Maserati 8CTF

[Chris Wright]

I've had this build, or rebuild going on for a long time. It's a 1938 Maserati Tipo 8CTF (Grand Prix 3 litre), that I got from Mack Pinches Pre-Ad line a long time ago.

Back then finding reference pictures of this very famous car was surprisingly hard, but now, I must have found hundreds of photographs of the 3 cars constructed by Maserati. (they all still exist). Now that I have a set of Peter's Wheels, it's beginning to look like the real thing. The photo's a little fuzzy but the sun hasn't been around for a while, we still have a little snow outside.

Engine: 8 cyl in-line 2992cc Roots supercharger 360 BHP. Transmission: 4 speed gearbox
Chassis: channel section side members. Suspension: Front: independent with transverse swinging links, torsion bars and  friction dampers.
Rear: quarter elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers.
Dimensions: wheelbase: 271 cm track: 133/135 cm weight: 780 kg.




The three 8CTF cars constructed were: Chassis numbers 3030, 3031 and 3032.
3030 and 3031 were used by the works Maserati team for the 1938 and 1939 G.P. season with little success. (I wonder why?). After these lack-luster seasons cars 3030 and 3031 were sold to Lucy O'Reilly Schell, of the United States, who entered them for the Swiss GP and then sent them to USA in 1940. There the cars were entered in Indianapolis 500.  Chassis 3032 was purchased by the famous Wilbur Shaw who entered the 1939 Indy 500 and won and again in 1940. The car also led the 1941 race until having to retire.

The car I'm building is Chassis 3 30302 Wilbur Shaw's car, I haven't made up my mind to which year yet, 39 or 40.

It ran each year at the Indy 500 until 1953. The car was campaigned in other American speed challenges after World War II, including victories at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in 1946 and 1947, driven both times by Louis Unser.

It ran each year at the Indy 500 until 1953. The car was campaigned in other American speed challenges after World War II, including victories at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in 1946 and 1947, driven both times by Louis Unser. However in it's later competitive years it was running an Offenhauser motor.
The Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis record: 
YEAR DRIVER ENTRANT RESULTS CHASSIS COMMENTS
1939 Shaw (Boyle Racing Headquarters) 1st 3032
1940 Shaw (Boyle Racing Headquarters) 1st 3032
1940 Dreyfus (Lucy O'Reilly Schell) DNQ Misunderstood qualifying rules.
1940 Le Begue (Lucy O'Reilly Schell) 10th
1941 Shaw (Boyle Racing Headquarters) 18th 3032
1941 Nalon (Elgin Piston Pin) 15th
1941 Nalon (Elgin Piston Pin) 26th
1946 Horn (Boyle Racing Headquarters) 3rd 3032
1946 Snowberger (Jim Hussey's/R.A. Cott) 12th 3030
1946 Andres (Elgin Piston Pin) 4th 3031
1947 Horn (Bennett/H.C. Henning) 3rd 3032 Painted black/gold
1947 Snowberger (Federal Enqineering/R.A. Cott) 12th 3030
1948 Horn (Bennett/H.C. Henning) 4th 3032 Painted black/gold
1948 Russo (Federal Engineering/R.A. Cott) 32th 3030
1949 Wallard (Indianapolis Cars) 23th 3032 Painted black
1949 Hanks (Robert Flavell?) DNQ 3030
1950 Vukovich (Indianapolis Cars) DNQ 3032 Painted Black
1950 Webb (Fadely-Anderson/R.A. Cott) 20th 3030 Offenhauser 4.5L engine
1951 McDowell (W.J./Maserati Race Cars) 32th 3030 Offenhauser 4.5L engine
1952 Sennett (Joe Barzda) DNQ 3031
1953 (Joe Barzda) DNQ 3031
1954 (Joe Barzda) DNQ 3031

This car will eventually have it's "Boyle Special" decals applied, the car being owned and sponsored by "Umbrella" Mike Boyle who was a corrupt boss of the electrical workers union who had his bribes dropped into his umbrella.

[Andrew Rowland]

Awesome.

[Chris Wright]

IN 1938 GP racing was dominated by the German government supported Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz teams.

The Maserati 8CTF was created after Adolfo Orsi took over management, and overcame Maserati's economic problems.
Ernesto Maserati was not so constrained by budgetary issues in the design of a new Grand Prix car.

He conceived a 3-liter supercharged eight cylinder, fixed cylinder head or 'testa fissa', which also explains the 8CTF type indication.
8C: The number of cylinders   T: head   F: fixed.

This setup allowed for higher compression ratios and did away with the need for the often vulnerable head gasket. Not one, but two Roots-Type Superchargers were bolted onto the nose of the engine. At the car's debut, the big 'eight' produced 350 bhp and later it was good for at least 365 bhp.

The 8CTF was also unusual in that that the oil tank was also the cross central frame .

The model debuted on May 15th 1938 at the Grand Prix of Tripoli, it demonstrated good performance but fell short in the final result.
There was only three works cars which ran in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. These cars were actually faster than the vaunted W154 Mercedes and the Auto Union cars, but they did not have the reliability of the german cars.

The best finish by any of the three cars was second in the 1939 German GP.

World War II was approaching quickly, and available races were thinning quickly, so the car's development was compromised considerably. 

Maserati however found a solution, and all 3 available cars were sold to rich patrons in the U.S.A. who were at the time considering staying neutral, in regards to the looming conflict in Europe.

Two of the three 8CTFs were sold to Lucy O'Reilly Schell, who unsuccessfully entered them in the Swiss Grand Prix before taking the cars to the United States where the other one had already been sold to.

Early in 1939 the third 8CTF and a spare engine had been bought by the gangster Mike Boyle to be driven by 1937 winner Wilbur Shaw in the Indy 500.

The Maserati was right at home on the oval and the methanol based fuel proved a lot kinder for the fragile engine, and the roots type superchargers delivered power instantly, (unlike centrifugal units that have to spool-up). This immediate power delivery enabled the 8 CTF to launch off the corners much quicker than the competition.

Shaw beat the local specials and recorded the first win for an Italian car and the first win for a European car since 1916. A year later the other two also lined up, but it was Shaw who took yet another win. The 8CTFs continued to be raced at Indy into the 1950s with two thirds as the best result.

Amazingly the Grand Prix Maserati excelled in another American classic; the Pikes Peak hillclimb where it was driven to back to back victories by Louis Unser in 1946 and 1947. After almost two decades of racing the 8CTF was finally retired in 1954, after failing to qualify for Indy for the third year in a row.

Photographs on the cars in action in their heyday.


In it's original European form.



In the pits, being driven by Paul Pietsch, in the 1939 German Grand Prix, at the Nürburgring.



One of the 8 CTF's last races in Europe.



In front of the California Spead Shop in New Jersey.



Louis Unser in 1947 winning at Pikes Peak. (by this time this car had a Offenhauser 4 cyl installed).
All three cars were expoted to the USA, and all three still exist today.



Being overhauled, notice 4 cylinder offy in this shot.



Blueprint of the Maserati 8CTF as drawn by Bob Clidinst from the real car at the Indy Museum, (very accurate).

Info on John Warrens new shells for this car: Available soon.

f-one-thirty-two.proboards.com/thread/828/new-john-warren-resins-maserati?page=1&scrollTo=6744

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

I look forward to the chance to build one of these cars.

It would seem that there are four distinct styles of 8CTF, 1938 with single or twin exhaust, and 1939 (with side sponsons) again with single or twin exhaust.

John's new offering is (to the best of my knowledge) to be the 1938 version with twin exhausts.

A perfect match for early D Type Auto Union (Matchbox/Revell conversion), original W154 Mercedes (George Turner), Alfa 308 (Shadowfax), Delahaye 145 (didn't TRRC make one?) and Alfa 312 (?).

For those like myself who have a strong preference for pre-war rather than post-war GP cars, this will be a welcome release.

Peter.

[ken]

I got it from good authority that Pendles next Pre Add offering will be the revamped 8CTF. There goes the value of the original one untouched in my bucket list box.

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

The improvements by Pendles on Mac's bodies appear to be great, though not being my sort of car, have no knowledge on the subject. The re-vamped 8CTF will undoubtedly look good but I'll wait and see. I do hope they do a good job.

Peter.

[alcopa]

Hey Chris-

How do we get around the 'Photobucket' problem --I'd love to 'see' your build --

Thanks.
Steve C

[Chris Wright]

Hi Steve,

Go here and download, you should be able to see pix again.

Chris

chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg?utm_source=gmail

[Andrew Rowland]

Not however for those using a mobile platform.....

[alcopa]

Thanks Chris - worked a charm --on my MacBook --

Steve C.