Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage #5 CMC M-047 aus Vorbesitz

“The Birdcage” Maserati Tipo 61

The Maserati Tipo 61, more commonly referred to as, “The Birdcage” was designed and manufactured in the early 1960’s. It was designed for races such as The 24 hours of LeMans and other endurance events. The car was unique at the time not only because of its visual design but because of how its frame was constructed. “They used an intricate tubular space frame chassis, containing about 200 chro–moly steel tubes welded together, hence the nickname “Birdcage” (as per Wikipedia full article here) This design gave the Maserati Tipo a lightweight yet rigid frame. This gave Maserati a huge advantage on the race track.

The most successful race for the Maserati Tipo 61 was the 1000m at Nurburgring in the Spring of 1960. The Nurburgring is lauded as one of the most difficult and exhilarating race tracks ever devised.  With each lap being 14+ grueling miles of twists and turns. This is exactly what the Maserati Tipo was designed for. On this fateful day design, performance and driving skills converged to give the #5 Maserati Tipo 61 driven by Moss and Gurney it’s most notable victory.

TECHNICAL DATA OF THE Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage

Maximum output: 250 hp at 6.800 rpm
Displacement:  2.890 ccm
Top speed:  285 km/h
Wheel base: 2.200 mm
Total length: 3.800 mm
Total weight: approx. 600 kg