Maserati 300S "Mystery Car"

Website visitor Alessandro Bruni from the Tuscany villa area of Florence, Italy,  was referred to me by John Coelho, webmaster of the excellent "Coldplugs" website.  Alessandro sent me these photos and is curious about the identity of this Maserati 300S.  (I thought all of these were accounted for.  TM)
  

From Alessandro:  "This is an unknown Maserati Special 300S with old patina owned by a good friend."  (V8 engine... What kind?  Is this an ex-Ebb Rose car?  TM) 
 
"It's a Maserati  Special and I'd like to know if you know this car or if you've some pictures. It was in California in '50 and '60 and it has some old Sebring badges on the body."  (Your webmaster is astounded to have such a car listed as a "Mystery Car" here.  Hmmm....  The advertising graphics on this car look Latin American to me.  ???   TM)

Here's the link to the "Barchetta" website list of Maserati 300S cars by serial number.
 
 

Maserati historian Willem Oosthoek on this car:

"Fascinating photos and I don't know what it is. It looks like a V8 engine [indicating a 450S or a late model 300S with Chevy engine], but it does not have the side pipes of a 450S on the drivers side. Obviously raced in California, the only car that comes to mind is the Bill Dixon chassis 3077, which was Chevy powered, with four 45 mm Webers.

Another possibility is the 200S in which Slim Helson [of the mid-West] put a Chevy engine. It featured identical gills behind the front wheels.

Ebb Rose had three Maseratis: a 450S, an early 300S with Chevy engine [burned to the ground in 1959 at Meadowdale] and a late model 300S, which he sold in 1959. Not sure what happened to the last car."

 
More from Alessandro Bruni:

"The car has an early 4.2 liter Maserati (Quattroporte) engine bored to 4.5. 

I assume that the car was the Fangio's 300S Maserati (1957 GP of Cuba and 1957 Sebring with Moss) because this particular body still has the 1957 Sebring badge as showed in a picture on your web (Stockton 1962). The car was sold in 1957  to John Edgar and then to Barbieri and raced with Ron Dykes at Stockton in 1962.  (No, that car is the well-known #3071.  TM)

That body has a little open in the front of the body and it's showed in a picture of 1957 Cuba GP. Only one hole in the rear bonnet (gas) instead of two (gas and oil): the body of the car I sent you the picture has only one as
the Fangio's car. All the others 300S cars are with  two holes.

Who raced with the car as it is now? This is the mystery!!!! Hope to find a solution !!!!!"

 
The latest from Alessandro:   (12-28-04)

"Thank you for helping me in this "crazy puzzle", but I think now we are close to the solution.  Last night I scratched the paint in the back of the body and came out the green colour and the front bonnet was white. I think that this is a good trace to follow.

I just called the Maserati Co. in Modena and I asked about the original color of #3067.  They told me that the car was sold in Brazil and it was green with the white front bonnet: BINGO !!!! The car spent its life in South America and the last information that Maserati Co. received (in 1972) was that the car was still in Brazil owned by Mr. Mascarenas."

Link to thread on "Atlas F1 Nostalgia Forum" discussing this car.  (1-4-05)

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