Maserati 250 F Named The Greatest Racing Car Ever

British magazine Octane named the Maserati 250 F the greatest racing car ever, detrimental to Lotus 49, Porsche 917, Mercedes-Benz W196, Toyota TS010 Group C, Cobra and Auto Union Type C. Each of these models was nominated by famous racing drivers or people involved in motorsports, including Damon Hill, Derek Bell, Andy Wallace, Brian Reedman and Bobby Rahal. The Maserati 250 F was nominated by Sir Stirling Moss, the British magazine said in press statement. Rock legend Nick Mason from Pink Floyd was the one selected to drive the 250 F as the organizers aimed to showcase the car to all Royal Automobile Club members and Octane readers.

“The accolade is well deserved. To many the 250F is the archetypal Grand Prix car and, apart from being one of the most beautiful, it is one of the most progressive and forgiving of racing cars to drive. Who can forget what must be the most iconic of motor racing images – Fangio in a full power-slide at the French Grand Prix in 1957, with battle scars evident on the nose? (The car that is, not the driver…),” Nick Mason commented on the award.

The Maserati 250 F competed between 1954 and 1958, with the first race in the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix. Sir Stirling Moss drove his own 250 F during the whole 1954 season. The first victories came in 1956 when Moss won the Italian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix.

“I have great affection for the 250F because it was the car that gave me my first proper break in Formula One,” Sir Stirling Moss said.

Obviously, Maserati's representatives were delighted with the award and said that the 250 F is surely one of the most important models ever designed by the automaker.

“The 250F is possibly the most iconic car in the history of Maserati, a masterpiece of engineering which won the company the ultimate motorsport accolade, the Formula One Championship. Times have changed and Maserati’s core business now lies in the luxury car market, but the spirit of that era, the passion and the constant strive for excellence are part of our DNA,” Andrea Antonnicola, the Managing Director of Maserati GB Ltd, said.