1961 O.S.C.A. 1600 GT

In 1937 the three surviving Maserati brothers — Ettore, Ernesto, and Bindo — sold their original company, Officine Alfieri Maserati, to the Orsi family of Modena. The sale contract included a ten-year consultancy agreement for the brothers. Once that period ended, they chose to return to San Lazzaro di Savena, near Bologna, and in 1947 founded Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili – Fratelli Maserati S.p.A., universally known by the acronym O.S.C.A. The intention was to build exclusive racing cars of small displacement, continuing the Maserati tradition of competition-oriented machinery. OSCA’s first model was the MT4 (Maserati Tipo 4 cilindri), a small, lightweight sports racing car powered by an overhead-cam engine, which made an immediate impact in post-war competition. During the 1950s, OSCA concentrated largely on racing programmes, developing its own twin-cam engines in a range of displacements. These engines — admired for their performance — also attracted the attention of Fiat: OSCA designed a twin-cam four for Fiat, later installed in Fiat sports models (notably the Fiat 1600S) and built in the Fiat works under OSCA supervision. Around 1960, OSCA decided to produce a road-going GT car to broaden its market beyond pure competition. The result was the OSCA 1600 GT, a sleek grand tourer built on a purpose-designed tubular steel chassis with independent suspension and powered by a 1,568-cc twin-cam four-cylinder engine developed by OSCA and closely related to the Fiat/OSCA family of twin-cams — though not simply a Fiat unit. Production extended through the early 1960s — approximately 128 cars in total — with the vast majority bodied by Zagato, often with the hallmark “double bubble” lightweight aluminium coachwork. Other coachbuilders contributed a handful of cars: Fissore, Boneschi, Morelli and the historic Touring Superleggera of Milan. The OSCA 1600 GT debuted to positive reception at the 1960 Turin Auto Show, and variants included GT, GT2 and higher-tuned versions with different carburation levels and outputs. Despite its technical merits and sporting character, commercial success was limited: the exquisite hand-built nature and resulting high-cost restricted sales. OSCA itself was eventually sold in the mid-1960s (to the Agusta group) and ceased production entirely in 1967.

OSCA 1600 GT, chassis no. 0017, was the second example assembled by Carrozzeria Fissore of Savigliano, one of the coachbuilders engaged by OSCA for its 1600 GT road cars. Fissore is best remembered for its elegant FIAT 1500/1600S coupés and spiders, and for later coachwork on OSCA chassis, of which this car is the prototype. Fissore built a total of 24 OSCA 1600 GT bodies — 21 coupés and 3 cabriolets.At the 1962 Geneva Motor Show, the presence of Italian coachbuilders appeared stronger than in previous years, when only a few models were shown, as many preferred the domestic Turin show. The market was evolving rapidly, along with its potential clientele: for several Italian firms striving for leadership at home, it became increasingly important to look beyond national borders and to move from a purely artisanal phase toward a more industrial scale, in order to grow and remain truly competitive. Significantly, chassis 0017 was exhibited at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show, serving as OSCA’s show prototype and public demonstration of the 1600 GT prior to broader series production. Its presentation role explains the particularly refined specification of the car, including full leather upholstery rather than the synthetic materials adopted on some later production examples. Compared to subsequent cars, it features a larger luggage compartment lid and a differently shaped dashboard, details that underline its prototype status and its function as a show car intended to highlight the model’s craftsmanship and quality.