Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this magnificent Maserati 450S Re-Creation.

The current owner is a real enthusiast and has owned some of the worlds great cars. He has a passion for sports racing cars from the 1950s and 1960s and in 2011 decided he needed a Maserati 450S!

The objective was to build an authentic recreation of one of the most formidable sports racing cars of the 1950s. The brief was the car had to have a faithful reproduction of the original tubular spaceframe chassis, the body had to be made of aluminium with accurate dimensions, panel shapes and detailing. Importantly, the drive train had to be genuine Maserati with the correct period look. Most Maserati 450S Re-Creations were built with a modern gearbox set up, which is not faithful to the original design. The original Maserati featured a rear transaxle setup, which is what this car had to have. Like all the original nine Maserati 450S built, this car had to be right hand drive.

The task of building the car was given to the highly respected classic car restoration specialists, Historic and Vintage Restoration (HVR) in Melbourne, Australia. HVR has restored a number of great cars of the years and also built a number of exacting recreations, including a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica, 1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 MM Spider and a 1933 MG K1 / K3 Recreation.

After a worldwide search, the decision was made to source the aluminium body and the chassis from Nestor Salerno in Argentina who is well known for making museum quality recreations. In fact, several of his cars are on display in the Fangio Museum in Buenos Aires. Paul Chaleyer, the managing director of HVR, personally flew to Argentina to inspect and purchase the body and chassis on behalf of the owner.

Next challenge was to find a suitable engine to power the car. As per the brief, it had to be a Maserati engine. A decision was made to use a Tipo AM107 engine from a 1960s Maserati Quattroporte. The engine was completely stripped by HVR and every element was tested and what needed to be replaced was replaced. When the time came to put the engine back together it was not simply rebuilt the way it was. The owner wanted the engine to look period correct. It was modified to have twin plug ignition with a distributor for each bank. The block was also bored out to approximately 5. 0 litres. The quadruple Weber carburettors were modified and fitted with individual polished velocity stacks. They have the correct sand cast look. The owner did not go as far as converting the engine to dry sump, however, a correct dry sump tank is fitted in the rear of the car next to the beautiful riveted aluminium fuel tank (fitted with a fuel cell) to complete the look.

As per the original brief, the car needed to have a transaxle setup. A decision was made to source a six speed transaxle from a modern Maserati 4200. Inside the car, the gate was beautifully disguised to look like a five speed gearbox with reverse, giving a similar look to an original 450S.

To stop the car, giant period correct, finned drum brakes are fitted all around. The front suspension is a classic double-wishbone set-up. On the rear it has the De Dion rear end with transverse leaf springs which are polished steel as per original.

When the body and chassis arrived in Australia, HVR checked it over and spent considerable time to prepare it for paint. The car was painted by Resurrection Auto Restorers in Melbourne.

The project was finished in 2014 and the end result is simply stunning. The car is visually an authentic recreation, however, it also delivers an experience that reflects the engineering brilliance, raw performance and uncompromising spirit of one of the greatest Maseratis ever built.

The car has been used sparingly since it was completed. It has made appearances at the 2014 and 2015 Australian Grand Prix and several other events.

It was featured in Issue 367 the September 2014 issue of Unique Cars magazine when John Bowe tested it alongside a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Recreation, then belonging to the same owner. The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, which used a 1960 Ferrari 250 GTE as its donor car, was sold by Oldtimer Australia in September 2024.

This Maserati 450S Re-Creation has an incredible presence. This car is stunning in every regard and its proportions are just right. The curvaceous body is a sculptured work of art, however, the ceramic coated exhausts on either side of the car immediately signal that this is a thoroughbred racing machine, built with performance as its foremost priority.

Whilst it has been a few years now since the build of this car was completed, it still presents exceptionally well. The paint has retained a deep gloss with a strong depth of colour. The car has been used from time to time as its makers intended and as a result when you look closely you will find some small imperfections. All the panel gaps are excellent.

The more you look at the car the more detail you will notice. The devil is in the detail and some of its features are the delicate handles to secure the boot and the bonnet as well as the windscreen which wraps around the cockpit and continues on top of the doors.

The car is fitted with genuine Borrani 16×4½ wire wheels at the front (16×5½ rear) which are shod with soft compound Dunlop Racing tyres size 6. 0 16 at the front (6. 5 16 rear). The wheels are all in excellent condition.

To get into the car you have to reach over the side screens and pull the leather cord on the inside of the door to open it. The interior itself is very minimalistic as one would expect. It is after all a race car. The elegant three spoke timber steering wheel has a solid feel and is indistinguishable from the original that Stirling Moss would have had in his hands back in the day. The small dashboard in front of you is basic but equipped with enough gauges to give you all the information you need. Right in front of you is the all important tacho. There is also a GPS speedo installed, however, on our most recent test drive that was not working. The seats are covered in period correct leather and are firm and relatively comfortable. Both seats are fitted with a five point harness.

We love the exposed chassis frame inside the car, which is a real feature of this era of racing Maseratis.

From the moment this car arrived at our showroom we were just a little bit excited to get behind the wheel! Starting the car is easy. There is a battery isolator key which is conveniently located inside the cabin and within easy reach of the driver. Starting is essentially the same as any other classic Maserati. It is as simple as inserting the key into the ignition and turning the ignition on. You will then hear the fuel pumps starting to pump fuel into the carburettors. After waiting for say fifteen seconds (which seemed more like 15 minutes!), you give the throttle one pump and press the starter button. The big V8 bursts to live almost immediately with an almighty roar. You have to feather the throttle to warm the engine up but that doesnt take too long and it quickly settles into a smooth idle.

The sound is both brutal and sophisticated. The engine and exhaust create a powerful mechanical symphony that echoes across the landscape. When warming up in our showroom the windows shake and the walls vibrate!

Once the engine is warm and you comfortable in the car, buckle up and it is time to hit the road. We select first gear and ever so cautiously inch the car out of our showroom. Trying to be discrete is impossible. Passerbys, hearing the noise, immediately turned their heads the moment the car got onto the road. First impressions are that this car is surprisingly easy to drive. The gearbox has a normal shift pattern with first gear being left and forward. It is an absolute delight and with a relatively short shift the gear changes both up and down the box are easy and smooth.

Just like any race car, everything needs to be full operating temperature for the car to be driven properly.

Once we felt comfortable with the car we were able to find a quiet piece of road to see what this car was all about. Needless to say, we couldnt test its full potential. For that you need a race track, but what we can say is the car is an absolute delight to drive with more than enough power. The big Maserati V8 also has plenty of torque. The car weighs less than 1, 000 kg and according to HVR the engine has around 350hp and 350nm of torque.

The brakes take a little bit of getting used to as they are drums. But once you realise that you just have to apply a bit more pressure on the pedal they do pull the car up quickly and in a straight line when needed.

It is not often a car like this becomes available on the Australian market and the fact that it was built here in Australia makes it even more special.

We are genuinely excited to be able to offer this magnificent Maserati 450S Re-Creation for sale.

Accompanying the car is a history file of the invoices and photos from the build. There is also a spare wheel and a (modern) jack.

Highlights
- Built by respected classic car restoration specialists (HVR) in Melbourne.
- Accurate aluminium body & chassis built by Nestor Salerno in Argentina.
- Powered by 5. 0 Litre Maserati V8 engine.
- Beautifully presented.
- An absolute delight to drive.
- Ready to use and enjoy.

Price AUD $359, 950

Foot Note: we were delighted to see that a 1957 Maserati 450S recently won the Concours de Sport Best of Show at the 2026 Greenwich back in May.


Background

The Maserati story is a fascinating one. It is the story of a family with daring, courageous and forward-thinking ideas. The story starts with Rodolfo Maserati, a railway engineer who was employed by the Italian monarchy and the father of seven sons who all had a passion for engine design and racing cars. The Maserati brothers all became involved in the automotive industry in some way or another, however, it was on the 1st of December 1914 that Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati officially opened Alfieri Maserati Workshop in Bologna, Italy.

Maserati chose the trident logo to adorn its cars. Its design was based on the Fountain of Neptune in Bolognas Piazza Maggiore. The colours chosen for the logo were also the colours of Bologna, red and blue.

The business was focused on repairing, servicing and preparing cars, however, the World War cut business short and it wasnt until 1926 that Maserati built its first car, the Tipo 26.

It was all about motorsport back then and in 1937 the Orsi family acquired ownership of Maserati which was in desperate need of financial backing to be able to survive. During the Orsi years Maserati grew from a boutique but very successful race car builder to one of the worlds leading manufacturers of hand-built sports and GT cars.

Maserati built its first road car in 1946 even though times were tough in post War northern Italy. The car was the Maserati A6 where A was for Alfieri and 6 for the number of cylinders. The initial reception of the car was positive and a production Maserati A6/ 1500 was then shown at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show.

This was a significant milestone in the Maserati legend and subsequent models included the A6G/ 2000, 3500 series cars, 5000GT, Mistral. Quattroporte, Mexico, Sebring and Ghibli. Maserati also continued to build very successful race cars that dominated tracks around the world including the 250F, 300S, 150S, 450S and the Birdcage.

The Maserati 250F is unique among Grand Prix cars, as it has longevity that has spanned seven years of racing from 1954 through until 1960. The 250F was first raced at the Argentinian Grand Prix in January 1954 by Juan Manuel Fangio. After qualifying third Fangio went on to win the race. Another famous driver who raced the 250F in 1954 was Stirling Moss. Moss also won several races in the 250F. In 1957 at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring Fangio overcame a 48 second deficit in 22 laps to win the race. In 22 laps he broke the lap record 10 times. The 250F was crucially important in carrying Juan Manuel Fangio to two of his five World Championship winning seasons, in 1954 and 1957. The Maserati 250F is motor racing royalty and in total 26 examples were built.

In 1955 Maserati introduced the Maserati 300S. This car was designed to compete in the FIA World Sportscar Championship. In total 26 were produced between 1955 and 1956.

The 300S was superseded by the 350S, but only 3 of them were produced before it was superseded by the Maserati 450S.

Initially, development of the 450S started in 1954 under the code name Tipo 54. However, after a catastrophic crash at Le Mans in 1955 the project was shelved. It was not until 1956 that the project was revived. The body was designed by Medardo Fantuzzi. It was powered by a 4, 477cc V8 with four IDM Weber carburettors and double overhead camshafts. It produced 400hp at 7, 200rpm.

Between 1956 and 1962, the Maserati 450S won an impressive 31 races from 119 appearances. Amongst others, the 450S was raced by Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and Caroll Shelby.

In total 9 were built.