Maserati car transporter, reopened trident
These were truly heroic times when car transporter drivers were driving race cars designed to race up and down Europe. on large artificial intelligence circuits four corners of the continent: Monza, Le Mans, Nurburgring and many others.
They were XNUMX-e and sixty and the cars did not offer comfort, they were slow and unsafe, with traffic mostly obstructed by routes no highways and is often littered with customs. With budgets far from the current ones, all the cars inevitably came. operated to the maximum, up to consumption; one of the reasons why so hard to find again auto transporters of those glorious years, even just for recovery.
A true historical find
A few years ago Modena, real restored historical artifact more unique than rare: A
Fiat 642 RN tuned Emilian bodybuilder in 1953 and used Maserati stable. And right in the Modena area, he returned for a complete restoration on the advice Historica Selecta by Adolfo Orsi, the grandson of the Bears, who already own Maserati.
Just give it items collected by Orsi good start: first registration, July 27 this was requested by Maserati. Base machine - chassis Fiat 642RN, 1953: evolution of the 642 model 1950 N, very popular in the cargo version, characterized by a lowered, elongated chassis for passenger transport. The simple mechanics seem to be conceived around the motto that everything that is not there cannot be broken.
92 horsepower at 2 rpm
Fiat 364 A 6650 cc vertical front engine rear drive, switched to four unsynchronized transmissions, semi-elliptical leaf spring suspensions, pneumatic drum brakes. I horses were 92, provided only 2.000 rpm, which allowed the car to reach maximum speed 77,5 km / h.
The line of the Maserati car transporter is quite ordinary, very similar to that of line courier of the fifties with almost vertical windshield and long overhang rear; however, the front grille with this motif is highlighted. front of single A6 GCM and headlights with pseudo-aerodynamic connection to the side
Little crew comfort
There is access on board inconvenientbecause the door leads to the rear of the cabin and it takes some deformation to get to the driver's seat on the right and the passenger's seat on the left. We find again Fiat components of the time in the main controls and in the tools it uses round dials for speedometer, oil level gauge, water thermometer, voltmeter and pressure gauge.
The large lever on the left side of the dash activates the hand throttle, and there is no mention of the engine brake yet. Behind the front seats is the bench is long and narrow, with a backrest that can be raised to form a second berth for long journeys. It is known that at that time the crew also consisted of six mechanics, who were also cooks and drivers: this is the hypothesis. that someone must deviate sleep under the truck.
The load compartment is very simple: open the double-leaf tailgate, two removable footrests allow you to dive in. cars in the belly of the transporter, and the ramps allow you to overcome the protrusion of the wheel arches and thus load two cars.
Sold in USA
в 1954 Scuderia Maserati joined 642 RN, plus roomy 682 rn e in July 57, when the new 642 RN was ready, prepared Bartoletti, he sold the car to one of his clients, an American billionaire. Lance Reventlow, an excellent car enthusiast and driver of a certain value.
Reventlow became a manufacturer of racing cars under the brand Scarab, all the way up to Formula 1, although with only three participants. Having reduced his ambitions, the owner of the Scarab was nevertheless able to travel the length and breadth of the United States with the reliable and slow car transporter Fiat 642 RN, now enriched Scarab lettering above Maserati letteringbefore quitting racing in the first half of the XNUMX's.
Long restoration
After the death of Reventlow in 1972, the Maserati car transporter, abandoned in some corner of America, disappeared until reappeared at a classic car auction in the United States., towards late nineties.
Then it was bought by an Italian-American collector. Laurence Auriana what's in Modena he restored it to its original state. From restoration cost unknown, but required time: almost tribute to anni.Today, the Fiat 642 RN, apart from a few episodes in vintage car competitions, is doing great in a splendid collection of cars. Auriana's Italian sport, with original license plate: MO 30502.
