|
O.S.C.A. (Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili—Fratelli Maserati S.p.A.) was an Italian manufacturer of racing and sports cars established 1947 in San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna, by the Maserati brothers, and closed down in 1967. Its name is usually abbreviated to OSCA or Osca. ==History== O.S.C.A. was founded in 1947 by Ernesto Maserati (engineering manager) and his two brothers Ettore, and Bindo (operations managers) who had all left Maserati after their ten-year contract with Adolfo Orsi terminated. Ten years earlier, in 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers had sold their shares in the company to the Orsi family, who, in 1940, had relocated the company headquarters to their hometown of Modena, where it remains to this day. The O.S.C.A. factory was at San Lazzaro di Savena outside Bologna,〔(Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of O.S.C.A. ) from maserati-alfieri.co.uk〕 where Maserati were originally made 1926 to 1940. Their basic business goal was to develop an automobile to compete in the 1100 cc racing class. O.S.C.A.'s first automobile was the MT4, for ''Maserati Tipo 4 cilindri''. The 1092 cc engine ( at 6000 rpm) had a FIAT-derived block, alloy head, and the bodywork was built as a two-seater barchetta. The MT4 first raced in 1948 at the Pescara Circuit and the Grand Prix of Naples, where it was driven to a win by Luigi Villoresi. The engine was modified to 1342 cc form (with at 5500 rpm) in 1949.〔(story ) from maserati-alfieri.co.uk〕 In 1950, a new DOHC (MT4-2AD) raised power (to a maximum of at 6300 rpm), and in 1953 the engine was enlarged to 1453 cc ( at 6,200 rpm). The all new tipo 372 DS twin spark engine with 1491 cc ( at 6300 rpm) was later used in the O.S.C.A. MT4 TN (for ''Tipo Nuovo", "new model") of 1955. With this new engine, the car received the new name FS 372, of which five were built. One of these belongs to Sir Stirling Moss, who still races it in historic races across the globe. Versions of this engine went on to be used in coupé and convertible models of regular Fiats from 1959 to 1966. These automobiles were mainly barchettas, but a few were built with more luxurious berlinetta bodies by Pietro Frua, Michelotti, and Vignale. A Vignale was run in the 1500 cc class at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 1954 12 Hours of Sebring was won by drivers Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd in an O.S.C.A. MT4 as part of the Briggs Cunningham Team.〔In the April 6, 1992 issue of AutoWeek, Cunningham stated that, of all the automobiles he built, owned, and raced, O.S.C.A. was his favorite racecar.〕 From 1951 to 1962, automobiles or engines made by O.S.C.A. also were entered in some Formula One and Formula Two events although they mainly built small sports cars of which some were designed by Pietro Frua. In the World Sportscar Championship OSCA vehicles ranked 10th (1953), 4th (1954), 6th (1957), 5th (1958) and 4th (1961). The 750 cc type S 187 was introduced in 1956. Weighing , this car had a top speed of . The name "187" refers to the displacement in cubic centimetres of each cylinder of the engine. In 1959 Jim Eichenlaub won the American H-Mod Title with this OSCA S 187. Operating on a shoestring budget, Eichenlaub often slept in his tow car because there was no money for a motel. However he won his first race at Pensacola in April 1959. The Formula Junior (FJ) used a Fiat engine of 1089 cc, and saw wins by Colin Davis and Berardo Taraschi in 1959. In 1963 the brothers sold the company to Count Domenico Agusta, owner of MV Agusta,〔 They did design work for Agusta until 1966. One of their final designs was a desmodromic four-cylinder engine. O.S.C.A. ended operations in 1967. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「O.S.C.A.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|