1959 (Late 80's) Maserati 450S Recreation

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• A recreation built by a talented engineer using traditional techniques and original Maserati parts
• UK registered as a 1959 Maserati 'historic vehicle', 4.9 litre Maserati V8 coupled to a 5 speed manual transmission
• All aluminium body mounted on a steel ladder chassis frame, stunning Rosso paintwork with Tan leather seats
• Rarely do such well-engineered replicas come to market

The Maserati 450S (Tipo 54) was a hugely competitive car in its day and led the field by two minutes during its competition debut in the Buenos Aries 1000kms, driven by Moss and Fangio until a minor fault with the gear linkage caused the car to retire. In the 1957 Mille Miglia, a 450S was the fastest car in the event but retired early with a faulty brake pedal. Whilst at the Nurburgring, Moss was enjoying a thirty-second lead when he was overtaken by his rear wheel after a half-shaft failure. Sadly, history will recall the 450S as a fabulous sports racer that failed to realise its full potential, seemingly always dogged by minor technical problems.

Over the years Chris Lawrence of Wymondham Engineering in Norfolk built up a superb reputation for creating the very best and well-finished replicas of important sports cars. He was world renowned for excellent attention to detail and historical accuracy whilst tweaking slightly to ensure his creations were enjoyable to drive. He was the natural choice by the Swiss entrepreneur commissioned to complete an exclusive run of 250 GTOs when Mario Allegretti (formally regarded as the world's leading expert restoring original and recreating 250 GTOs) could no longer work on the project. Lawrence's recreations are now highly sought after including his 250 SWBs, California Spiders, and Maserati 450S'.

Chris Lawrence put a great deal of research into ways the car's handling could be improved without losing the visceral qualities of the original. The ladder chassis was built using a jig from an original Maserati 450S chassis ( # 4510), while the all aluminium body was likewise reproduced using bucks from # 4510. Lawrence even replicated the correct oval section tubing for the chassis. By strengthening the chassis, improving steering and suspension, and adding disc brakes, he produced a real 'driver's car'.

At the time of cataloguing, it was believed that this 450S recreation was one of Chris Lawrence's known original nine cars produced in the late 1980s but, after further research, it is now clear that this particular example was in fact built by an engineering team headed by Andrew Wrightson. Mr Wrightson is an engineer and self-confessed classic car enthusiast who grew up in Brackley, Northamptonshire, a small town whose name is synonymous with motorsport. As a youngster, Andrew would attend as many race meetings as possible at the nearby Silverstone Circuit and, like many motorsport enthusiasts, dreamed of one day owning a Grand Prix car, or even a high-quality replica built by Chris Lawrence. Later on in life, and with a limited budget, Andrew set about building his own 450S replica from drawings and images but, once completed, this prototype, although fun to drive, was not proportionally, aesthetically or mechanically correct enough to satisfy his pursuit for perfection. Another improved example would need to be constructed.

When sourcing parts for the second 450S recreation, a twist of fate led Andrew to stumble across the last of Chris Lawrence's 450S' chassis. Its owner would not sell the chassis but, in exchange for a bespoke aluminium body, would lend Andrew the chassis to copy for his next project. The 'CL' chassis was shipped to Andrew's workshop where it was measured and replicated. A 4.9-litre Maserati engine was installed, components sourced from engineering specialists including highly regarded specialists in Brackley, and a bespoke, high-quality, all-aluminium body constructed using traditional techniques. The interior was carefully retrimmed in Tan leather as were the 'bucket' seats. The results were so impressive that Andrew has been commissioned to build further examples and the workshop continues to operate to this day.

This 450S recreation is UK-registered as a 1959 Maserati 'Historic Vehicle' and, as such, is both road tax and MOT exempt. A current V5 is present in the history file and the car is described as running and driving well. Pleasingly, technical support and even spare parts if necessary may still be available from the team of engineers who built this car.

Not hugely practical in day to day terms, this is essentially a car to enjoy and, we imagine, that its new owner will want to appreciate the evocative driving characteristics of this amazing, powerful, open-top, V8 Maserati and, with the wind in your hair and the bark from the side exhausts bouncing off the surrounding buildings, it wouldn't be hard to narrow your eyes and be transported back to the Mille Miglia in 1957.