Damit hatte keiner gerechnet: Im Rahmen der Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auctions 2026 in Kalifornien erzielte ein Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage aus dem Jahr 1959 einen Rekordpreis von 4,24 Millionen US-Dollar, das sind(rund 3,65 Millionen Euro.
Den Namen „Birdcage“ verdankt der von Maseratis brillantem Chefdesigner Giulio Alfieri konstruiere Italiener dem speziellen Gitterrohrrahmen.
Das Fahrzeug auf Basis des 250F Grand Prix Rennwagen besitzt eine Karosserie aus der Carrozzeria Allegretti mit dem Spitznamen „Birdcage“ (Vogelkäfig).
Der besteht aus rund 200 Stahlrohren mit einem Durchmesser von nur zehn bis 15 Millimetern.
Der „Birdcage“ erzielte in Europa zwei Gesamtsiege beim 1000-Kilometer-Rennen auf dem Nürburgring:
In den USA wurde er ebenfalls erfolgreich in diversen Rennserien eingesetzt.
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Nur 17 wurden gebaut
Ursprünglich als Tipo 60 eingeführter Rennwagen mit vorne eingebautem Zweiliter-Vierzylinder (200 PS), wurde die Leistung speziell für den US-Markt im Tipo 61 angehoben. Auf 2,9 Liter Hubraum und rund 250 PS.
Beim Einbau wurde der Motor um 45 Grad geneigt, um den Schwerpunkt zu senken und die Abmessungen im Frontbereich zu reduzieren.
Eine Vorderradaufhängung mit Schraubenfedern und De-Dion-Hinterachse mit Querblattfeder brachten das Gewicht auf nur 570 Kilogramm.
Der „Birdcage“ erzielte in Europa zwei Gesamtsiege beim 1000-Kilometer-Rennen auf dem Nürburgring:
- 1960 mit Stirling Moss und Dan Gurney
- 1961 mit Masten Gregory und Lloyd Casner.
- 1961 mit Masten Gregory und Lloyd Casner.
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Dedicated to our english readers
For the past twenty-two years, Gooding Christie's has offered its international audience of passionate, devoted participants an exclusive and unparalleled experience at Pebble Beach Auto Week.
This year, the auction house continued to showcase its prominence for selling the world’s most prized and valuable collector cars.
With great results: over $159 million realized in total sales. Including the most valuable car ever sold by the auction house: the ex-Carroll Shelby 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. This car was sold for $42.9 million.
Completed on September 10, 1959 (chassis 2452), this is the first production Tipo 61 Birdcage built.
Bella Italia
Another fine example is the Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage“.Completed on September 10, 1959 (chassis 2452), this is the first production Tipo 61 Birdcage built.
The car was delivered new to Beverly Hills enthusiast and racer Joe Lubin.
Estimated auction price: $3,000,000 - $4,000,000
Sold: $4,240,000
The history
Few sports-racing cars have achieved the enduring acclaim of Maserati’s Tipo 60 and Tipo 61 “Birdcage.”Celebrated for both engineering ingenuity and competition success, they are also among the very few racing cars that can legitimately be regarded as objets d’art: marvels of industrial design rendered in steel tubing and alloy, their extraordinary forms and intricate construction remaining as exotic and captivating today as they were in 1959.
Conceived by Maserati’s brilliant chief engineer Giulio Alfieri at a pivotal moment in sports car racing.
When traditional front-engined sports racers were being challenged by increasingly sophisticated mid-engine designs.
The Birdcage represented a bold and remarkably imaginative response from a manufacturer working with limited resources but exceptional technical vision.
Good to know
Its evocative nickname derives from the extraordinary multi-tubular spaceframe chassis – a masterpiece of lightweight engineering constructed from approximately 200 smalldiameter steel tubes arranged in an intricate structure.
Weighing less than 70 lbs., yet possessing exceptional torsional rigidity, the chassis provided the foundation for a car of remarkable balance, precision, and responsiveness.
Drivers have consistently praised its predictable handling and forgiving nature, qualities that allowed both professionals and accomplished amateurs to exploit its performance with confidence.
Derived from the championship-winning 250F Grand Prix car, it featured independent front suspension, a De Dion rear axle, and a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle, complemented by four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and KONI telescopic dampers.
Originally introduced as the two-liter Tipo 60, the model evolved into the larger-displacement Tipo 61 as Maserati recognized demand for more powerful customer sports-racing cars, particularly in the American market.
Powered by a 2.9-liter, four cylinder engine producing approximately 250 hp, the Tipo 61 proved highly competitive in North America and internationally.
Weighing less than 70 lbs., yet possessing exceptional torsional rigidity, the chassis provided the foundation for a car of remarkable balance, precision, and responsiveness.
Drivers have consistently praised its predictable handling and forgiving nature, qualities that allowed both professionals and accomplished amateurs to exploit its performance with confidence.
Technical highlights
Beneath its striking aluminum coachwork by Carrozzeria Allegretti, the Birdcage combined avant-garde chassis design with proven Maserati competition hardware.Derived from the championship-winning 250F Grand Prix car, it featured independent front suspension, a De Dion rear axle, and a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle, complemented by four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and KONI telescopic dampers.
Originally introduced as the two-liter Tipo 60, the model evolved into the larger-displacement Tipo 61 as Maserati recognized demand for more powerful customer sports-racing cars, particularly in the American market.
Powered by a 2.9-liter, four cylinder engine producing approximately 250 hp, the Tipo 61 proved highly competitive in North America and internationally.
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