European Hill Climb Championship: Maserati's 1957 Triumph

In the 1950s, track races were still rare, with racetracks just beginning to be developed, often using old World War II airfields, like Silverstone, where the Formula 1 World Championship began on May 13, 1950. Hill Climb races were mostly local but managed to attract crowds of enthusiasts thanks to the participation of the best drivers of the era. For this reason, the FIA, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, decided to establish the new European Hill Climb Championship to encourage major car manufacturers to participate officially.

The Maserati 200 SI was a key player in the 1957 European Hill Climb Championship.

The first post-war edition took place in 1957, a disappointing year due to the official participation of only the German Borgward with drivers Hans Hermann, Jo Bonnier, and Giulio Cabianca driving the H 1500 RS, which had 155 horsepower but was penalized by its high weight. The championship was thus won by private Swiss driver Willy Daetwyler, who triumphed with his Maserati 200 SI, where SI stands for Sport Internazionale.

Private driver Willy Daetwyler, driving the Maserati 200 SI, became the 1957 European Hill Climb Championship champion, beating the Borgward official team.

This was the 2-liter model of the highly successful series 150, 200, 250, 300, and 450. On the 300 and 450 models, great champions like Fangio and Moss raced and won in the World Sportscar Championship. The SI series, with its harmonious and elegant bodywork by Fantuzzi and mechanics developed by the genius Giulio Alfieri, obviously had different engines. The 200 had a four-cylinder 1993cc engine capable of 193 horsepower. Its weight of just 660 kg gave it a great advantage over the famous A6GCS, which had a six-cylinder engine and was significantly heavier, easily taking its place. The car was never officially entered by the company in races because it was intended for customers. Hence, its loss of competitiveness when official teams entered the field.

The Maserati 200 SI, with bodywork by Fantuzzi and mechanics developed by Giulio Alfieri, was intended for customer drivers.

The following year saw the beginning of Porsche's dominance in the European Hill Climb Championship, one of the most successful brands in hill climb racing history, which we will explore next week on Roarington.com.