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The Maserati 8C was a 
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
race car
Race, RACE or The Race may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
built by Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
between 1931 and 1933. The 8C was being designed by Alfieri Maserati
Alfieri Maserati (23 September 1887 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for establishing and leading the Maserati racing car manufacturer with the other Maserati Brothers.
Maserati was born in Voghera. In 1903 he and hi ...
in the early 1930s; however, he died before its completion.
The chassis was that of the Maserati Tipo 26M
The Maserati Tipo 26M was a model of Grand Prix race car produced by Italian manufacturer Maserati in Bologna, for a total of 13 units, between 1930 and 1932.
Before the Tipo 26M, the original Tipo 26 from 1926 had evolved into versions such as ...
, and it was initially fitted with a Tipo 26M engine with its cylinders bored out by 4 mm to arrive at its limit of 2.8 litres (2,812 cc) for 69 x 94 mm bore and stroke. Development of the new 3.0 L engine continued and it was constructed for racing in 1932. The car won the 1933 French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest ...
and Sir Henry Birkin
Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Birkin, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1896 – 22 June 1933), known as
Tim Birkin, was a British racing driver, one of the " Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.
Background and family
Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in ...
achieved third place driving it in the Tripoli Grand Prix
The Tripoli Grand Prix (Italian: ''Gran Premio di Tripoli'') was a motor racing event first held in 1925 on a racing circuit outside Tripoli, the capital of what was then Italian Tripolitania, now Libya. It lasted until 1940.
Background
Moto ...
. However, it was not very successful in other races. The car featured some of the world's earliest hydraulic
Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
brakes. The Tipo 8C 3000 was the final two-seater Grand Prix Maserati, and was succeeded in 1933 by the Maserati 8CM, ''M'' for ''monoposto'' (single seat).
In 2000 an original Maserati 8C 2800 sold at an auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
for US$1.65 million and a 1932 Maserati 8C 3000 for $1.08 million.
Technical Data
References
8C Grand Prix cars Cars introduced in 1931 {{Classicprw-auto-stub