's preliminary race, showing from the left: C.K. Thompson's D-type [XKD 546], Roy Schechter's RSK [chassis 023], Jim Hall's 450S [4510], Tommy Friedman's D-type [XKD 545, the former George Constantine car] and E.D. Martin [a brand new Tipo 61 Birdcage, chassis 2453]. The white cars on the right are Logan Lewis' Maserati A6GCS and George Robertson's Corvette.

On Sunday Martin's Birdcage won both the preliminary and feature races, with Hall finished second overall each time. Both Harrison and Hall saw the writing on the wall and ordered new Birdcage Maseratis for themselves, although it would be well into 1960 before they were delivered. Hall raced 4510 one more time, at Nassau in December 1959, but managed only 5th [Governor's Trophy] and 12th place [Nassau Trophy], the latter due to tire changes. The airjacks did not save much time.

[Tim Murray]

(more from Willem; his words follow)

Chattanooga, 1997. The old boy with a painting of himself in his favorite car. After fielding three Tipo 54 Maseratis [4508, 4509 and 4510], J. Frank Harrison Jr. turned to Birdcage Maseratis, of which he owned two. Next came a Lotus 19 and a 23, and then Harrison teamed up with mechanic Jerry Eisert to pursue the Indy 500 and other USAC events, with a car of Eisert's own design.

When I interviewed Frank in 1997, he had started a new car collection as well as a collection of model cars that he owned previously. He was especially proud of his two Hummers, which then were only available to the U.S. military.

Frank died in his office on November 26, 2002, at the age of 72. The cause was heart failure. Today his Coca-Cola bottling business is being run out of Charlotte, NC, by his son J. Frank Harrison III.

Photo by Willem Oosthoek.