Designed and engineered by the father of the Maserati 250F, one of the most successful race cars ever made, Maserati’s Tipo 61 was far from your bog standard race car. Built around a labyrinth of 200 steel bars making up the cars tubular chassis, the Grand Prix racer developed the nickname ‘Birdcage’ due to its unique chassis construction. Often identified by its chassis maze peeking out of the dashboard, this design signature wasn’t included to show off the cars innovative structure, but to rake the windscreen back to comply with mandatory windscreen heights, improving aerodynamics.
A wonderful blend of beautiful design and purposeful engineering, the Birdcage’s unique chassis increased the cars stiffness whilst decreasing weight, which when matched to 2.9-litre inline-4 pumping out around 250hp made the Tipo 61 a true force to be reckoned with. Immortalised by Sir Stirling Moss’ first place win at the 1960 1000Km’s of Nürburgring and again in 1961, the Birdcage also competed across the border in France, hitting Circuit De Le Sarthe at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, mechanical issues forcing the Birdcage’s retirement.
Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’: https://www.carpixel.net/w/7346027f13b69c66f9385fd4d6fe656b/maserati-tipo-61-birdcage-2470-wallpaper-hd-59856.jpg
