One
of
approximately
72
MT4-based
examples
Among
the
most
coveted
hand-built
Italian
racing
cars
of
the
1950sPeriod
race
winner
with
highlights
including
1st
overall
at
1951
GP
de
Modena,
1953
Tampa
GP
and
1955
Road
America
(Elkhart
Lake)
Participant
in
collector
car
events
including
Goodwood
Revival,
Grand
Prix
de
Monaco
Historique,
Mille
Miglia
with
incumbent
owner
between
2002
to
2014
In
the
wake
of
the
Maserati
brothers
handing
over
full
control
of
the
family
marque
to
Adolfo
Orsi
in
1947,
the
motorsport-obsessed
sibling
trio
of
Bindo,
Ernesto
and
Ettore
were
seeking
an
output
for
their
many
years
of
performance
engineering
expertise
that
was
suddenly
redundant.
The
brothers
sought
to
start
another
company
that
could
provide
racing
cars
to
compete
on
the
big
stage,
as
Maserati
had
done
in
its
early
days,
and
so
Officine
Specializzate
Costruzione
Automobili-Fratelli
Maserati
S.p.A.
-
or
OSCA,
for
short
¬-
was
founded.
Starting
out
with
a
construction
facility
near
Bologna,
Italy,
close
to
where
Maserati
had
first
been
based,
the
brothers
had
their
sights
set
on
developing
a
car
to
compete
in
the
1,100-cc
class
of
racing
that
was
popular
at
the
time.
The
first
model
to
hail
from
the
OSCA
factory
was
the
MT4
-
abbreviated
from
Maserati
Tipo
4,
with
reference
to
its
four-cylinder
engine
-
using
a
Fiat-derived
block
and
built
as
a
1,092-cc
powertrain.
The
displacement
of
the
MT4
engine
would
increase
over
time,
but
not
before
OSCA
introduced
the
MT4-2AD,
still
with
the
same
cubic
capacity
but
employing
a
new
twin-cam
cylinder
head
that
increased
power
to
a
maximum
of
99
bhp
at
6,300
rpm,
also
purported
to
be
more
reliable
than
its
predecessor.
Like
many
OSCA
models
of
the
era,
this
MT4-2AD
1100
-
recorded
as
the
second
made,
wearing
the
chassis
number
1112
-
was
built
as
a
rolling
chassis
and
supplied
with
the
1,092-cc
engine,
leaving
a
carrozzeria
of
choice
to
build
the
body
by
hand.
This
highly
coveted
1950
example
moves
away
from
the
barchetta
shape
of
many
other
early
OSCA
models,
instead
moulded
in
the
siluro
style;
like
a
torpedo,
for
maximum
aerodynamic
efficiency
on
the
race
track,
while
employing
a
minimalistic
design
for
weight
saving
in
key
areas.Chassis
number
1112
burst
onto
the
racing
scene
in
Italy
upon
its
completed
construction.
Among
its
first
recorded
competitive
events,
the
OSCA
is
documented
to
have
finished
in
second
place
overall
at
the
Grand
Prix
de
Modena
in
1950,
piloted
by
Francesco
Nissotti.
The
following
year,
Nissotti
went
back
to
Modena
and
won
outright.
More
podium
finishes
came
with
Nissotti
behind
the
wheel,
finishing
third
in
class
at
the
Circuit
de
Gardia
(F2)
and
second
overall
at
the
Grand
Prix
(Voiturette)
in
Monza.
From
1952
to
1955,
the
MT4-2AD
moved
away
from
Italy
with
many
recorded
race
entries
and
triumphs
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
MacDill
(Modified)
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
combine
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.
To
view
this
car
and
others
currently
available,
please
visit
the
RM
website
at