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2098
Completed: September 1954 Chassis: GILCO
Coachwork: Fiandri Spyder Engine: 2098
Color: red
This car was sent by Maserati to the Turin Motor Show where it was displayed from April 30 to May 1, 1955. Period photographs confirm that the car was not displayed on the official Maserati stand. Perhaps it was on the stand of the Milan race team Scuderia Madunina since the car was purchased by Francisco José “Pancho Pepe” Croquer, a wealthy 35-year-old radio man from Caracas in Venezuela who probably ordered his A6GCS through Madunina, which had strong connections to Latin America. Unfortunately, the date of the order is unknown.
Pancho Pepe Croquer drove many different cars, from the large National American commercial cars to sophisticated Mercedes-Benzs, Alfa Romeos, and MGs.
On September 19, 1955, the finished #2098 was shipped to Caracas. Its owner’s intention was to participate in the biggest motorsport event in his country, the Venezuela Grand Prix. On November 6, 1955, Croquer was with #2098 on the grid in Caracas and had it painted in white with the yellow, dark blue and red stripes of Venezuela.
After 28 laps and while in seventeenth place, the car was out with clutch problems while Moss took his Maserati 300S to the winning podium. But it was obvious that Croquer could not really handle the A6GCS. Juan Manuel Fangio recommended to him not to continue running the car because he did not have the necessary physical strength to drive a race car of these characteristics.
On November 21, the factory received a letter from Croquer requesting two new clutches. Tragedy stuck on December 18, 1955. Croquer was not well- disciplined and quite disorganized. He had nominated his car in the Vuelta a La Cordialidad-Cantarega Hillclimb in Colombia. After sixteen kilometers of driving, Croquer’s #2098 went out of control, apparently because of a failure in the steering gear, swerved off the road, overturned and smashed into the side of the road. Croquer survived the crash for about twenty minutes but died in an ambulance before reaching a hospital. The causes of the accident were never known. In analyzing the situation, it was suggested that the pilot had a
blackout, while driving along a straight stretch. Just before the race started, Pancho Pepe had suffered a nosebleed and despite the recommendation of his friends, he would not withdraw from the race.
The damaged car remained in Caracas. On March 23, 1956, the factory received a letter from Croquer’s wife, Amanda Martino-Croquer, inquiring about the possibility of repairing the car in the factory. On April 28, another letter from her arrived in Modena and she informed the factory that the car would be repaired locally in Caracas.
Chassis #2098 was repaired but with a slightly different front section with a smaller radiator opening. The rebuilt car was painted all white with the three blue, yellow, and red stripes of Venezuela and was on the grid for the Venezuela Grand Prix in Caracas on November 4, 1956, with Maurizio Marcotulli. He could not finish the race that saw Stirling Moss as the winner in a Maserati 300S.
On December 10, 1956, the factory received a letter from Tecnomotors, a local Caracas workshop owned by Silvano Turco, requesting a new gearbox. The car had been painted red by Tecnomotors and was nominated for Silvano Turco in the Mare Pedro Garcia event in July 1957 with race number 240.
ABOVE: Croquer had enough money to buy expensive sportscars, among them a 300SL Gullwing. He was proud to own #2098 and poses with his son next to the car before the Vuelta a La Cordialidad-Cantarega Hillclimb late in 1955. It is one of the last photographs of him. (Unknown photographer)
OPPOSITE: Italian men loved cars and beautiful women. Here three “donne” stand with #2098 that was displayed on the Turin Motor Show in 1955. (LaPresse)
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