I wasn’t kidding when I called this “Thoroughbred Week,” was I? It’s just that they come in all shapes and sizes. Shape-wise, this one is pretty extreme – the Morelli bodywork on this saucer-like OSCA is almost extraterrestrial. In terms of size, we’re talking knee-high and just 750ccs. The very definition of short and sweet, but pretty potent along with it.
This is the first OSCA that I think I’ve ever seen and we’ve not had a CC post about this marque yet, so a little bit of historical background might not be amiss. In 1937, the Maserati brothers (Bindo (1883-1980), Ettore (1894-1990) and Ernesto (1898-1975) sold their company to Adolfo Orsi, but stayed on as the firm’s engineering team for a ten-year contract.
In December 1947, the brothers left their eponymous firm and founded the Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili in their hometown of Bologna (Orsi had moved the Maserati factory to Modena in 1940). The timing was fortuitous, as Italian motoring was about to enter a golden age, allowing the Maserati brothers to have a second chance at racing success.
OSCA’s first chassis was the MT4, launched in 1948 with a 1.1 litre DOHC 4-cyl. providing 72hp. This little four was subsequently enlarged to 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 litres through to the mid-‘50s. Most were bodied as lightweight open racers, like the Morelli above (bottom left), but some received more elaborate closed bodies from the likes of Vignale (top left) or Frua (bottom right). They were extremely successful in European and American racing events throughout the ‘50s thanks to their terrific power-to-weight ratio and reliability. OSCA also had a stab at Formula 1 (with far less tangible results) with a 4.5 litre V12, one of which was bodied as a coupé by Zagato (top right).
Covering all bases, the Maserati brothers also developed a 2-litre 6-cyl. engine in the mid-‘50s, then turned their attention to the lower displacement class. This called for a new chassis, both lower and slightly wider, to accommodate a new family of DOHC 4-cyl. engines. The Tipo S was born in 1956, initially at 750cc but soon also available in 950cc, 1100cc, 1500cc and 2000cc variants. The last Tipo S chassis were produced in 1960.
In 1957, OSCA teamed up with Fiat to develop a new twin-cam 1.5 litre engine, leading to the Fiat-OSCA 1500S that debuted in 1959. Fiat’s version of the engine was de-tuned to 80hp and clad by Pininfarina, though a few, such as this 1959 Bertone coupé (top left) wore sexy one-off coachwork. OSCA got a different version of the same engine for their own use, which led in 1960 to the 1600 GT. Those were designed mostly for road use in their tamer versions, with a live rear axle and 105hp, but there were twin-carb variants that produced 120 to 140hp and had a more sophisticated IRS. The OSCA 1600 GT was the darling of Italian carrozzerie, with specials made by the likes of Savio (top right), Boneschi (middle right) and Touring (bottom left). Zagato (middle left) provided lightweight bodies for performance-oriented models, while Fissore (bottom right) did what could be termed as the standard coupé.
Alas, the firm’s financial health, always on the tenuous side, was taking a turn for the worse by the early ‘60s. The brothers Maserati, now in their sixties themselves, were eager to reduce their workload and thus sold most of their OSCA shares to motorcycle and aircraft maker Agusta in 1963.
A final model, based on the Fiat 850, was attempted in 1964, but the looks of the car, especially the Touring Spider, failed to impress. Another prototype with a Zagato body and a 1.7 litre Ford V4 was shown in 1965, still without issue. The OSCA works closed down the following year.
Now that we have our bearings, let’s take a better look at our tiny 750cc spacecraft.
This car was part of the very first batch of Tipo S racers made in early 1956. Two chassis (#751 and #752) received an almost identical Morelli body and were entered at the Mille Miglia in April. Chassis 751 was driven by Louis Chiron and did not finish the race due to clutch trouble, whereas our feature car, piloted by veteran driver Ovidio Capelli, finished the race in 105th place – but won the 750cc class.
The little engine, with its 72hp, is more than capable of propelling this 450kg barchetta north of 180kph (110mph) – a testament to both OSCA’s engineering prowess and the coachbuilder’s mastery of both aluminium panel beating and aerodynamics.
Said coachbuilder is not the most famous of the bunch, by any means, but served OSCA very well throughout the ‘50s. The Morelli brothers were specialists in lightweight racer bodies. In fact, most of their output was OSCAs, though they did occasionally practice their art on other Italian chassis, such as Ermini, Fiat, Stanguellini and even one Ferrari.
No A/C in this convertible, for once! The tubular structure is barely covered by the body. Ah! those immodest Italians, always showing off their tubes…
All told, OSCA built 19 chassis of this variant of the Tipo S, which some call 750S and others (including the OSCA Owner’s Club) call S-187, this number indicating the centimetric displacement per cylinder, à la Ferrari.
One can only admire the commitment of the owner, who drives this minuscule and virtually unique exotic gem on the Crown-infested streets of the Japanese capital. Just a set of small indicators discreetly tucked into the grille and under the tail, a rearview mirror and a license plate, and you can Mille-Miglia your way through Tokyo traffic.
Until I saw this car a few weeks ago, I had never given much thought about OSCA. Having now taken a good look at one – both at rest and in-motion, heard its melodious growl and read up a bit on the marque’s short but outstanding history, you can count me as a tifoso.
Here’s to many more miglia in the Land of the Rising Sun, OSCA-san.
A brilliant Red Barchetta from a better vanished time…
You are right. I always thought it was a better banished time, due to the introduction of the motor law.
You may be right Lee… I’ll have to scare up the lyric sheet from my Moving Pictures album to check.
Either way, I’m sure at the one lane bridge, this little thing will leave the giants stranded at the riverside. 😉
Great car, great article!
Tatra87, you did it again! Great essay on the marque and some history of Fratelli Maserati! I will reread this many a time. it has to be a fun car to drive just for t looks from admirers as you cruise along.
+1. No need to say more. Bravo T87
This is just gorgeous – such a pure shape and masterful proportions!
Even looks good with a driver in it, which some of these tiny barchettas don’t.
What a fantastic find!
Sublime.
Nice.
Lovely, there always used to be a few OSCAs (and probably still are) at the Monterey Historics being raced in more-or-less anger… Always interesting and wonderfully obscure to look at in the paddock.
Your rear picture shows how small that thing is, with the Japanese license plate being barely larger than a US one…And the pic of it in front of the Honda Beat just needs a Toyota Sports 800 and a Honda N600 to create a different traffic paradigm.
Amazing. So perfectly formed, only the plate gives away its size.
Imagine driving about in an actual jewell. And 450kg! If I got onboard in my current state of tune, I’d immediately destroy the OSCA’s, because I’d increase weight to power by nearly a quarter. I’d probably bend the big Italian tubulare between my legs (not a boast, the diagonal one on the floor, I mean).
To my eyes, it is the shots with the driver aboard that show, dramatically, just how petite the machine really is, and it really is small.
And wonderful.
I love tiny little Sports Cars, if I could ft in, I’d love one of those Coupes in a lighter color, wow so much fun to be had on remote open canyon roads .
-Nate
What would post-war Maserati’s prospects been like had Orsi retained the services of the Maserati Brothers instead of allowing the latter to found OSCA?
The same goes with Orsi not splitting up Maserati in 1952 and managing to be paid in full for the lucrative machine-tool orders made by the Argentinian and Spanish governments to help speed industrialization?
Could inevitably still see Maserati being acquired by another company as in real-life, although would the above changes have allowed them to follow the likes of Alfa Romeo and Lancia in producing smaller cars and sportscars as seem with the real-life OSCAs and Maserati 150 GT prototype or even a 4/6-cylinder sub-Quattroporte four-door model?