Competition history
The cars proved quick at the qualifying sessions, with one Cunningham car driven by Dick Thompson and Bill Kimberley qualifying in third place with the second Cunningham car driven by Walt Hansgen and Bruce McLaren qualifying at the fifth place while the Maserati France car qualified at the seventh place.
The cars were quick at the start of the race but began suffering from reliability problems. The 151 driven by Kimberly and Thompson went off the track due to poorly fitted brake pads and retired after 62 laps with a damaged radiator. The Maserati France entry experienced excessive rear tyre wear forcing tyre change every ten laps. It was voluntarily retired after 152 laps to avoid a major accident. The 151 driven by Hansgen and McLaren lasted the longest and was at the fifth place in early morning but experienced a transmission failure and retired after 178 laps.[4]
After the race, the cars went to the Maserati factory for servicing and the Cunningham team cars were taken to the US where they were subject to further modifications. The 151 004 was fitted with 5.7 litre V8 engine for a race in October 1962 where it yielded worse results. It was modified further for the 1963 Daytona American Challenge Cup, fitted with 7.0-litre Ford V8 and some axle modifications. The car suffered an accident and was written off during the race and scavenged for parts. The 151 006 was sold to Bev Spencer who campaigned it in SCAA events where it suffered from issues with the braking system. It was sold to Chuck Jones afterwards who converted it into a road car after failing to sell it. It was bought by German car collector Peter Kaus who restored it to its original specifications and displayed it in his personal car collection before auctioning the car in 2006.[4][5]
The Maserati France car was sent to the factory for revision for the 1963 Le Mans event. Improvements included a 4941 cc engine derived from the 5000 GT but with single ignition and Lucas indirect injection rated at 430 hp. The car was renumbered as 151 003. The car was campaigned in the 1963 season but retired after a transmission failure.[6] For 1964, the changes included a new 37 inch tall body designed by Piero Drogo (built by Allegretti), a lengthened chassis, a wider track and a switch to dry sump lubrication for the engine, reducing the power output to 410 hp.[7] It performed well during the race recording a top speed of 192.6 mph on the Mulsanne Straight but retired after 99 laps due to electrical and braking issues.[4][8]
For 1965, the car was further modified and fitted with a 5044 cc engine rated at 450 hp. Other modifications included the re-adoption of dual ignition, increased fuel capacity of 160-litres, a modified front suspension, a redesigned tail and large girling disc brakes. Tragedy struck on April 10 when driver "Lucky" Casner was killed in an accident during the official testing weekend for the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans. Casner lost control of the vehicle as he exited out of the Mulsanne Straight kink and rolled the car onto trees.[4][8] The engine went on to power the Tipo 65 less than 2 months later. A replica of the car was commissioned by German car collector Peter Kaus. The body was made using the original body molds used by Allegretti and was fitted on a German made chassis using a V8 engine used in the Tipo 54 race car.[7] A recreation of the 151 003 was built using a spare body shell at the Maserati factory.
