The story starts in 1957 when as a 17year old boy I was invited by a school friend to go to Florida for spring vacation. It so happened that the Sebring 12hour race was being held at the same time. At the last minute, my dad and his good friend Chas Addams (creator of the Addams family and well-known cartoonist) decided that they wanted to go and see the 12hour race. A plan was made. I would stay with my friend and they would come and collect us and take us to Sebring. Sebring was a small town in the middle of Florida with only a military airbase. A racing circuit was laid out on this. It was extremely rough and was known as a “car breaker”.

The 12hour race was the brainchild of dad’s friend Alec Ullman a Swiss who lived in New York City. Alec knew we were coming so he had put aside all the passes we needed so that we could go anywhere we wished including the pits. I could see all my favorite cars and drivers close up. This was really great!
The cars that really caught my eye were the two factory-entered Maseratis a Maserati 450S for Juan Fangio and Jean Behra and a Maserati 300S n.3071 for Stirling Moss and Harry Schell.

 

 

When the flag dropped for the Le Mans type start Stirling Moss, the fastest runner, was first away with the whole field following close behind. After a few laps, Fangio took over the lead and started to pull away in the big Maserati 450S. Running is second place overall was the Maserati 300S with Stirling Moss a Maserati one/two.

Late in the evening, I wandered over to the back straight with my friend to see the cars pass at full speed. Fangio’s Maserati 450S was spectacular with long flames shooting out of the side exhaust as he braked from 180 MPH. The noise of this big beast was fantastic. The two Maseratis continued on in the first two positions until the checkered flag dropped at the 12hour mark. My favorite cars had won.

 

 

There was a wonderful story circulating after the race about Stirling Moss. Bernard Cahier the journalist and photographer had handed Moss a bottle of COKE while he was rounding the hairpin at low speed. First, he gestured to Moss and on the next lap, Stirling took the bottle drank it and then dropped the bottle on the next lap by the side of the circuit on the grass.

When I went to the West coast in 1969 I saw this Maserati 300S again in San Francisco at Nemore Barbieri’s garage on Hyde Street. He was the local go to Maserati guy and was still close to the factory. The car was by this time not really competitive in professional races, but could still do well at the SCCA amateur level. Several local drivers raced it in local events and. In 1971 at Oakland Airport SCCA races Ron Dykes flipped it. It was not destroyed, but the body was severely damaged. Ron then bought a Maserati Tipo 60 and sold the Maserati 300S to George West who tried his best to bring it back to life again, but with limited finances, this was a big ask.

Enter my friend and landlord Steven Block and this is where the story starts for the second time for me.