1955 Maserati 300S

The Maserati 300S is a three-litre sports-racing programme from the mid-1950s. Its racing history and low original volume should be documented separately from a particular historic-event appearance.

History and verified programme identity

The programme dates to 1955 and forms part of Maserati’s international sports-car competition history. The manufacturer’s anniversary account reports twenty-seven cars, while the inventory uses twenty-eight. The profile retains both reference scopes rather than silently promoting one into an independently audited completion tally. The supplied creator title identifies a 1956 300S with a Fangio association. That association is retained as source attribution, without independently reconstructing the photographed chassis’s complete period entries. The car appears at a later concours, not in a photograph newly claimed to document a 1950s race.

Engineering and design

A front-mounted three-litre engine and low open sports-racing body place 300S in a different category from the contemporary Grand Prix single-seaters. Its broad wings enclose the wheels and create a compact two-seat competition silhouette. The photograph helps readers see that layout, while exact engine dimensions and current mechanical originality need technical records. Racing cars can change body details and preparation across events, so a later restored appearance should not define every original 300S. A dated specification history is more useful than copying a single output number across all chassis and seasons. The published specification describes the programme or the explicitly named configuration. An individual car can receive revised parts during use or restoration. Keep those changes dated when comparing it with other Maseratis, so current hardware does not silently rewrite the original engineering record. Weight and output figures also require their printed measurement convention and market context rather than being treated as measurements of the pictured vehicle.

The physical car in the supplied photograph

MrWalkr photographed this creator-titled ex-Fangio 1956 Maserati 300S at Hampton Court Concours in 2022. The red number-4 body illustrates the programme; the source association is not presented as a new independent provenance audit.

How to identify and compare the programme

For an individual 300S, connect its permanent serial number with period race entries and original engine information. Event numbers and driver associations can change over time. Preserve repairs, body changes and ownership chronologically so a current historic appearance can be understood on its own terms. The original-count disagreement does not justify manufacturing an extra chassis identity. Keep the maker and workbook figures available for future reconciliation. The real concours image supplies a precise illustrated moment, while the competition archive explains the programme’s role. Its number four is a visible event marking, not a production sequence or a claim that the car was the fourth one made.

Collecting and chassis evidence

An individual 300S record starts with its original chassis identity, delivery specification and dated documents. Preserve the engine and body references separately where the car was coachbuilt or changed during competition. Original correspondence, build sheets and early photographs can establish details that a modern exterior cannot show. Record replacement panels, engine changes and restoration work chronologically. A present appearance may differ from the original specification without representing a second manufactured vehicle. For a numbered edition, retain its plate and allocation paperwork alongside the chassis file. Historical names and race numbers are useful search references, but they are not substitutes for permanent identity or a reconciled production register.

Related Maserati designs and meaningful comparisons

The 300S belongs to 300S sports-racing programme. Compare it with the two linked profiles to follow how Maserati changed its engineering or its presentation. Their original model identities remain separate, even when a coachbuilder, engine family or anniversary theme connects them. Shared ancestry does not merge their manufactured quantities or make their photographs interchangeable.

Reading the sources

The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.

Specifications and rarity evidence

Frequently asked questions

What does the published rarity reference cover?

Manufacturer anniversary account reports 27 original 300S cars, while workbook states 28. Difference preserved; no reconciled fabrication census or survivor tally assigned.

How is 300S classified?

This is a Maserati competition archive. It remains separate from Maserati road-car production. Customer cars, works entries and converted chassis need a reconciled scope before any complete fabrication tally is assigned.

Which technical details are established for the programme?

The primary record supports programme introduction: 1955; category: Open sports-racing car; engine class: Three litres. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.

Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?

The caption records a real creator-identified 300S subject and its documented setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

Manufacturer anniversary account reports 27 original 300S cars, while workbook states 28. Difference preserved; no reconciled fabrication census or survivor tally assigned.

Who photographed the supplied image?

MrWalkr via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 4.0. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.

Related Maserati profiles

• 1953 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta Pinin Farina
• 1958 Maserati 420M/58 Eldorado

Sources and photo credits

• Manufacturer or custodial programme evidence

Photograph: MrWalkr via Wikimedia Commons original source, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original image or source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.