The origins of today’s featured Maserati Barchetta lie in the still born 1990 Maserati Chubasco concept car which was to feature a back bone chassis of the type favoured by the marques then owner Alejandro de Tomaso.

Unlike the Marcello Gandini styled Chubasco Coupé the Barchetta was conceived as an uncompromising track and race car designed to appeal to Caterham Seven drivers in search of something a tad more exotic.

The Barchetta is powered by a 2 litre / 122 cui twin turbocharged 24 valve four over head cam V6 which produces over 300hp.

The Grantrofeo Monomarca Barchetta Maserati race series was devised for these cars in 1992 which included 6 races all in Italy, the following year the series was expanded to include ten races which included visiting The Netherlands and Denmark, the latter in deference to the Danish High Class racing team who ran up to three cars in the series.

Today’s featured 1992 chassis #THB CMT*LLC* appears to have been run by the factory team in 1993 for drivers; Giorgio Cipolli, 3rd at Misano, Beppe Schenetti, 3rd at Mugello, Robert Pferdmenges 3rd at Monza, Cor Euser, 3rd at Zandvoort, Beppe Schenetti again, 2nd at Mugello, Thorkild Thyrring, winner at Jyllandsringen, Tobiar Hagenmeier, 7th at Magione and Antonio Tamburini who finished 2nd at Monza.

In 1993 FIAT bought out de Tomaso’s controlling 51% share of Maserati and canned the Barchetta with just 17 cars built.

#LLC* seen in these photographs at Silverstone Classic, was acquired by High Class racing after the 1993 season, but never raced by them. More recently the car has been owned by the preeminent academic, on the works of romantic poet Lord Byron, Sir James Drummond Bone who sold the last year to a new owner in Germany.

Thanks for joining me on this “All Who Joy Would Win” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Peugeot. Don’t forget to come back now !