1964 OSCA 1600 GT

The surviving Maserati brothers sold out to the Orsi Group in 1937 and after World War II came to a close, they founded Officine Specializzate per la Costruzione Automobili Fratelli Maserati or OSCA for short. Among the reasons for the Maserati brothers' departure, was their aversion to making road cars, since their passion resided with competition cars. Built in limited quantities, the OSCAs performed admirably in international sports car racing throughout the 1950s. Among the accolades were a 1st, 4th and 5th place finish by privateers in a 1.5-liter OSCA in a category with no limit on engine capacity, at the 1954 Sebring 12-Hours. OSCAs achieved class victories in the Mille Miglia on ten occasions and also won the Index of Performance at Le Mans.

The first OSCA was built in 1948 and was known as the MT4 (Maserati Tipo 4). It was powered by a 1,092cc overhead-camshaft engine, with later versions employing engines of 1,491cc displacement and fitted with a twin-cam cylinder head. OSCA ever built more than 30 cars in a singel year, all of which were intended for competition. They were later acquired by FIAT, for whom it was 'productionised' by ex-Ferrari designer, Aurelio Lampredi.

Fiat rescued OSCA, but OSCA reciprocated with its sport engine designed by Ernesto Maserati. OSCA's twin-cam engine was built by FIAT and powered the FIAT-OSCA 1500 GT, and allowed OSCA to significantly reduce the costs in designing its future 1600.

With FIAT's support, OSCA began producing its own GT cars - the OSCA 1600GT - built around a tubular-steel spaceframe chassis derived from the MT4 but with a more modern front end. The 1,568cc dual overhead camshaft inline four-cylinder engine received twin Weber 38 DCOE carburetors, an aluminum cylinder head, lightweight moving parts, and special cams resulting in more power at mid and high revs. One or two carbureted versions were offered along with three 'Stradale' versions of 96 bhp (GT), 105 bhp (GT2) and 125 bhp (Veloce), and a 140bhp GTS version reserved for racing. Later, 40DCOE carburetors were often fitted in place of the 38DCOE and 42DCOE, boosting output even further.
The engines were paired with a four-speed manual gearbox and hydraulic Girling disc brakes at all four corners provided the stopping power. The suspension was independent all round with double-wishbones, coil springs, and hydraulic dampers.

The factory in San Lazzaro produced and installed the engine, positioning them far back in the chassis to improve handling. Approximately 128 examples of the 1600GT were built with most receiving coachwork by Carrozzeria Zagato. The Zagato bodies were formed from aluminum and wore a design courtesy of Ercole Spada. Other coachbuilders included Touring, Michelotti, Boneschi, Morelli, and Carrozzeria Fissore of Savigliano, Italy. 98 examples were built by Zagato, 24 by Fissore, and the rest bodied one, two or three each.

Zagato offered the bodies Berlinetta in three different configurations including a flat roof, double bubble or double bubble with air extractors to the cabin.

The production of the OSCA 1600 GT was briefly partially due to its extremely high price. In 1962 Osca was bought by MV Agusta, disappearing completely in 1967.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2022