This fantastically gorgeous car is a 1955 Maserati 300S which has been recently listed for auction by Bonham’s at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It used to belong to car collector and American automotive enthusiast Briggs Swift Cunningham.
The fabled World Champion driver Sir Stirling Moss used to describe the Maserati 300S as “…one of my favorite front-engined sports Maseratis – one of the easiest, nicest, best-balanced sports-racing cars ever made…”. To be remembered, the fellow had recently sold his 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB for $11 million, therefore he does have a point.
The car you’re able to admire throughout the gallery boasts the chassis no. 3053 and was reportedly the 3rd specimen to be ordered by Mr. Cunningham for one of his friends, Bill Spear. As the car was delivered, he drove it with Sherwood Johnston in the 1955 Sebring 12-hour race and in the American leg of the FIA Sports Car World Championship. They’ve haven’t had too much success on the circuits as they’ve finished 3rd, behind a Ferrari driven by Phil Hill and a Jaguar D-Type driven by Mike Hawthorn.
The vehicle has been owned by a number of famous folk as time went by, like Bill Spear, Joe Giubardo in 1956 who had kept it until 1964, Joel Eric Finn and Dr. Thomas Bscher in 1986, both the last ones being famous Maserati authorities. Later on, after 20 years in the possession of Mr. Bscher, the car was taken over by an unnamed vendor who has spent massive amounts of cash to keep it fit. It is finally up for grabs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, due to be taking place during July.
[Bonhams]
