Andrew Cannon's Maserati 150S/250S
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My 1956 Maserati 150S is powered by a 250S engine. A Carol Shelby Maserati engine. In 1956 Maserati built a series of 150 S, 200S and 250S that are almost identical apart from engine size and this is the best of all.
It has the 250 engine, which is the most powerful, and the original shape and is quite a car to drive.
It doesn’t like driving around the city as it’s a race car, with a twin-cam 2.5-litre four cylinder and twin spark plugs per cylinder as well as a pair of massive carburettors, so down low it sort of chokes. But once you get going it’s an amazing thing on a race track and because it’s light and powerful it handles incredibly well. It has straight cut gears so it makes plenty of noise and it’s a real thrill. I’ve had the car about 12 years and bought it from Bruce McCaw (the man who invented the mobile phone) in Seattle. Bruce owned an Indycar team for many years and also an Americas Cup team.
Bruce is a great car enthusiast and after buying it from him I left it with him for many years and raced it all over America.
My strangest memory of the car was in the Colorado Grand with Rick Hall. We were driving an open top car in heavy snow, which is quite extraordinary and we pulled off the side of the road as we couldn’t see and there was a bear nearby! Rick always said he wanted to see one but didn’t expect it to be there in the Maserati.
The most rewarding time was racing at Road America and Mont-Tremblant in Canada, a beautiful sweeping circuit. Just racing and owning a car like this is wonderful. Once it’s set up and warmed up properly, it’s actually quite durable. It has beautiful features, even the oil and fuel tanks are works of art.
It has been a real thrill and I’ve always liked the style from the 300Ss that were here, like the Bob Jane car. They were just spectacular and to finally own one is a dream come true.
I started off with a Triumph Herald, so it has been a journey to get a Maserati and fortunately for me I was able to acquire this one. I’ve raced the car, spun the car, been hit in the car and have done tens of thousands of miles in it and you can see by the front of it and all the stone-chips it gets used. I don’t race it as often now as I have a Mustang to race in historic events. I have raced a BMW at Le Mans and hope to take this car to Monaco to race in the historic meeting there, prior to the Grand Prix. Many Maseratis compete with some very good drivers, so who knows how I’ll go but I am looking forward to it.
Photography: Mark Bean