Description
1948 - Maserati A6 GCS Monofaro Factory ex Fangio Chassis no. 2007/ 2010 (see text) French registration document Vehicle sold without MOT "The most authentic Maserati A6 GCS Monofaro, ever seen on the market, and driven at the time by Juan-Manuel Fangio ; perfect for historic Monaco "In 1945, immediately after the end of the Second World War, the Maserati dealership was able to produce and sell the sublime A6-1500, a small sports car developed from the legendary, high-performance 6CM Grand Prix car, which had already shone in the second half of the 1930s. With its very elegant Extra Lusso coupé and spyder bodywork (only 2 examples) designed by Pinin Farina, it enabled the "other Modena manufacturer" to establish itself among the leading Italian factories, and foreshadowed the first competition car from the Trident brand. The A6 GCS (CS standing for Corsa and Sport, a dual-purpose car), refined in 1947, was nevertheless clearly different, with a new tubular chassis, improved suspension and new bodywork, as well as a revised engine. For the bodywork, the talented and efficient Fantuzzi was chosen, who designed a superb two-seater siluro-type body, basic but elegant, with separate wings, so that it could compete in F2 (without wings) and in Sport (with wings), and whose single central headlamp integrated into the radiator grille would distinguish this first A6 GCS: Monofaro.
Under the bonnet, the particularly accessible powertrain differs from the previous A6 in that its displacement has been increased to 2 litres, dry sump lubrication is used and a set of 3 specific Weber 36DO4 carburettors is used. Producing 130 bhp at 6, 000 rpm, it propelled the car, which weighed just 672 kg dry (580 kg in the F2 version!), to speeds of over 200 km/ h with disconcerting ease... Only 14 examples of the Monofaro were produced, of which only 8 survived. Today, it is one of the most sought-after Maseratis, thanks to its rarity, its performance, its place in the history of the brand (the last car developed by the Maserati brothers before the Orsi family took control, and an essential milestone in the genesis of 6-cylinder racing cars - A6GCS/ 53, A6G/ 54, 300S in particular - and road cars - 3500 GT) and its unrivalled versatility. Thanks to its extensive track record, the 2000 A6 GCS is eligible to take part in all the major historic events, including the Mille Miglia, Goodwood and Monaco, where it can compete in both single-seater and sports categories, just as it did back in the day...
The car that illustrates these pages is the seventh A6 GCS produced, chassis #2007, officially entered in the factory registers on 7 June 1948 as a works car, which only concerns three other chassis (#2001, #2002 - born as a coupé - and #2003 - destroyed during the period) out of the 14 built. It is likely that the car was used for some racing, testing and development, before being renumbered #2010 at the factory, and sold to Italian businessman Giuseppe Vianini on 4 April 1949 (factory registers). 1949 was an important year in motor sport, as it was the year that Juan Perón, the Argentine dictator, commissioned two experienced drivers to come and race in Europe and promote their country. For the occasion, this Equipo Argentina was given Gordinis and Maseratis... for hire. The names of these drivers? Juan-Manuel Fangio and Benedicto Campos, unknowns on the Old Continent... Fangio quickly made a name for himself, winning the F1 Grands Prix at San Remo, Pau, Perpignan, Marseille, Monza and Albi. He also raced in Sport and F2, and took the start of the X Grand Prix of Rome, run on the temporary circuit of the Baths of Caracalla, on 2 June at the wheel of the Maserati #2007/ 2010 entrusted to Vianini, who also had business in Argentina and dual nationality. Although the crew was forced to retire on lap 21, it is likely that the car that illustrates these pages was again entered on 26 June at the Monza F2 Grand Prix (4 A6 GCS on the grid) and on 10 July at the 9th Circuit del Garda (3 A6 GCS on the grid) and also in the Italian F2 Grand Prix of the 1950 season.
At the end of the 1950 season, Vianini exported the A6 GCS #2007/ 2010 to Argentina, where he sold it to Carlos Lostaló (fig. 3 and 4), an experienced driver from the Buenos Aires region, who raced on 17 December 1950 at the Parque Sarmiento circuit in Cordoba, where he finished 4th. A country with a rich motoring culture, Argentina recovered a large number of European racing cars, both new and second-hand, and our Maserati, re-engined in mid-1953 with a Ford V8 following the breakage of its engine, continued to scour the local circuits until 1959, successfully battling against Alfa Romeo 8Cs, Delahaye 135 Ss, Ferrari 166s, 212s, 225s, 375s and 625s, Cisitalia 202s, BMW 328s, Jaguar XK 120s, Gordini T15s, Allard J2s, Porsche 550s and Bugatti 35s and 51s (fig. 5) ! It also took part in the famous 1000 km of Buenos Aires (fig. 6, abandonment), with Carlos Guimarey and Carming, alias Eduardo 'Buby' Salzman, an event that counted towards the World Sport Championship that year! This car has a clear history and is listed in all the reference works and known to the greatest specialists in the marque.
Historian Pierre Abeillon confirmed as long ago as 2001: "It is written in all the serious books on the Maserati marque (the English Crump, p. 113, of the 3rd edition, and the Italian Orsini-Zagari, p. 430) that the Maserati A6 GCS #2007, which was produced new for the 1948 season for use by the official team, was sold renumbered 2010 in 1949 to the Italian Vianini (it is therefore one and the same car). It was loaned to Fangio for an F2 race in Rome in June 1949 and sold to Lostalo in Argentina in 1950. These comments are confirmed and supplemented by Argentine historian Cristiàn Bertschi, author of the reference book Club Automoviles Sport, story of passion and racing in Argentina with Estanislao Iacona: "On 14 February 2017, I was invited by [Mr T.] to his garage to examine his Maserati A6 GCS #2007/ 2010. I found it to be exactly what I expected. The car looks very honest and original, with the exception of the bodywork. The chassis shows signs of heavy use at the time. The original engine (#2010) was broken in 1953; the remains of this engine were used to build a replica made by Pur Sang in Argentina and exported a few years ago. The engine that powers today's #2007/ 2010 is a replacement engine that was sent to Brazil for one of the two cars purchased in the period by the Autoclub do Brazil, chassis #2012 and #2019. The chassis is stamped #2010 on the front right suspension struts. The number looks old, damaged and beautiful. From memory, and I could be wrong, I think we discussed some modifications to the front of the chassis, but I can't remember what they were. I didn't compare the chassis to other A6 GCSs in any depth. The body is not the original one, and was redone during its restoration by the Dellepiane brothers. I can say that I really like this car because of its rarity, its patina and its history! I've never taken the time to research its factory period, but it seems to be the car driven by Fangio at Caracalla. Another leading Maserati expert, Richard Crump, wrote to Mr T. at the end of 1986: "The last time I saw the car it was in running order and looked complete in its original configuration. You will note that these motorcycle-winged Maseratis do not have a high survival rate, but there is no doubt that #2007 was an original competition car and should be considered a monument in the history of the marque." We could also add that the car still has its Maserati 4-spoke steering wheel, a unique feature, as the other Monofaro cars have a 3-spoke steering wheel. It should be noted that the current engine, as described by Cristiàn Bertschi, and which is today in wet sump configuration, was found by the famous Colin Crabbe in Sao Paulo.
At the end of the 1970s, one of his former Argentine drivers, the very European Eduardo 'Buby' Salzman, acquired it from the Dellepiane brothers, who had restored and rebodied it (on the original frame) after buying it from Rodolfo Iriarte. After a few races in Argentina, he entered it in the historic Mille Miglia in 1986, and sold it to Mr T a few days later. It was reunited with Juan-Manuel Fangio for the retrospective of the Bordeaux Grand Prix in 1987, before beginning a quiet life in Mr T's garage, which he decided to part with after years of dormancy. A monument to the history of Argentinian motor sport in terms of its longevity, its record of achievements, its place in Fangio's career, and its 'descendants' (it gave birth to a whole series of Sport Nationals with bodywork inspired by the Monofaro), this A6 GCS 2000 also boasts indisputable authenticity and a perfectly documented ongoing history, making it highly eligible for the greatest international events, including the Mille Miglia, Goodwood and the Historic Monaco Grand Prix. Est. 550, 000 - 750, 000 € This vehicle will be auctioned during the sale of classic cars organised by the AGUTTES firm on Monday 7 April 2025 in Paris at the start of the Tour Auto. The digital catalogue is available on our website. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information.
