Maserati Birdcage #2455

1959 Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage” – Chassis #2455

In the summer of 1959, Mike Garber, Gaston Andrey, and Oscar Feldman traveled to Modena to take delivery of one of Maserati’s most advanced competition machines—the Tipo 61 “Birdcage.” Lightweight, innovative, and purpose-built for endurance racing, chassis #2455 was immediately dispatched to the Bahamas to compete in the prestigious Nassau Speed Week.

The car’s debut proved memorable. In the headline Governor’s Trophy—the week’s premier event—the Birdcage delivered an impressive second-place finish, announcing its arrival on the international stage. Nassau’s famed Le Mans–style starts added drama to the proceedings: drivers sprinted across the track to their cars, igniting engines in a frenzy. In one such moment, Stirling Moss mistakenly leapt into Gaston Andrey’s Maserati, leading to a heated exchange as both drivers lost precious seconds. What followed was pure spectacle, with fierce on-track battles that became part of Nassau lore.

Following its Bahamian debut, chassis #2455 returned to the United States, where it campaigned successfully across the east coast racing circuits. Gaston Andrey would go on to secure the 1960 National Championship in his class driving the Birdcage, further cementing the car’s competitive pedigree.

The team returned to Nassau for the 1960 Speed Week, where the Maserati again proved its pace. Andrey dominated his class, finishing first in class and an impressive third overall in the Nassau Trophy. In the Governor’s Trophy, he captured second place once more, this time behind Ricardo Rodríguez in a Ferrari 250 TR, with the legendary Bob Holbert finishing third in a Porsche RSK.

Chassis #2455 stands as a remarkable example of Maserati’s engineering brilliance and a vivid reminder of one of motorsport’s most glamorous eras—where innovation, rivalry, and raw driver skill defined the golden age of sports car racing.